Benaud-Qadir Trophy Archives

‘We did not play with defensive approach’ Babar Azam on series defeat

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Babar Azam claimed that his men did not play with the defensive approach against Australia in the third and deciding Test of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy, here on Friday.

Babar, while talking to a virtual press conference, backed his team following a home series defeat against Australia in a recently concluded Benaud-Qadir Trophy, claiming that the green shirts played according to the situation.

“We didn’t play with a defensive mindset; instead, we played in accordance with the situation, with a positive attitude, and a desire to reach the goal. Back-to-back dismissals, however, altered the game’s dynamics “he stated

“It’s not correct to imply that the two teams’ mindsets were different,” he added.

The 27-years-old captain further backed Hasan Ali and othe players, saying that he has confidence in all the players.

“Hasan Ali is a match winner and I still trust him as much as I did before. It is unnecessary to call for the changes after one bad series. These players have performed for the team in the past,” he said.

Babar then went on to review his team’s overall performance in the recently concluded home series and claimed that the team played good cricket.

“We played good cricket overall in this series. But, the performance in Karachi Test was exceptional,” he concluded.

It is apropos to mention here that Australia defeared Pakistan by 115 runs in the third and final Test of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy today. The first two matches of the series could not conclude a result.

READ: All main pitches of National Stadium Karachi to be rebuilt

Lyon’s five-wicket haul powers Australia to claim Benaud-Qadir Trophy

LAHORE: Australia beat Pakistan by 115 runs in the third and deciding Test of the recently concluded Benaud-Qadir Trophy at the back of Nathan Lyon’s heroics, who bagged five wickets in the fourth innings, here on Friday.

In the final session of the final day, Pakistan were jolted by a massive blow as the skipper Babar Azam, who was fighting hard with his gritty knock also fell victim to Lyon. He perished in the 84th over after scoring 55 off 104 balls with the help of six boundaries.

Following his dismissal, the batting tail could not do much against the strong Australian bowling attack and the home side, in the end, bowled out for 235; handing the touring side a resounding 115 runs victory.

Earlier, the home side Pakistan experienced a disastrous second session as the side collapsed from 142/2 to 167/5 with the top-scorer Imam-ul-Haq, alongside Fawad Alam, and Mohammad Rizwan making their way back to the pavilion.

Imam remained the top scorer for the home side with 70 runs in 199 deliveries, while Babar followed back with a gritty 55. The rest of the batters, on the other hand, could not manage to score significantly.

In the morning, Pakistan resumed at an overnight score of 73/0, the set pair of Abdullah Shafique and Imam broke as the former walked back to the pavilion without scoring a run on the fifth day.

Abdullah scored 27 off 80 balls with the help of three boundaries and a six before Cameron Green dismissed him in the fourth over of the morning session.

Azhar Ali then arrived at the crease and put on a brief partnership with Imam. The pair could only add 28 runs for the second wicket before the former perished on Nathan Lyon’s delivery. The right-handed batter scored 17 off 47 deliveries.

READ: Sarfaraz Ahmed opts to leave Test squad to join Sindh in Pakistan Cup

Cummins, Starc star to put Australia in the commanding position

LAHORE: Australian pacers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc over the Pakistan batting line-up dismissing the home side on 268 to hand their team a massive lead of 123 runs before the openers take the touring side to 11/0 at the stumps on day three of the ongoing third Test.

After bowling out Pakistan on 268, Australian openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner could only bat for three overs. The openers took their side to 11/0 before the umpire dislodged the bails to call off the day.

Khawaja (7*) and Warner (4*) will now resume the proceedings for the touring side on the fourth day of the third Test. The touring side currently has a massive lead of 134 runs.

On the other hand, Pakistan had a forgetful third session as the touring bowlers wreaked havoc over their batting lineup. The home side lost all their remaining seven wickets and could only manage to add 41 runs after the Tea break.

Australian captain Cummins led the way with a five-for, while Starc followed back with four. Nathan Lyon, on the other hand, made one scalp.

Coming out to bat after tea, the home side soon lost their fourth wicket as the left-arm pacer Starc castled Fawad Alam on 13.

