Australia tour of Pakistan - 2022 | 2nd Test at Karachi

Babar Azam's knock against mighty Aussies for saving Pakistan test match at Karachi

Although on the statistics, this is a test match which ended in a draw but the fact is, this is similar to that inning played by Late Hanif Muhammad in saving the test match against a formidable West Indian team, this is the resilience which was once shown by Younus Khan when he played the 313 innings against Sri Lankans; the same series where during the Lahore test match, 3/3 happened in Lahore when international cricket went away from Pakistan and hence Pakistan had to play their home games in the UAE, but coming back to the topic of resilience aspect, this inning of BA is supposed to be called as most resilient inning played on Pakistani soil in recent times, although I must admit; pitch is to be blamed for surely, because these pitches doesn't give chance to our own pace batteries to perform against their opponents in their own backyards is a shame, but amid these all debacles, the innings which BA played, against an opponent as tough like Aussies, in those humid weather conditions, is something to be appreciated, as when both teams were coming to their pavilions after it was decided that the match is drawn and while both teams' players were coming to their respective pavilions, their body language shown where Pakistani players were joyous whilst visitors had their moods down, this is I guess enough for us to understand, who was the winner and who was not.

There have been six higher fourth-innings scores than Babar Azam's epic 196 against Australia in Karachi last week. All of them were over 200, the highest being George Headley's 223 for West Indies against England in Kingston in 1929-30 (that match was also drawn).

BA's 196 was the highest in the fourth innings for Pakistan, previously Younis Khan's unbeaten 171 in a victory over Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2015.

BA batted for 603 minutes in all; the only longer knock in the fourth innings of a Test was Mike Atherton's unbeaten 643-minute 185 for England against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1995-96. Babar lasted 425 balls, behind only Atherton (492) and Sunil Gavaskar, who faced 443 during his 221 for India vs England at The Oval in 1979. (That's according to ESPNcricinfo's database; there may be one or two longer innings in matches for which we do not have the details.)

While I am writing these lines,

There is tea on the third day of the third test match on the same venue where 3/3 occurred and this is the second test match being staged on the same venue where it all began from 2009, hence this is something to be praised on account of the PCB, amidst pollution scares and other challenges, Pakistan Cricket Board did managed to stage an International Event at PCB's HQ, and coming back to the outcome of the currently played test match, because the way pitch has played is something sniffed towards an outcome to this drawn test match series and hence this is supposed to be a finale to the draw ridden series where any of the team which wins this penultimate test match, clinches the series.

Due to political instability in the country, white ball series (ODI and T20I series) relocated from Rawalpindi to Lahore

This comes as a surprise and bad taste to the mouth that these political parties without thinking of the country, staging their ٹوپی ڈرامہ during that time period while an international team (Australia, after 24 years) is touring Pakistan, at least think about the country, other than for your political self.

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