One-sided affair: Azhar at the triple as Pakistan take full control

Scores 302* to leave West Indies with mountain to climb in remaining three days

KARACHI: It had been almost 25 years since a Pakistani opener last scored a double-century. In their 400th Test and their first-ever under lights with the pink ball, makeshift opener Azhar Ali — playing in his 50th Test match — decided to change that.

Up against a West Indies unit that wouldn’t seem out of place in a list of Test cricket’s worst-ever bowling attacks and on a pitch that offered less than nothing to the bowlers, Azhar’s knock was made to seem like easy pickings.

However, a 496-ball knock and the accumulation of 302 runs is no mean feat, regardless of the quality of the opponent or conditions.

Along the way, the Pakistan vice-captain broke several records. His knock was only the second of more than 200 by a Pakistani against the West Indies — the other being the great Hanif Mohammad’s 337 back in 1958. His knock was also the highest by a batsman in Dubai.



Azhar was also involved in several mammoth stands as Pakistan batsmen accumulated runs at ease. The first three partnerships were all in excess of 100, and the lowest score made by any of the top four batsmen was Asad Shafiq’s 67, when he slapped the ball straight back to leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.

Babar Azam, on debut, also impressed but his attacking 69 was overshadowed by Azhar’s mammoth innings.

Little surprise then, that the opener earned himself a lot of plaudits. “Azhar has been in remarkable form recently and he has taken full advantage of that here,” said former chief selector Haroon Rasheed.



Azhar had come under considerable criticism for his ODI form, which he answered in emphatic fashion with a century in the final 50-over game against the Windies. “Players who eventually go down as legends have to show mental resolve as well,” said Rasheed. “This shows Azhar has a very strong character and that he focuses a lot on his cricket. He has shown his critics that he is there to stay and that he is the man in form for Pakistan.”

Rasheed feels pink ball is the future of Test cricket, despite question marks regarding visibility. “Day-night cricket will become popular across the globe. This Test has been unable to draw crowds to Dubai so far but it is sure to increase popularity of the five-day game in stadiums around the world,” he said. “However, there are still doubts regarding visibility. The Dubai pitch is a dead one but in conditions where the ball is seaming or turning, it could become an issue.”

Rasheed also lamented West Indies’ demise. “It is tragic to see the way they have fallen,” he said. “They were once the giants of cricket. Now their board needs to fix these issues or things will keep going from bad to worse. Cricket is the only sport in which the West Indies plays as one, while in others their players represent their individual islands, so that is a significant thing. People there are already losing interest, so I foresee a lot of problems for them. Cricket might even end up losing such a great team.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2016.

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