When a draw felt better than victory

Pakistan's defense against Australia A-class bowling in Karachi is best marketing Test cricket could’ve wished for

KARACHI:

Patience is key when you are watching Pakistan bat on a day five pitch, trying to stave off a defeat in a Test match at home, against Australia.

The moment was historic. Australia are visiting after 24 long years. None of the players in their team, even the veteran Nathan Lyon, 34, has played a single match in Pakistan. The only player to have any sort of connection with Pakistan, remember that too a non-cricketing one, is Usman Khawaja. It is where his parents were born and where his extended family lives. He is asked to prepare trivia for other players so that they can learn more about the country.

The setting of the second Test was also majestic. Pakistan had planned a spinning and reverse swinging track in Karachi, after a horrible and “dead” track in Pindi saw batters dominate all five days. But Pakistan lost the toss and Australia did to the hosts what was planned for the visitors. Pat Cummins and co batted first, scored a mammoth total and then dismissed Pakistan on a low score. They didn’t enforce the follow-on, batted a few more overs, got to a substantial target and then asked Pakistan to save the Test with nearly two days to bat.

History is witness that such a big task of batting two days on a spinning track is rarely achieved in Test cricket. Teams and batters wither under the pressure when the ask is to just stay on the crease. Australia had nearly prepped their celebrations when Azhar Ali and Imamul Haq went back to the pavilion for only 21 runs.

However, team Pakistan and their two most in-form batters, skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, had other plans.

Babar first coupled up with Abdullah Shafiq and made sure Pakistan ended day four without losing a third wicket. On day five, when Babar’s stern focus was broken by Nathan Lyon after the right-handed batter had nearly taken Pakistan to the end of the line, Rizwan took charge of Pakistan defence in the final moments of the game.

Everyone was unhappy that Babar couldn’t complete his double ton, getting out just four runs short, on 196, but they were also blown away by the sheer determination he had shown in the face of adversity.

While displaying his nerves of steel, Babar registered many records too. He improved his highest Test score. While he became the highest run-scorer for Pakistan in the fourth innings, he also became the highest run-scoring captain in fourth innings. He also surpassed Shoaib Malik's record (369 balls) of playing most deliveries by a Pakistani batter in the fourth innings during his knock.

Rizwan, on the other hand, may not have rewritten the history book like Babar, but his fourth innings antic earned him the respect of the fans at the National Stadium of Karachi, where even when he was blocking deliveries, he was being showered with cheers from the home crowd.

At the end of the day, no one can take the credit away from Pakistan for putting up an iron-clad defence up against Australia, but the visitors deserve plaudits for their never-say-die attitude in the second Test. The bowlers bowled their heart out, while the near-in fielders took hits from batters, but kept fielding in the close circle to take that match-changing, one lucky catch.

All in all, if Pindi Test was the worst example of why Test matches should stay, the second Test between Pakistan and Australia in Karachi was one of the best arguments in favour of the five-day format. The match had all the elements that make a Test match such an interesting idea, and it was also the perfect promotion of the concept that even a draw can be as entertaining as a Test match with a result.