PAK vs AUS: Babar Azam Joins Sunil Gavaskar, Michael Atherton In Rare Feat In Karachi Test
Published - 17 Mar 2022, 12:03 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:05 AM
Babar Azam scored 196 off 425 balls in the second innings of the Karachi Test against Australia to keep his team in the game. However, the Test match ended in a draw once Babar was dismissed as Pakistan lacked the firepower in the lower-order to notch up 506 required to win.
Babar Azam came into bat which his side 21/2 chasing the mammoth score. He batted throughout day four and was dismissed in the final session of day five as he faced 425 balls and almost scored his maiden double ton. By the time he was dismissed Pakistan had reached 392/5 with a little period of play remaining in the day. He added 228 runs for the third wicket with opener Abdullah Shafique before being dismissed by Nathan Lyon.
In the process, he joined an elite list of players to face over 400 deliveries in the fourth innings of a Test match. Michael Atherton tops the charts with 492 balls, followed by H Sutcliffe (462) and Sunil Gavaskar (443). Babar was also awarded as the Man of the Match for his heroics with the bat.
Australia opted to bat first and scored 566/9(declared) in their first innings and bundled out Pakistan for 148 to secure a commanding lead of 408 runs. In response, Pakistan staged a brilliant fightback in the second innings as they almost pulled off the chase if not for Babar’s dismissal. Mohammad Rizwan also scored an unbeaten 104 and was a perfect foil to Babar at the other end. In the end, they scored 443/7 as the Tets match ended in a draw.
My Team Needed This Knock: Babar Azam
“The plan was to bat session-by-session and build partnerships. It was a team effort, as others (Shafique and Rizwan) chipped in with useful contributions too. We took the onus and the main focus was to build partnerships right throughout the day. Rizwan was outstanding as he saved the Test for us eventually. We wanted to continue to bat in the same way (after the tea break) and we tried to be positive and play our shots. The team needed this knock, so I tried to bat for as long as I could” said Babar at the post-match presentation.
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