Pakistan vs Australia first Test match fizzles out in draw

Mar 08, 2022

Pakistan vs Australia first Test match fizzles out in draw Image

As expected, the first Test match between Pakistan and Australia, in Rawalpindi, ended in a draw, the only realistic result on the cards going into the final day. After Pakistan had made 476/4 declared in their first innings, Australia had ended the Day 4 on 449/7. Mitchell Starc was unbeaten on 12, and his captain Pat Cummins on 4.

The innings was quickly wrapped up on the fifth morning. The last three wickets fell for the addition of just 10 runs.

Cummins was the first to go, caught by Imam ul-Haq off Nauman Ali for 8. Off the last ball of the following over, Starc departed for 13, leg before to Shaheen Shah Afridi for 13. Nathan Lyon was then leg before to Nauman for 3, meaning last man Josh Hazlewood did not have to face a ball. Australia were all out for 459, a first innings deficit of 17.

Nauman was the most successful of the Pakistan bowlers, taking 6-107, whilst Afridi claimed 2--88.

Pakistan batted for the second time knowing that there was no realistic prospect of any other result than a draw. They opted for batting practice, with Abdullah Shafique and Imam ul-Haq largely untroubled.

They shared an unbeaten partnership of 252, with both men making centuries, in the case of Imam, his second of the match. Nine different bowlers were tried by Australia but none had any success.

In the end, though, the two captains opted to put an end to proceedings with Shafique unbeaten on 136, with a six and 15 fours, while Imam, who scored 2 sixes and 7 fours of his own, was 111 not out.

Pakistan 476/4 decl. (Azhar Ali 185, Imam ul-Haq 157) and 252/0 (Abdullah Shafique 136*, Imam-ul-Haq 111*) drew with Australia 459 (Usman Khawaja 97; Nauman Ali 6-107). Player of the Match: Imam ul-Haq.