Power cut epitomises ‘home’ series

A power cut was experienced at Headingly on the third day of the second Test match between Pakistan and Australia.

LEEDS: Pakistan’s ongoing ‘home’ series against Australia may not feature home conditions or a hollering crowd but on the third morning of the second and final Test, it experienced an event which helped the team feel at home: a power cut.

The cut, that lasted 45 minutes and took place in the second hour of the first session, was reported to have taken out the entire town of Headingley that houses the stadium and affected out not only the televisions and internet connection at the stadium but also the screen, scoreboards and the official clock on the ground.

While Australia remained ‘stuck’ on 179 and the clock stayed on 11.46 for the duration of the power cut, Michael Clarke, though, went about mercilessly adding to Pakistan’s woes. While Pakistan may have gone about thinking the opponent’s lead was only nine, and that a good 45 minutes remained before the lunch interval, Clarke may have wondered how long it was till his century.

At times like these, the crowd, the players and the officials got reminded of cricket’s stone ages: the manual, man-powered scoreboard. Some, though, wondered what would happen if the third umpire was called into action.

And as Steve Smith flayed a tired Pakistan attack while the shadows grew longer, a plane flew above with a banner that read ‘Well Played Pakistan’.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2010.