Following his departure, the side began to lose wickets at an alarming rate. Babar Azam, who was standing firm at the other end, also became the victim of the collapse as he lost his wicket to Starc after scoring 67.

The home side’s batting tail had no answers to the Australian bowling attack as Nauman Ali, Hasan Ali, and Naseem Shah bagged ducks. Mohammad Rizwan and Sajid Khan, on the other hand, scored one and six respectively.

Following the match-defining collapse, Pakistan bowled out on 268; handing a massive 123-runs lead to the Kangaroos.

The second session of the third day turned out to be an eventful one as the visitors removed both set batters Abdullah and Azhar, while the home side added 68 runs at 2.7 runs per over.

The top-scorer for the home side – Abdullah walked back to the pavilion in the fourth over of the second session as Nathan Lyon removed the former for 81. He faced 228 balls and smashed 11 boundaries.

Later, Azhar also made his way back a few overs before the Tea break as Australian captain Pat Cummins took a screamer off his bowling to remove Azhar for 78. The right-handed batter 208 deliveries and hit eight boundaries including a six.

In the morning session, the set pair of Abdullah and Azhar resumed at an overnight score of 90/1, extending their important partnership by adding a further 69-runs; making sure that the home side do not lose any wicket. Pakistan added 69 runs at a decent rate of 2.4.

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‘No one wants to miss out on a century’ Cameron Green

LAHORE: Australian all-rounder Cameron Green opened up about missing on a chance to score his maiden Test century, said nobody wants to miss out on the milestone.

Green while talking to the post-day virtual press conference expressed his disappointment in missing out on an opportunity to score his maiden ton.

“Nobody wants to be out close to hundred. Unfortunately, I couldn’t play more,” he said.

“A century has its own significance in Test cricket. I would have always remembered this feat if I ended up getting a ton,” he added.

The right-handed batter also praised Naseem Shah for his brilliant performance with the ball, while termed his dismissal ‘unfortunate’.

“Naseem bowled really well, we were looking for a long partnership, it is unfortunate for me to get out,” he said.

“Naseem made good use of the old ball. Hopefully, we too can get the ball to reverse swing when the ball gets old,” he added.

The Australian all-rounder further shared about his experience of batting on a sub-continent pitch, said he is learning to play according to the pitch condition here.

“I am still learning to play according to the conditions of the subcontinent pitches. We have to stay long at the crease here and the ball gets a low bounce,” he concluded.

READ: ‘Naseem Shah is the future of Pakistan’ Shaheen Shah Afridi

Abdullah, Azhar stand solid as Pakistan get to 90/1 at the stumps

LAHORE: Pakistan’s opening batter Abdullah Shafique and top-order batter Azhar Ali stood firm and took the home side to 90/1 at the conclusion of the second day of the third Test, here on Tuesday.

In response to Australia’s 391, the home side managed to score 90/1 at the stumps on the second day. Opener Abdullah and Azhar anchored the innings with an unbeaten 70-runs partnership and will now resume the proceedings on the third day for Pakistan.

Abdullah is just five away from his half-century, while Azhar has scored an unbeaten 30 off 79 balls.

Earlier, Pakistan were off to a poor start as the home side lost their first wicket in the form of Imam-ul-Haq for a combined score of 20. The left-handed batter managed to score 11 before Pat Cummins trapped him in his legs.

Earlier, Pakistan bowled out Australia for 391, thanks to the four-wicket hauls each from Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

After a frustrating first session, Pakistan’s pacers fired back at the opposition in the second session; taking five wickets and conceding only 71 runs.

Australia’s set pair of Alex Carey and Cameron Green fell in the quick successions after the Lunch break, while the batting tail had no answers to Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Carey scored an important 67, while Green starred with his 79. The left-handed opener Usman Khawaja, however, remained the top scorer for his side with a brilliant 91.

For Pakistan, Shaheen and Naseem picked four wickets each, while Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali struck out a batter apiece.

At the resumption of day two, Australia, resuming at an overnight score of 232/5, the visitors completely dominated the first session of day two. The pair of Carey and Green added 88 runs into their side’s overnight score at a decent run-rate of 3.14.

