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Wednesday, April 24, 2024  
15 Shawwal 1445  

Pakistan 76-0 at lunch as Australia Test heads for draw

Hosts side lead by 87 runs; Nauman Ali finished with career-best figures of 6-107
Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique (left) and Imam-ul-Haq run between the wickets as the first Test against Australia headed for a draw in Rawalpindi. AFP
Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique (left) and Imam-ul-Haq run between the wickets as the first Test against Australia headed for a draw in Rawalpindi. AFP

Rawalpindi. Pakistan's first home Test against Australia in nearly a quarter of a century headed for a tame draw with the hosts 76 without loss at lunch on the fifth and final day Tuesday.

Imam-ul-Haq was unbeaten on 40 and fellow opener Abdullah Shafique on 33 after Australia were dismissed for 459 in their first innings in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan, now leading by 93, were 476-4 declared in their first innings.

Australia are on their first tour of Pakistan since 1998, having previously refused to tour over security fears.

But hopes of a result have been thwarted by a Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium pitch that has offered little to the bowlers since day one.

Left-arm spinner Nauman Ali bowled a nagging line and length to mop up the Australian tail early Tuesday and finish with career-best figures of 6-107 in 38.1 overs -- his third five-wicket haul in eight Tests.

His effort enabled Pakistan to get the last three wickets with the addition of just 10 runs after Australia resumed on 449-7.

Nauman -- whose previous best of 5-35 came on his debut against South Africa in Karachi last year -- dismissed Australian skipper Pat Cummins for eight and Nathan Lyon for three in quick succession.

Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi got rid of Mitchell Starc to finish with figures of 2-88 in 30 overs.

The second Test is in Karachi on March 12-16 and the third in Lahore on March 21-25.

Schedule

The PCB and Cricket Australia on February 4 announced the revised itinerary of the 2022 Australia men’s cricket team’s tour of Pakistan for three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I. "The tour will now start and end in Rawalpindi with the opening Test to be played from 4-8 March and the four white-ball matches to be played from 29 March to 5 April," it read, adding that the change in the first test venue meant that the second Test would be played in Karachi from 12-16 March and the third in Lahore from 21-25 March.

Revised schedule:

  • 27 Feb – Arrival in Islamabad
  • 4-8 Mar – 1st Test, Rawalpindi
  • 12-16 Mar – 2nd Test, Karachi
  • 21-25 Mar – 3rd Test, Lahore
  • 29 Mar – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi
  • 31 Mar – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi
  • 2 April – 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi
  • 5 Apr – one-off T20I, Rawalpindi
  • 6 Apr - Departure

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