The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Kasprowicz ties Pakistan up in knots

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 18, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Kasprowicz ties Pakistan up in knots

PERTH, DEC. 17. Michael Kasprowicz snared five wickets as Pakistan was bowled out for 179, giving Australia a 202-run first innings lead and control of the first Test here on Friday.

At stumps on the second day, Australia was 15 without loss in its second innings — an overall lead of 217 — with Matthew Hayden (7) and Justin Langer (3) surviving three overs before the close.

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami held the Pakistani line-up together with bat and ball, taking a wicket each in the first session to wrap up Australia's innings at 381, and then combining for an invaluable 60-run partnership after the top-order collapsed.

They batted together for 105 minutes, boosting Pakistan from 111 for eight to 171 as a frustrated Ricky Ponting rotated his bowlers, trying to pick up the last two wickets.

Akhtar had a reprieve on 27, with Pakistan on 167 for eight, when Ponting dropped a regulation chance at second slip off Glenn McGrath. But he couldn't add to his score, edging to Shane Warne at first slip in McGrath's next over.

Superb catch

Needing 182 to avoid the follow-on, Pakistan was dismissed three runs short when Sami swiped at Kasprowicz and miscued to Michael Clarke, who took a superb running catch over his shoulder at backward point.

The final wicket gave Kasprowicz his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests. He returned five for 30 in 16.3 overs, while Shane Warne had figures of three for 38. Ponting gave his bowlers a break by not enforcing the follow-on. But that didn't give the Pakistani pacemen any breaks. Akhtar bowled one full over and three balls in his next before limping off the field.

In the morning, Akhtar (five for 99) took his 10th five-wicket haul in Tests when he dismissed Kasprowicz in the second over of the morning. Sami then picked up the wicket of Langer (191) to end the Australian innings at 381. Sami returned with three for 104.

Langer, 181 overnight, fell nine runs short of a double hundred in back-to-back Tests when he slashed at Sami and sent a thick edge to Younis Khan at backward point. Langer hit 19 boundaries and three sixes in his 21st Test century.

The slide begins

Kasprowicz, who had Salman Butt (17) caught behind in the morning session, bowled skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq (1) and had Yousuf Youhana (1) caught behind in consecutive overs just after lunch as Pakistan slipped to 60 for four.

Warne broke a 48-run fifth-wicket partnership when he had Younis Khan (42) caught by Gillespie at mid-on and then bowled Abdul Razzaq (21) in his next over, reducing Pakistan to 110 for six. Razzaq's ill-conceived charge down the wicket exposed Pakistan's fragile lower-order.

Kasprowicz castled Kamran Akmal (2) and Warne dismissed Test debutant Mohammad Khalil (0) in a similar fashion as Pakistan lost four wickets for three runs in seven overs before tea.

Akhtar and Sami defended stoutly to bolster the Pakistan total, but with three days remaining the Australians are hot favourites to go 1-0 up in the series.

Akhtar fined

Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar was fined 40 per cent of his match fee — estimated to be $ 3,800 — after being cited for a gesture during Australia's first innings.

Officials said Akhtar had been charged under rules which prohibited the ``pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion in an aggresive manner by a bowler following the dismissal of a batsman.''

The decision followed Akhtar's two-handed gesture to Australian opener Matthew Hayden on the first day of the Test after he had the burly batsman trapped lbw for four.

Akhtar said he had not intended the gesture to be offensive and had just wanted Hayden to get on his way. An intense rivalry between the two had been reported in local media prior to the start of the Test. — AP

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