New Delhi. Although cricket is considered a game full of uncertainty, this is especially true for the Pakistan team. In world cricket, Pakistan is such an unpredictable team whose performance is sometimes in top gear and sometimes in the lowest gear. Currently, its performance is mostly seen to be at the lower level. The biggest example of this is the team’s score at one point in the T20 World Cup against arch-rival India, when the team was 73 runs for two wickets but still could not achieve the target of 120 runs.
Pakistan team has performed like this in ODI and Test cricket as well. In the 2003 test match against Australia in Sharjah, Pakistan team had to face so much embarrassment that in both the innings, only one batsman of the opposition team – Matthew Hayden – scored more runs than the runs scored by Pakistan team. In both the innings of the match, Pakistan team was out on a score of less than 60 runs. Not only this, in both the innings, four batsmen of the team could not open their account. In just two days, Pakistan team captained by Waqar Younus surrendered in front of Australia and lost by an innings margin.
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Hayden scored more runs than Pakistan’s total in both innings
This test match which started on 11th October was so one sided that its result was made on the second day i.e. 12th October. Pakistan team was all out for 59 runs in the first innings and 53 runs in the second innings. The total of both the innings (59+53 =112) was 7 runs less than the 119 runs made by Australian opener Hayden. Pakistan team for the test included legends like Younus Khan, Misbah ul Haq, Waqar Younus, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq but almost all of them were flops. The top score from Pakistan in both the innings was 21 runs which was made by Razzaq in the first innings.
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No other batsman could score more than 10 runs
In the match, Pakistani captain Waqar won the toss and chose to bat first and the team collapsed after scoring just 59 runs in 31.5 overs. After both the openers were out at 0, Pakistan kept losing wickets continuously and except Razzaq (21), no batsman could reach double figures. Imran Nazir, Taufiq Umar, Saqlain Mushtaq and Waqar Younus were out at 0. From Australia’s side, leg spinner Shane Warne took the maximum of 4 wickets while McGrath, Brett Lee and Andy Bichel took 2-2 wickets each. On the very first day of the match, Australia strengthened its position by scoring 191 runs for 4 wickets in the first innings.
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Australia’s first innings were restricted to 310
In reply to Pakistan’s score of 59 runs, Australia’s innings ended at 310 runs in 92.1 overs. Apart from top scorer Hayden (119 runs, 9 fours and a six), Ricky Ponting contributed 44, Justin Langer 37 and Damien Martin 34 runs. Like Pakistan’s captain Waqar Younis, Australia’s captain Steve Waugh was also out at 0 in the first innings. From Pakistan’s side, Saqlain took the maximum 4 wickets and Razzaq took 3 wickets. On the basis of the first innings, the Australian team got a lead of 259 runs.
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Taufiq Umar and Waqar had made a ‘pair’
After getting bowled out cheaply in the first innings, everybody expected a fight from the Pakistani batsmen in the second innings but they gave up on the second day itself by performing irresponsibly. The condition of Waqar’s team in the second innings was even worse than the first innings and the entire team went to the pavilion after scoring just 53 runs in 24.5 overs. In the second innings, only two batsmen – Imran Nazir (16) and Misbah-ul-Haq (12) were able to score more than 10 runs. In the second innings too, four batsmen – Taufiq Umar, Younus Khan, Rashid Latif and Waqar could not open their account. Umar and Waqar even made a ‘pair’ (out on 0 in both innings). Once again, Warne took 4 wickets and Bichel took 2 wickets for Australia. Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee got one wicket each while two batsmen were run out.
Tags: Australia Cricket Team, Pakistan vs australia, Test cricket
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 19, 2024, 14:46 IST