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| Pakistan vs Australia, 2nd Test, Leeds |
| Australia stunned by Pakistan's pacers |
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| Date: 21 July, 2010(Wednesday) |
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Cricdb staff writer
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Print Version  |
Even by the wild-swinging standards of Pakistan cricket, this was an exceptional day. Having lost their captain Shahid Afridi to a hurried replacement in Salman Butt, the young and inexperienced Pakistanis took Australia by storm as the fast bowlers skittled them out for just 88 on the first morning at Leeds.
It was a stunning turn of events, with 18-year-old Muhammad Aamer, swerving the ball either way with lethal accuracy and a maturity well beyond his years, in the thick of things. There was a clinical performance from the crafty Mohammad Aamer, and a robust act from Umar Gul as Australia shattered to their lowest score in over 50 years.
That after having won the toss in decent batting conditions under blue skies; with openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson, profiting with the occasional glide past gully, putting on 20, Pakistan's burst came out of the blue. The seamers were right on the money; Katich was trapped by Asif on the shuffle, while Aamer had Watson lbw. Michael Clarke was worked over before an exceptional late-swinger from Gul shattered his defences and when Ricky Ponting was trapped by an Asif in-ducker, Australia had collapsed to 29 for 4.
Michael Hussey has seen Australia through several mini-crises, but Gul, not for the first time in this tour, accounted for him lbw, though the ball may have been swinging down leg. It was left to Marcus North (16) and Tim Paine (17) to try and ensure Australia crossed their lowest score against Pakistan, made 54 years ago in Karachi.
Butt then worked on a hunch, with part-time medium-pacer Umar Amin brought ahead of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in seaming conditions. It paid off, as North edged behind, and the post-lunch fireworks were reserved for Aamer, snaking the ball with unnerving consistency. Leg-spinning allrounder Steven Smith having welcomed Kaneria with a tinge of contempt, Aamer's first ball post-lunch scythed back to shatter the stumps, before left-handed Mitchell Johnson was defeated by a first-ball, late-swinging yorker.
Ben Hilfenhaus narrowly survived the hat-trick ball, but a sharp outfield throw from Amin and a rapid dislodging from Kamran Akmal found him marginally short of his ground running for a third, and with little other option Paine threw his hands at an Asif delivery only to edge it behind.
With fellow southpaw Imran Farhat, the composed Butt (45) eased Pakistan to within 8 of the Australian total. He clipped and cut beautifully, and though Farhat (43) played within himself he also unfurled a sumptuous square drive on bent knee as Hilfenhaus was rattled for 27 runs in his first three overs. Butt's stylish knock (eight fours) ended against the run of play, with Hilfenhaus snaking a superb in-swinging yorker from around the stumps.
Left-armer Johnson was fairly disappointing as well, Azhar Ali (30) angling him through gully to open his account. Doug Bollinger, fairly innocuous but economical in his first seven overs, leaked 11 off his next as the pair shared an efficient 53. It took the underrated Watson, bustling in with more enthusiasm than reputation, to break through, as his late swing removed Farhat (five fours) and Ali (three fours). But Umar Akmal ended a day dominated by Pakistan with a fitting flourish, scything Steve Smith over long-off for six.
© Cricdb
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| Pos |
Team |
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| 1 |
India |
| 2 |
South Africa |
| 3 |
Australia |
| 4 |
Sri Lanka |
| 5 |
England |
| 6 |
Pakistan |
| 7 |
New Zealand |
| 8 |
West Indies |
| 9 |
Bangladesh |
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| Pos |
Team |
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| 1 |
Australia |
| 2 |
India |
| 3 |
South Africa |
| 4 |
New Zealand |
| 5 |
England |
| 6 |
Pakistan |
| 7 |
Sri Lanka |
| 8 |
West Indies |
| 9 |
Bangladesh |
| 10 |
Zimbabwe |
| 11 |
Ireland |
| 12 |
Kenya |
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