CAPTAIN Babar Azam’s majestic innings of 196 and that of wicket keeper –batsman Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 104 paved the way for Pakistan to stave off defeat in the second test match against Australia.
The way visitors played in the first innings and outclassed Pakistani players, everybody was anticipating that Pakistan has lost the match but credit goes to our players especially Babar Azam who stood firm in the second innings and displayed good skills on a treacherous spinning track.
After his wonderful performance, several cricket legends also poured in with their applause both for Babar Azam and Rizwan.
While putting up robust defence, Babar Azam also registered many records too.Azam’s score became the best ever fourth innings by a captain, surpassing Mike Atherton’s 185 for England against South Africa in 1995.
His score is also the highest fourth innings individual total by a Pakistan, erasing the 171 not out made by Younis Khan against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2015.
Performance by Pakistan clearly indicates that our players have developed relevant skills to handle difficult situation and that too against a seasoned team.
This consistency in performance must continue.The fact of the matter is that ever since Babar Azam has assumed captaincy, team performance has improved because captain himself is leading from the front and delivering.
Better performances will encourage other teams as well to visit Pakistan and play cricket.While second test match also ended in a draw yet it was as entertaining as a test match with a result.
The visitors also deserve praise for their never-say-die attitude in the second test.Their bowlers really bowled their heart out and kept fielding in close circle to take wickets.
If Rawalpindi test was the worst example of why test matches should stay, the second test was one of the best arguments in favour of 5-day format.
We will also urge the PCB to prepare pitches that make test matches interesting and produce results.