READ: Smith, Khawaja’s dismissals put Pakistan in commanding position

Smith, Khawaja’s dismissals put Pakistan in commanding position

LAHORE: Australia’s set pair of Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith fell in the last session of the opening day of the ongoing third Test to put Pakistan in a commanding position, here on Monday.

The last session of the opening day turned out to be an eventful one as the home side picked up three wickets, while the visitors managed to add 87 runs and took their score to 232/5 at the stumps.

Resuming the score at 145/2 after the Lunch, Australia’s set batter Smith could not carry his bat for long as he walked to the pavilion in the third over of the last session. Pakistan’s speedster Naseem Shah bowled a magnificent reverse swing to trap him in legs.

The right-handed batter scored 59 off 169 deliveries with the help of six boundaries. His partner, Khawaja on the other hand, stayed a little longer at the crease but fell short to his 12th Test century by a mere nine runs. Babar Azam took a sharp catch off Sajid Khan’s delivery at slip to dismiss the left-hander.

Soon after Khawja’s exit, the left-handed batter Travis Head also made his way back to the pavilion after he managed to score 26 off 70 balls.

Alex Carey (8*) and Cameron Green (20*) will now resume the proceedings for the touring side at 232/5 on the second day.

For Pakistan, Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged two wickets each, while Sajid managed to make one scalp.

In the second session, Australia took control after losing two quick wickets in the third over of the day. The opening batter Khawaja and Smith then anchored the innings with an astonishing 137-runs unbeaten partnership.

The pair scored added a further 75-runs before the Tea break and made sure that the touring side do not lose further wickets.

Earlier, Australia, after opting to bat first, were off to a poor start as Pakistan’s leading pacer Shaheen struck the opener David Warner and the top-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne in his second over.

With Shaheen’s quick strikes, Australia lost their first two wickets for a mere eight runs. The left-hander Khawaja and experienced Smith then anchored the innings with an unbeaten 62-runs partnership and took Australia to 70/2 at the conclusion of the first session.

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‘We made plans to tackle Babar, will try to execute them’ Pat Cummins

LAHORE: Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins has revealed that the touring side has made plans to tackle Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam and is confident of executing them in the upcoming third Test.

Cummins, while talking to the virtual pressed conference, ahead of the third Test of the historic series between Pakistan and Australia, unveiled that the touring side has made several plans to tackle Pakistan’s top-batter Babar.

“Babar Azam played an extraordinary knock. We have made plans for him. Now we will be looking to execute those plans, but I must say that he played a good long knock,” he said.

Cummins also revealed that the Aussies will be taking the field with the same combination.

“I have full confidence in my boys. We will take the field with the same Playing XI,” he said.

“We need two spinners. We also considered other options but we think this is the best Playing XI,” he added.

Cummins also claimed that the missed opportunities in the last Test prevented us from winning. However, the right-arm pacer is confident of not losing the chances in the third Test.

“We had a chance to win the Karachi Test but we missed on the given opportunities which really halted us from winning,” he said.

“We can no longer afford to miss out on the opportunities, we need to field well in the Lahore Test,” he added.

The right-arm pacer also commented about the playing conditions in Gaddafi Stadium, said the bowlers do not have much experience of playing in hot conditions.

“This is a big match. The weather is very hot for the fast bowlers. They do not have much experience of playing in these sorts of conditions,” he said.

“There is no grass on the pitch. I can’t say much about this pitch, how different it is
from the first two Tests. But, I think the reverse swing will play an important role in this match,” he concluded.

The Aussie captain however is confident of claiming the series by winning the third Test of the ongoing Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

READ: ‘Fawad Alam knows how to make a comeback’ Babar Azam

‘If the situation builds up then will definitely go for victory’ Abdullah

KARACHI: Pakistan’s right-handed opener Abdullah Shafique shared that the team will surely go for the victory if the situation builds up on the final day of the ongoing second Test against Australia.

Abdullah, while talking to the presser after the conclusion of the fourth day of the Karachi Test, expressed satisfaction with his performance and claimed that the home side will go for the victory if the situation remained favourable.

