Australia set http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 440-run victory target at Lord’s
As the Australian tail wagged, and Simon Katich again remained immovable early in the innings, Pakistan have been left with the unappetising prospect of chasing down a 440-run target in the final innings of the Test match at Lords.
After a second day’s play that saw 15 wickets tumble, Katich and Mitchell Johnson survived long enough to add 49 runs to their side’s total before the night-watchman became Umar Gul’s 100th Test scalp when a low full toss uprooted the batsman’s off-stump, ending his innings on 30.
It was, however, the only wicket Pakistan claimed before lunch as Katich guided his side to a lead of 293 by the end of the rain-interrupted session as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 sought to put the match out of Pakistan’s reach.
When play resumed, however, the stubborn opener lasted just five more balls, as he was caught behind for the second time in the match, as Gul claimed his fourth wicket of the innings and eyed a place beneath Shane http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326’s name on the newly installed bowler’s honour board for “neutral” Tests played and Lord’s. It wasn’t to be, however, as the seamer finished the innings with team-best figures of 4-61.
Just two balls after Gul had taken his fourth wicket, Mohammad Asif had his first wicket of the day, and third of the innings, as Marcus North fell for 20 as he too edged a seaming delivery into Kamran Akmal’s waiting gloves.
That brought debutants Tim Paine and Steven Smith together in the middle, with the latter adding 12 runs to the Australian total before the re-introduction of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Danish-Kaneria-c1314 into the attack reaped rewards as the spinner trapped Smith in front with just the second ball of his spell.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482’s team may have been making headway early in the afternoon session, but that didn’t stop Ben Hilfenhaus from ensuring that if Pakistan were to win the match they’d have to chase down a final-innings total larger than they’d managed to do in the past (their previous best a 315-run chase), as the tail-ender found the boundary to get off the mark in the final ball of Kaneria’s over.
As the two Tasmanians combined for a valable 74-run partnership, and Hilfenhaus passed his previous best Test score of 20 and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Payne-c81269 put together a composed 47 before Afridi rattled his stumps, the task facing Pakistan in the fourth innings of the match became more and more daunting.
As Ricky Ponting held off on a declaration, Hilfenhaus saw to it that the Aussies brought up a 400-run lead in the match as the tail continued to frustrate the Pakistan bowlers, before bringing up the milestone of his maiden Test half-century, and gaining the applause of his teammates out on the balcony for his efforts.
In the end it was Hilfenhaus who was the last man standing for Australia, unbeaten on 56, as Doug Bollinger’s dismissal for 21 left Pakistan with the prospect of grinding their way towards a 440-run target over the remaining session and two days of play.
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