Pakistan openers steady nerves after familiar Khawaja carnage

Having been set a tricky total of 351 to chance on a hard surface to bat on, the Pakistan openers – Abdullah Shafique (27) and Imam-ul-Haq (42) – continued their good run, scoring 73 of the 351 runs required to complete a sensational 1-0 series win over Australia. 

Pakistan openers remain unbeaten at stumps!

A fascinating final day awaits 👀

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— ICC (@ICC) March 24, 2022

When Pakistani all-rounder Hasan Ali watched the replay of David Warner getting a ball to edge on the big screen, the frustration was evident. The hosts had missed a golden chance to avail an edge over the visitors in the first hour on day four. 

It was just the sixth over of the Australian innings, third of the day, Ali, who was fielding at mid-on was distraught. In fact, it was only an over after Warner had punished Shaheen Shah Afridi, for three boundaries. 

What followed was in the expected lines of the disappointment, the pair of David Warner and Usman Khawaja, who over the series have kept improving as a pair, thundered the Pakistani bowlers to parts of the ground. The Australian openers had set the right foot and laid the marker for what was about to come, the visitors had a total in their mind – 350 – as it was later played out.

Slowly yet steadily, the two openers stomped their authority, Warner was batting well outside the crease, angering opposite skipper Babar Azam. And Pakistan’s most trusted bowlers, Ali and Afridi, were being sprayed all over the park, runs were free-flowing. Edges didn’t carry or when it carried, it was agonizingly wide of the man. And when Naseem Shah dismissed Khawaja, it was off a no-ball. 

Khawaja and Smith continue to punish Pakistan

In short, it summed up Pakistan’s luck on perhaps, their most important Test day of the series. It was an all-or-nothing day in the context of the series, which perhaps was still hanging by the thinnest of threads on 0-0. Australia sensed the fear and rightfully, took advantage. 

Even the introduction of the off-spinner, Sajid Khan resulted in not a lot for the hosts, who were in complete dejection over the day’s proceedings, almost giving up on the day even before most of the best part started. The Australian openers, rode well on their luck, reached their respective half-centuries to pile more pressure on the hosts. 

It required a thunderbolt from Afridi to see the back of Warner (51). Marnus Labuschagne, who scored a duck in the first innings almost faltered early but once he saw that through, he was at his free-flowing best in Lahore. Paddles, reverse-sweeps, full-fledged sweeps were all in the lot of illustrious play. 

Usman Khawaja finishes the series with 496 runs at 165.33. Only Mark Taylor in 1998 has made more for Aust in a series in Pakistan #PAKvAUS

— Daniel Brettig 🏏 (@danbrettig) March 24, 2022

Well after Labuschagne (36) was dismissed, Khawaja (104*) brought up his second century of the three-match Test series, taking his run tally to 496, almost 250 runs more than Australia’s second-best batter, Smith. Smith, who was batting at the other end, became the fastest male batter to 8000 Test runs, as Travis Head’s entertaining innings took Australia to that magical figure of ‘350’. 

Pakistan’s openers fight back

Even though Australia took their lead to 350, the surface in Lahore was far from being great to bat, in fact, it was still a slow surface that required both batters and bowlers to toil hard. Pakistan, who returned to the venue for the first time in over a decade, understood this well in advance, that good batting was always going to be key.

Integral to Pakistan’s chances of attaining the favourable results – of a win or a draw – was to bat and bat well in the last session on day four. And add to that, they had to be positive with their shot-making, something that lacked in their first innings. While they started in a freakish fashion against the Australian bowlers, Imam and Shafique grew more and more in confidence. 

At one point, Australia had tried all measures, burnt a review after having brought every possible bowler on to bowl. While the odd ball did keep low and the other odd, turned, there was not a lot on the track that kept the bowlers very interested. Australia had learnt this hard lesson in the first innings with the ball, when they needed late inspiration on the third day to claw things back. 

The Pakistani openers kept their calm, took on the odd bad delivery, to the boundary and Shafique, in particular, took Lyon to the cleaners. While only striking at 30s and 40s mark, the two Pakistan openers, perhaps will be the most influential factor if the hosts are to take a win from the last day of the historic Test series. 

While it was Hasan earlier in the day, Smith felt the heat later, when he shelled a chance of the penultimate delivery off the day, as Labuschagne almost laughed in disbelief. Life came to a full circle in Lahore, Australia now have to reverse their fortunes on what would be a gripping finale to the Test series.