“The batting remained satisfactory in the last two sessions. We will try to play according to the situation and to keep the momentum in our favour,” he said.

“The team will surely go for the victory if the situation remained suitable for us,” he added.

Abdullah then heaped praises on his captain Babar Azam, said he is a world-class batter and he always tries to learn from him.

“I think Babar Azam is a world-class batter and I always try to get help from him,” he said.

The right-handed batter then went on to reply to a reporter, who asked about him scoring a second century in a row, said the team performance is always his first priority.

“Team performance is before my personal achievement. Our focus tomorrow will be to do what is best for our team, and, I will try my best to win this game for them,” he replied.

Abdullah then acknowledged Australia’s bowling attack and revealed how he, alongside Babar nullified their attack.

“The Australian bowlers were taking advantage of the rough areas. Their strategy seemed to trap us on the leg side, but Babar Bhai and I decided to play defensively instead to wave off the threat,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan finished at 192/2 at the stumps on the fourth day of the ongoing Test. The home side needs further 314 runs to pull off the victory by chasing a world record.

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Babar-Abdullah partnership keeps Pakistan in the hunt

KARACHI: Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam and the opening batter Abdullah Shafique carried their bat till the stumps of day four of the ongoing second Test to keep Pakistan in the hunt as they need 314 runs to win.

Pakistan enjoyed a delightful last session of the fourth day as the home side added 88 runs without losing any wicket as they finished at 192/2 at the stumps on day four.

Pakistan’s skipper Babar notched up his sixth Test century in the closing minutes and remained unbeaten. He has faced 198 deliveries and smashed a dozen boundaries.

His partner Abdullah, on the other hand, also batted exceptionally well as he remained unbeaten on 71 with the help of four boundaries and a six.

The pair have put on a 171-runs partnership for the third wicket and will now resume the proceedings for Pakistan at 192/2 on the final day.

After a series of frustrating sessions, Pakistan got hold of the second session of day four as they added 86 runs for the loss of just one wicket.

In the first session, resuming at an overnight score of 81/1, Australia’s top-order batters Marnus Labuschagne and the left-handed opener Usman Khawaja managed to add just 16 runs into their overnight partnership.

Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi managed to break their partnership in the 24th over as he castled Labuschagne for 44.

With his dismissal, Australian captain Pat Cummins decided to declare the innings at 97/2, Khawaja remained unbeaten with 44.

Set to chase a mammoth 506, Pakistan were off to a poor start as they lost their in-form opening batter Imam-ul-Haq for a combined score of two. Imam made his way back after managing to score just one as Nathan Lyon trapped him in his legs.

Pakistan’s young opening batter Abdullah Shafique and Azhar Ali then anchored the innings and made sure that the home side do not lose any further wickets. The pair batted for 15 overs and add 18 runs to the team’s total.

‘Decision of not enforcing the follow-on was unanimous’ Mitchell Starc

KARACHI: Australia’s left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc has revealed that Australia’s decision of not enforcing the follow-on in the ongoing second Test against Pakistan was unanimous.

Starc, in a media interaction after the conclusion of the third day of the Karachi Test, revealed that it was the touring side’s unanimous decision of not enforcing the follow-on.

“I think we bowled pretty well in the afternoon session. The decision of not enforcing the follow-on was unanimous and everybody was quick to agree on that,” he said.

Starc further claimed the cracks have started to appear on the pitch and the wicket is now helping the ball to reverse swing.

“Cracks have started appearing in the pitch which is supporting the bowling. The bowlers are also getting the reverse swing,” he said.

The left-arm pacer went on to comment on his performance, also lauded the youngsters for their ‘exceptional’ performance on their first tour to Pakistan.

“I am pretty satisfied with my performance. Also, there are a lot of youngsters in our side, who did well on their first tour to Pakistan,” he said.

It is worth mentioning here that the touring side is in control in the ongoing second Test against Pakistan. The Aussies are leading by a mammoth 489 runs as Pakistan could only score 148 in response to Australia’s 556 in the first innings.

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