Aus vs Pak: 3rd Test (Jan 2-6), Sydney

[Zainub]

Well bowled Danish Kaneria!!! He took 7-188 in a marathon 49.3 overs to help us finally bowl out Australia for 568, Ricky Ponting top scoring with another double hundred, 207 was his final score, Shane Watson making a promising 31 on debut. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, one of three bowlers to go for more than one hundred runs ended up taking 3-107 in 26 overs in his first overseas test. Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan's most experienced bowler had disapointing returns of 16 wicket less over in which he was taken for 4.6 runs an over.

In reply Pakistan kicked off by another promising 47 runs stand for the opening wicket in just over 9 overs before Salman Butt chanced his arm once too on often on 21 thick edging a sharp chance to Warne of the first ball of McGill's spell in the 2nd innings. However there was some good news as Yasir Hameed looked very well settelled on his way to scoring a 40 not out from 45 balls as Glenn McGrath was taken for 6 an over in his four overs. The wicket is now turning big time, and one has the feeling McGill and Warnie will be crucial again as Pakistan try and erase the massive 264 run first innings deficit, and salvage some pride for the remainder of the tour, a triangular one-day series against the hosts and West Indies.

Bad light has stopped play 5 overs early as we progressed to 67-1 by stumps, still a massive 197 runs behind. I hope for the sake of Kaneria that we make Australia bat again, he's bowled exteremly well all tour, and probably deserves getting a 10-for the way he kept running in and bowl nearly 50 overs as his more experienced and illustrous partners all dissapointed.

[Beny]

Kaneria bowled well and the Aussies batted well. Gilchrist's ton was possibly the best batting display I've seen in my life.

[Rachael]

24.2 Warne to Yasir Hameed, OUT: pushes forward bat with pad taken on
the pad fair way forward pitched on legstump turning.....

Pakistan 104/2, Partnership of 58
Yasir Hameed lbw b Warne 63 (77b 9x4 0x6)
Younis Khan 19* (43b 2x4) SK Warne 8.2-0-30-1

[Maranello]

Yet another dubious decision by an umpire going against Pakistan, Yasir Hameed wrongly given out LBW to Warne for a very well made 63, when he was doing great. It seems Warne built up pressure on Shepherd by a series of half-hearted shouts for frivolous appeals

PS: Rachael, saw your post after writing mine above. The ball pitched outside leg-stump, or at least, a portion of it was outside. It hit Yasir almost 2.5 metres in front of the wickets so a long way to go, really no way it could be given out, for those two reasons.

Shame really...Yasir was batting beautifully, scoring fluently and playing the spin very well, its always fascinating to watch a touch and timing player like him bat in full flow, and impose himself on quality bowling.

[Shaka]

I find it incredible that this is the 2nd time that one of our batsmen has been given out lbw, hit on the front foot, pushing a long way forward to a legspinner, an almost unheard of dismissal usually.

Actually I don't find it incredible, rather predictable given the distribution of the "umpiring elite" in test matches last few decades.

[Zainub]

Hameed has been unlucky with at least a couple of umpiring dicesions he's got in the series, but those things happen, we can't possibly complain about it too much, I don't think it would have made a whole lot of difference to the score line anyway, an imposing 3-0 inhilation could not have been everted had Hameed been given not out. We cannot speculate on what might have happened. I do feel sorry for Shep though. I don't appreciate bowlers putting umpires under pressure via excessive appealing, not even when the bowlers are from my side, they are under quite a bit of pressure already with the all the scrutiny they get. I know that certain umpires take a stronger stance on that issue and are quick to warn players against it, Bowden being one of them, unfortunately he was standing at the other end this time, I'm sure he would have warned Warnie had he been in Shep's place.

On our performance on day 4, certainly it was an enjoyable day of test cricket with a lot of mini battles and attempts to salvage shattered pride, some of which were duelly achieved, others disgracefully unsuccessful. Shahid Afridi batted admirably with composure and responisibility on the way to making a well compiled 46 glaced with the usuall dose of typical Afridi strokes. Full blood cover drives and potentially head-breaking straight drives. It was an innings both typical and atypical of Afridi, after all, how many innings do we say Afrid play in which he doesn't hit a six, not many I would say. He averages I think about 1 six per game. Which is a phenomenal stat in it self. People say a lot of things about him all the time, and I know too that he's not delivered to his talents enough, but for sheer reasons his value as an great entertainer, he will be remembered admirably in cricketing circles for many a years one has the feeling.

But he let a possible chance of Pakistan getting some worthwhile lead slip away with one peice of lazy running that initiated a lower order collapse. From being 4-238 at just before his dismissal that was caused by an excellent direct hit from Damein Martyn -the man who can do nothing wrong right, now, its almost as if everything he touches becomes gold- we were quickly reduced to 9-270, meaing we lost 5-32 in no time apparently very little time, so much so that the extra half our was taken and tea was delayed. Although Mohamad Asif and Asim Kamal resisted spiritedly in that period we definately had squambled a good position yet again with an absymal dissmissal that really at test level should not have happened. Our running is by defination disgraceful.

