My best Test innings, says Pakistan captain Babar Azam

 

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has rated his 196 in the second Test against Australia as “one of his best innings” which has helped his team draw the game from a precarious position.

Pakistan in pursuit of a huge target of 506, ended on 443 for 7 with hundreds from Babar and Mohammed Rizwan.

“I think credit goes to the team for having a lot of self belief in themselves and coming back strongly after batting poorly in the first innings. My innings is definitely one of my better ones and I am glad it helped us draw the match,” Babar said in the post match conference.

He said he always rated those of his innings very highly which played a big role in Pakistan winning a match or saving it.

The top batter also admitted that he and Muhammad Rizwan had not given much thought to taking a shot at chasing down the total and when wickets fell they played for a draw.

“In the second innings every one gave his 100 percent because we had self-belief in ourselves we could save the match. We decided to take it session by session and not think too much ahead,” he said.

Babar added that had he and Rizwan batted together a little longer they would have gone for a run chase but when he and Faheem Ashraf got out on successive balls the best option was to play for a draw.

The Pakistan captain also didn’t accept criticism of the pitches used so far in the two tests in Rawalpindi and Karachi insisting they were the same for both teams

“In Karachi, you usually get some reverse swing and the Australian bowlers got some on the third day and we contributed with some soft dismissals.”

He noted that spinners had also got some turn in Karachi and Test cricket was always tough but the pitch was not easy to bat on as one had to concentrate hard and it was not easy for a new batsman coming in to bat.

Pakistan escapes with a draw in 2nd test against Australia

Pakistan captain Babar Azam hit a career-best 196 before the tailenders hung in to escape with a draw in the second test against Australia on Wednesday.

Veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon grabbed three late wickets to finish with 4-112 but Pakistan vice captain Mohammad Rizwan thwarted Australia with an unbeaten 104 off 177 balls to guide Pakistan to 443-7 in a sensational last hour on the final day.

No. 9 batter Nauman Ali successfully defended 18 balls without scoring and saw off the last eight overs with Rizwan after Pakistan had slipped to 414-7.

With 13 overs left in the game, Lyon made inroads into Pakistan’s lower order when Babar gloved a catch close to the wicket after defying Australia with his knock off 425 balls over 10 hours.

Left-hander allrounder Faheem Ashraf edged a low catch in the slip off Lyon’s next delivery and Sajid Khan also offered a tame catch to Smith before Rizwan and Nauman batted patiently.

Debutant legspinner Mitchell Swepson (0-156) had provided Australia with another chance with 19 balls left in the game, but Usman Khawaja dropped a low catch off Rizwan at short extra cover.

Rizwan raised his deserved century by hitting Lyon for two boundaries on either side of the wicket in the penultimate over before running a single to reach the three-figure mark.

Babar’s marathon effort, during which he hit 21 fours and a straight six, was the highest ever by any captain in the fourth innings of a test match and surpassed Michael Atherton’s 185 not out against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1995.

Babar shared two solid stands on the last day, adding 228 runs with Abdullah Shafique (96) and then, after losing Fawad Alam in the second session, batting with Rizwan to add further 115 runs.

It was a remarkable escape by Pakistan at the fortress of its test venues, the National Stadium, when it was out for 148 in the first innings on the third day against the reverse swing of Mitchell Starc and conceded a massive 408-run lead.