*Official* Australia v Pakistan Test Series

[luckyeddie]

I'm glad we've got some 'proper' cricket to talk about, rather than the 'electric rounders' feast of recent weeks.

330/5 doesn't exactly leave the game in the balance, but Pakistan are certainly not out of it yet. Quick wickets tomorrow morning could make it extremely interesting.

 

[Neil Pickup]

However, I can't see Pakistan's batting getting much more than 330 in two innings let alone one.

Rain Dance time.

 

[yorker]

Originally posted by Neil Pickup
However, I can't see Pakistan's batting getting much more than 330 in two innings let alone one.

Rain Dance time.

Yup thats the sad part, the batting is totally inexperianced, someone got to play a long innings otherwise it will be over by the third day

 

[Anil]

Australia should win easily, but the amount of resistance put up by the Pak batsmen will be a significant pointer to whether this team is on the path to recovery or still in a coma.

 

[aussie_beater]

Pakistan going with three quicks into the match was a mistake....with Saqi's performance later in the day showing that the wicket may have something for the spinners and so Kaneria could have been a better choice over Sami.

 

[basil]

Originally posted by anilramavarma
Australia should win easily, but the amount of resistance put up by the Pak batsmen will be a significant pointer to whether this team is on the path to recovery or still in a coma.

Except for Younis khan, none of the other batters are regular test batters.I don't think they can come up with good performance, except maybe for Misbah who have been in good touch in onedayers.The recovery will only occur after the main batters in Inzi/Youhanna/Anwar returns, till then they will get beaten badly!

 

[Blewy]

Originally posted by Gotchya

Originally posted by Gregory Blewett
It will really test the so called depth of the Pakistani side, if they can match it with the Aussies then they have backup to their claims....

Hardly that Gregory. This is not the full strength Pakistan side. Still, maybe we need to be more positive and optimistic about them, still they are Pakistani players. Hope they can salvage
something

I understand this is not the full strength team but Pakistan are one of the teams that claim to have a wealth of depth, This will prove if they are correct or not...

 

[Eclipse]

well I just watched a replay of Pontings innings god dam that was a good innings middled almost everything.

From memory it was totaly chancless cant even remember him playing and missing once.

I have to say Ricky Ponting has to be one of the best batsman to watch when he bats like that.

 

[Neil Pickup]

This seems to be following our worst-case predictions (worst-case being for neutrals hoping for entertaining, close cricket, that is - or Pakistanis..)

Aus 467 all out - Gilchrist 66*, Shoaib takes Warne, Lee and Gillespie inside seven balls

Imran Nazir and Taufeeq go after just 7 balls, 4-2, rapid 58 from Younis leads mini-recovery before he drives one too many off Brett Lee to Justin Langer. 98/4, Faisal Iqbal 17*, Misbah-ul-Haq 7*

Pakistan 369 behind with 29.2 overs left today. Quite possibly will be batting again by close.

 

[luckyeddie]

A strong recovery by stumps gives Pakistan real hope of saving the follow-on.

Faisal Iqbal a career-best 78* at a run a ball, Rashid Latif 30*.

Still a bit of cricket left in this one.

 

[basil]

[quote
I understand this is not the full strength team but Pakistan are one of the teams that claim to have a wealth of depth, This will prove if they are correct or not...
[/quote]

That wealth of depth is in BOWLING, not in batting.Everyone ,knows that Pak have been struggling to find quality batters!

Faisal Iqbal was very impressive today, looks like a good prospect!

 

[Kimbo]

oh my, golly gosh.
i just had a look on cricinfo and aussie is 93/7. Shoaib is on form. He has a five wicket back, only bowled 7 overs too. :wow:
Mushtaq has 2 wickets also.

 

[Gotchya]

127 is what Australia got at the end.

Shoaib turns the match upside down.
I left the match at Lunch today, anticipating a huge Australian lead with two days of cricket left, it was gloomy.

This is what happened after Lunch :

1-61 2-74 3-74 4-74 5-74 6-85 7-89 8-107 10-127

All this in the course of one session only is really something remarkable.

Pakistan may not have gotten out of deep waters yet, but they have certainly not given up the fight either. Great to see a young side lock horns with a strong team. Always heartening to see such performances from Akhtar, he has risen to the occasion very well.

And God, i never realised how much i missed Saqlain's bowling !! it was nice to see him among the ranks and bowling well He bowled really well from one end and ofcourse thankfully bowling to get batsmen out ATLAST !! His defensive bowling had him looking down the drain. Maybe now his career will revamp.

The task at hand is not very difficult, having said that, seeing the Pakistani batting line up it could prove to be very daunting. 316 is not an easy target considering Warne as well the inexperience of Pakistan. However it will be a great contest, if Pakistan can win this then it will be a great victory.


Now did i forget something ? its raining in Colombo......... :rolleyes:

 

[marc71178]

From what I've heard it's turning square?

I can see Warne racing through the Pakistani team if the weather holds - 316 is a very tall order, and I reckon he may get career best match figures.

 

[aussie_beater]

Wow !! tremendous show from the Pakistani bowlers, specially Akhtar..... if only Anwar, Inzi and Youhana were around, the Aussies could have been humbled quite nicely.

Akhtar bowled his inswinging yorkers to perfection and that spell of 15 balls where he captured 5 wickets is a real pin-up for hostile fast bowling.The Aussies were truly scared by his menacing pace.

But handling Warne in the fourth innings in that dust-bowl looks to be pretty much impossible for the inexperienced Pakistani batting lineup.

[Edited on 5/10/2002 by aussie_beater]

 

[Gotchya]

The one that got Gilchrist...it didn't seem to travel the distance of the pitch ! almost instantaneously the bails flew in the air.

Shane Warnes performance will be a big factor yes, also I think, the way Waqar handles his younger charges will be very important.

 

[Neil Pickup]

If Pakistan make 316 on that pitch with that batting line up then it will rank as one of the greatest run chases of all time.

Nice to see the Aussies capitulate again. Now, I wonder if Jones and Dawson can recreate that in November :rolleyes:

Would be the 15th highest 4th innings total to win. Good luck, nothing like seeing Australia lose.

(Well there is - Man Utd and York City )

 

[Rik]

So far Shoaib has completely overshadowed the entire Aussie pace attack which I remember Lillee was banging on about not long ago! Seems like Jones might do pretty well as he's more of a skiddy bowler like Shoaib (if not as fast) but Harmison is a bang it in short bowler. It would be nice to see Harmison pitch more up as theres more chance of an LWB or bowling someone if you do. Flintoff could do with trying to actually aim at the stumps too sometimes!

Also anyone given any thought to Steve Waugh's poor form? 36 and 0 are not very impressive even taking into account an inspired Shoaib. He better get a bit hundred soon otherwise hes out of the Ashes squad. His average has also gone under 50 now...by quite a margin!

[Edited on 5/10/2002 by Rik]

 

[Rik]

Jones - Maybe (that delivery he bowled Sehwag with on his debut shows he can)

Dawson - Not much of a chance.

It will be interisting to see what England's pace attack does when they come across pitches which are fast and the ball bounces over waist height!

 

[aussie_beater]

Jones has a long way to go, and the main weapon for Shoaib isn't just raw pace but his ability to extract profuse reverse swing on top of that hostile pace which proved to be the undoing for the Aussies.The peach of a delivery that got Gilchrist was simply unplayable.Gilchrist didn't even see it, let alone read the swing in it.