When Afridi was batting with Asim Kamal they had put on a partnership of 74 and Pakistan were just 25 to 30 odd runs away from removing the deficit. With Afridi well setteled, scoring fairly quickly and lady luck seemingly on his side, accompanied by Asim Kamal playing a measured innings at the other end as well, Pakistan had got a good partnerhsip going. People in the commentary box were speaking promisingly about a lead of 100 odd runs, and there were recalls of previous test matches when Australia had slumped chasing small last innings totals. All that talk obviously went quickly out of the window as McGill (3 wickets in this innings, 9 in the match) and Warnie (4 wickets in this innings, 5 in the match) squandered more wickets to agains set up Australia for an easy victory.

The last wicket partnership delayed the enevitable, but it was as, said before too, a spirited, and pleasing resistance from two men still trying to establish their place in the side. Courage was shown in the face of adversity. Asim Kamal showed faith in the number 11 Asif who had in the first innings surivived 24 balls and 41 minutes for his duck. The faith was rewarded with as Asim Kamal got off the mark in test cricket after 33 balls on zero in the 2nd dug and celebrated with a punch in the air and a smile that one in a hurry could not make up one's minds as to the descriptive epithet it merrited; there was something in it that pleased, but something in in too that brought surging up into one's mind all his fobiles and weak points: all that could lay one open to laugh, as did people in the commentary box. []

Asim Kamal's faith in his batting partener however did not reward him with something he would have cherieshed for many a year: a maiden test hundred in the world's best team's backyard. He ran out of patience him self when Aus took the second new ball after tea and nicked an out swinger from Dizzy when on 87 to allow Ricky Ponting at 2nd slip take one of the most breath taking catches one is ever likely to see. The edge would have conviniently carried to Shane Warnie at 1st slip had he not dived a meter to his left, grasping the out side edge one handed infront of Warnie. Awsome!

That left Australia with a target of 62 to chase with they duely did in majestic style batting at 6.6 an over with the loss of Justin Langer for a agressive 34. Stauart McGill with 9 wickets for the match, including a five-for in the 1st innings that changed the coarse of the match, and the crucial wickets of first innings centurious Butt, skipper Yohanna in the 2nd was adjudeged man of the match ahead of Ricky Ponting who made 207 Adam Gilchrist who made a spakling 113.

This ends part 1 of what is proving to be quite a testing tour for us, but at least we can be thankful that it is all not going waste, some one said before the tour started that this tour will seperate the men from the boys within our squad - it has done just that, and the results have been mixed, it was a reality check of sorts. I now just hope we make good use of the experience we have gained in these conditions, and perform better in the one-days. More so, the younger players will have learned what the demands of test cricket can be like, people like Khalil, Sami, Asif, Farhat, Hameed, Butt, Kaneria, Malik, Kamal and Akmal are all age wise still young, and will definately tour Australia next time we are supposed to come here, hopefully when that happens I will be prouder about our results than I am now.

[Shaka]

That's the first time I've seen Shahid Afridi batting as if he expected to be around to face the next over. Quite a pleasant experience...I doubt I'll ever see it again so probably should cherish this moment. Good to see Asim Kamal get more reward for his professional approach to batting.

The Aussies don't look invincible by a long way, but it will take a good team to be able to put pressure on them over 5 days. Damien Martyn and Gilchrist are pure class.

[Zainub]

Shaka,

who do you think has been the biggest disapointment of this series for Pakistan?

[Shaka]

The biggest disappointments for me would probably be Razzaq and Sami. I think on Australian wickets they would have wanted to get a few more wickets. Other than that, most of our batsmen have made some runs and shown steady improvement, Imran Farhat apart. Good to see Yasir Hameed getting runs and he might have made more if he'd had more luck with a couple of lbws that went against him.

[dagonz]

I'd like to throw in an answer to you Zainub if i may. I'd nominate two players for you. The obvious one is Shoaib unfortunately (unfortunate because he is one of my favourites) because of his confidence in himself in comparison to his dedication for the team. He is positioning himself as a designated bowler disregarding his own great skills as an outfielder and the general aura of confidence and fight he can give his team. A team game demands that you be honest with your fellow teamates about your input and availability to be there for them and with them (sorry shoaib i think you can be great).
Despite this though the biggest disappointment would be Lehmann. Too old, too slow and not willing to let go. I believe he is in the team under false pretences as a soundboard for Ponting and not as a required talent. Australia is not a team of youth but a group of skilled successful players who can more than compensate for Lehmanns wisdom out in the middle.
Sadly the record books will not be able to show the competitiveness of Pakistan and the grit that some players have shown for their country.