KARACHI: The second Test between Pakistan and Australia has ended as a draw, with the visitors mustering just seven wickets in 171.4 overs in Karachi.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan both scored classy centuries in the fourth innings to deny what should have been a comfortable victory for Australia.
Earlier, Babar Azam fell short of a well-deserved double hundred when he was dismissed for 196 by Nathan Lyon on Day 5.
Set a daunting 506-run target, Pakistan were 310-4 at tea defying the Australian attack for a stubborn 33-run fifth-wicket stand. The home team need another 104 runs till the filing of this report for an unlikely win as the Test headed for a nervy finale.
The Test sprung to life when Babar Azam was dismissed for 196 with just over 12 overs left. Lyon picked up a couple more wickets to put the cat among the pigeons but a calm Mohammad Rizwan ensured the hard work done by his skipper doesn t go to waste.
The day started with Australia needing 8 wickets to take a 1-0 lead and all they could manage was five wickets. They picked one wicket apiece in the first two sessions as Babar stood tall, first he added a 200+ partnership with Shafique and that stand set up Pakistan for the rest of the day, then it was the Babar-Rizwan association that kept the Australian bowlers at bay.
Cummins and Co. tried hard under testing conditions but they would look back at some of the missed chances and feel they could have done better in the field.
.Rizwan struck a 173-ball hundred to become the second wicket-keeper batter after Moin Khan to score a century in the fourth innings of a Test.
Earlier, Khan was the only Pakistani wicketkeeper batter to score a century in the fourth innings of a Test. He had scored 117* against Sri Lanka on September 26, 1995, in Sialkot.
Overall, it was Rizwan’s second Test hundred since his Test debut against New Zealand in 2016. He partnered with Babar to score fighting 115 off 248 runs together.
Moreover, Pakistani skipper Babar registered several fourth innings batting records in a historic second Test against the Aussies. His 196-runs knock stalled Australia’s winning chances.
