PAK V AUS REWIND
Follow UsA historic day awaits Pakistan on March 4, 2022 as they will host Australia for a Test match for the first time after the 1998 tour. Australia are scheduled to play three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I in Pakistan.
Prior to the series against Sri Lanka in 2019, all the home tours for Pakistan were played in the United Arab Emirates. Post the horrific incident in 2009, when Sri Lanka toured Pakistan, cricket in Pakistan came to a complete halt. However, in 2015, Zimbabwe became the first nation to tour Pakistan, after which international cricket gradually found its way back to the 1996 World Cup co-hosts.
Three T20Is between World XI and Pakistan, followed by West Indies in 2018, Sri Lanka in 2019, Bangladesh in 2020, Zimbabwe again in 2020 and recently South Africa toured in 2021. On the day of the commencement of the first ODI against New Zealand, the visitors left the country citing a security issue which forced an abandonment. Later, England put their men’s and women’s team tours to Pakistan on hold.
Cricket West Indies kept their promise by sending their women’s and men’s teams while Cricket Australia also kept its word.
The History
Australia in 1956, were the third team to tour Pakistan and Ian Jonson was the skipper. It was just a one match affair that ended up in a loss for Australia.
Australia, in the first Test, scored 80 in the first innings and 187 in the second innings. Fazal Mahmood was the chief wrecker as he bagged 6-34 in the first innings and 7-80 in the second innings.
The first series win
Australia didn’t take too much time to get off the mark. In their second visit in 1959, Richie Benaud led the team to their first Test victory in Pakistan.
In the first Test, Pakistan were bundled out for 200 in the first innings, Alan Davidson with 4/42 and Benaud with 4/69 led the charge. Australia took the lead by just 25 runs. Once again, the Australian bowlers were too good for Pakistan batsmen as they were bundled out for 134 in the second innings. Ken Mackay led the attack with 6-42 and Benaud had another four-wicket haul (4-42). Australia easily chased a target of 110.
They followed it up with a win in the second Test. After batting first, Pakistan were packed off for 146 with all the bowlers contributing well as Australia took a big lead of 245 runs. Norm O’Neill was the star with a superb 134.
Pakistan put on a fight in the second innings, but the deficit was too big. They managed to put on 366, leaving Australia to chase down only 122, which they did with seven wickets in hand. Following a draw in the third match, Australia wrapped the series 2-0 and became the first team to win a series in Pakistan.
A prolonged drought of wins
That was it, the two wins in the 1959 tour were the last of the wins for Australia in Pakistan. After that, they drew a lone Test in 1964. Australia played 12 Tests in Pakistan starting from 1980 till 1994 and were winless. During this period, they lost six matches and drew the remaining six. In total, the Aussies played four Test series and lost of all of them.
Mark Taylor does a Benaud in 1998
However, Mark Taylor-led Australian team ended the 39-year winless streak. In the first Test of the 1998 tour, Stuart MacGill led the way with a five-for in the first innings to reduce Pakistan to 269. With the bat, Australia posted a mammoth total of 513, thanks to centuries by Michael Slater (108) and Steve Waugh (157).
With a lead of 244 in the second innings, Australian bowlers once again dominated and bundled out the hosts for 145 to win by an innings and 99 runs. MacGill with a four-wicket haul led the charge.
Australia managed to draw the remaining two Tests and won the series for the second time in Pakistan. The unforgettable knock of 334 not out by Taylor in the second Test was the highlight of the series. In fact, his knock remains the highest score by a non-Asian in Asia.
Overall, Australia have won three matches out of the 20 played in Pakistan. In addition, they are one among the four teams to win multiple series. England in 1961 and 2000, South Africa in 1997 and 2007, and Sri Lanka in 1995 and 2000 are the others.
