Cricket: Pakistan face uphill task in Lords Test against Australia
Australia is confident that they have enough runs on the board to stop Pakistan from victory. Pakistan will be out to look for a record fourth innings chase in Lords. Thanks to heroics from Hilfenhaus late in the innings, Australia is in a confident position. Pakistan started off well on a sunny Lord’s pitch.
Pakistan will be hoping for a bright sunny day on Friday since Lords’s pitch turns into a belter when the sun is out. However, if it turns out to be cloudy as forecasted, Pakistani batsman will face a tough task negotiating Australian swing. Records are meant to be broken and maverick Pakistan can go down with a total of 200 or they may chase the total successfully. Interestingly, two summers back Australia was in a similar situation against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 and surprisingly the Africans easily achieved the total of 414 losing only four wickets.
Pitch and playing conditions will play a vital role. Pakistan will enter the day in hope of making another 326 runs with nine wickets in hand. Salman Butt is in good form while Azhar Ali showed determination and resolution in his debut. Time will not be an issue since there are still two long days left in this match. Showers are expected early in the day which will give Australian seamers a hope to wrap up the match earlier than expected.
The Pakistani batting line up tumbled in the first innings with a total score of 148. Salman Butt was the only batsman to post a decent score. Pakistan will heavily depend on Umar Akmal and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Salman-c88163 Butt. Pakistan’s middle order is inexperienced with the number three and four slot given to debutants. It is always hard to play on a Lords pitch with cloudy weather and if it’s your first match surely it adds more pressure.
Imran Farhat yet again proved to be a complete disappointment and threw away his wicket by attempting a foolish shot off the bowling of Smith. Surely this will be the last test match for Farhat in this series.
Australian debutant and wicket-keeper Tim Paine however thinks http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 will comfortably defend this total. Tim said: “We've got plenty of runs on the board, Right up until the last ball tonight we showed that we're going to be creating chances. If we bowl well there's enough there for us to keep them under pressure and create those chances to win the game”. He added that early wickets and a bit of pressure on the Pakistani middle and late order will help Aussies add another number in their marathon victory run against Pakistan in the longer format of the game.
Coach Waqar Younis and Captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 will be the first ones looking out of their windows on Friday morning in hope for a sunny day. Azhar Ali has so far looked good at the crease with a decent defensive technique. Umar Amin will have butterflies in his stomach since he will come next. It will be a big task for youngster, who is rated highly by Pakistani pundits. Manager Yawar Saeed was so impressed by the young Umar Amin that he called him the “future Viv Richards”. Umar Amin believes the target is achievable provided a bit of help from weather conditions. When asked if the target is achievable, he said, “Definitely, the way Salman and Azhar Ali have played today. If they carry on tomorrow, we have a very good chance of winning the game”. Amin got out on 1 in the first innings off a stunning delivery by Johnson.
If http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 achieved this record against Australia when they scored 418-7 in Antigua in 2002-03. Pakistan’s best fourth innings chase is 315 in Karachi against Australia as well but that was back in 1994.
With a cloudy forecast in the morning and the quality of Australian seamers, it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will chase this target down. If Pakistan achieves this remarkable feat, it will be a victory that will be remembered by many for years to come.
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