December 21, 2016 issue
Cricket
Test finale
Australia prevented a world-record, 490-run chase by Pakistan on Monday to win a gripping first Test by just 39 runs and preserve their 28-year unbeaten streak at the Gabba ground.
Relieved skipper Steve Smith ran out Yasir Shah for 33 to take the last wicket and end Pakistan's brave attempt to reel in the mammoth target on the last day of the day-night Test.
“A lot of credit has got to go to the way they played. But I thought our bowlers stuck at it all day, we bowled a lot of overs, our quicks just kept coming back,” Smith said.
The highest ever successful Test run chase of 418 for seven was set by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003.
And Pakistan looked on course to beat that on the back of Asad Shafiq's knock of 137, but he was caught shortly before Yasir's run out.
His magnificent innings came to end when a Mitchell Starc lifter came off the shoulder of his bat and lobbed to David Warner in the gully for the crucial catch.
Man-of-the-match Shafiq faced 207 balls in 336 minutes and hit 13 fours and a six. While he was at the wicket, Pakistan's hopes of a remarkable victory were still realistic.
“There is energy, we have to go for the match here, so that's what I was aiming for, for the match,” said Shafiq.
In the process, Pakistan posted their highest fourth innings total, surpassing their previous best of 382 for three to beat Sri Lanka in Pallekele last year.
“I'm happy, because after the first innings, it was looking very difficult for us to come back in this game,” said Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
“But the way all the team, all the batsmen showed their character, that was wonderful, and we got some special knocks from the tailenders as well.
“A lot of positives, I'm happy and proud the way the team played in the fourth innings.”
The victory, in the first day-night Test at the Gabba, extended Australia's unbeaten record to 28 Tests at the venue since their last defeat in 1988. It was also Australia's second straight win after Test series defeats to Sri Lanka and South Africa this year prompted a team shake-up.
Australia have now won all three of the pink-ball Tests they have played at home over the last 12 months. But for much of Monday's final session the Australians were frustrated by Pakistan's tailenders chipping away at their lead.
Shafiq and Yasir were finding runs easy to score. Nathan Lyon made a fantastic flying two-handed effort at point, but narrowly missed catching Yasir on 27.
There was a big moment when Yasir was hit on the back leg while shouldering arms to Josh Hazlewood and given out on 30, but a review showed the ball clearing the stumps and the decision was reversed.
But Starc's brutish delivery to Shafiq grabbed the vital breakthrough, before Smith's throw-down to catch Yasir out of his ground and snatch victory.
Pakistan, despite coming up short, showed by their spirited response that they can do better in the rest of the three-Test series, with Melbourne next up on Boxing Day.
Smith chose not to enforce the follow-on after Pakistan were dismissed for 142, even though they were 287 runs in front on the first innings.
The Australians added a brisk 202 for five batting again and in the end it just proved enough to get the home side over the line.
Summarized Scores: 1st Test Australia v Pakistan at Brisbane
Australia 428 & 202/5 declared; Pakistan 142 & 450
Australia won by 39 runs
win over England
The left-arm spinner claimed seven of the 10 English wickets that tumbled in the final two sessions as India completed an emphatic 4-0 series win.
The touring side needed to bat out the final day to secure a consolation draw and Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings defended resolutely through the morning to boost their chances.
Cook did look ill at ease against spin and got a life on four when he lunged forward to edge Ravichandran Ashwin but the ball popped out of wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel's gloves.
Jennings played more confidently although was nearly caught by Lokesh Rahul at short leg off Amit Mishra when on 31.
Jadeja returned after lunch to turn the match on its head.
The all-rounder has haunted Cook since the tourists landed in India and he dismissed the England captain for the sixth time in the series by getting him caught at leg slip.
It was a poor shot from Cook who edged a leg-side delivery to Rahul to depart for 49.
Jennings followed up his debut century in the previous test in Mumbai with a fifty but offered a tame return catch to Jadeja after making 54.
“We understood that once we got a couple of wickets, it's going to be a downslide pretty quick (for England),” India captain Virat Kohli, who was adjudged man-of-the-series for his 655 runs, said at the presentation ceremony.
“Jadeja coming and doing the job in both the innings...hitting the right areas and making it uncomfortable for the batsmen, it was great to watch,” Kohli said.
England's batting mainstay Joe Root could only manage six runs before he was hit on the pad by a fuller delivery from Jadeja.
India's lbw appeal was turned down and Kohli took his time before deciding to review the decision, which was overturned after replays suggested the ball would have hit the leg stump.
Jadeja then sprinted backwards to take a brilliant running catch to dismiss Jonny Bairstow off the bowling of paceman Ishant Sharma.
Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes looked determined to bat through but Jadeja removed both batsmen after tea to spark an English collapse.
Moeen was guilty of throwing his wicket away with a loose shot after making 44 and Stokes chipped a catch to mid-wicket to depart for 23.
Jadeja claimed the last two wickets to finish with a career-best 7-48 as England, 97 for no loss at lunch, lost their last six wickets for 15 runs and folded barely half an hour before the scheduled close.
“No excuses, India were the better team here and deserved to win,” Cook said.
“It was a very good fifth day wicket...we got ourselves into a good position at lunch to save the game but we were not good enough to bat the rest of the time out.”
India batsman Karun Nair was adjudged man-of-the-match for his marathon 303 not out.
Summarized Scores: 5th Test India v England at Chennai
England 477 & 207 (88.0 ov); India 759/7 declared
India won by an innings and 75 runs
record India total
The 25-year-old batsman started the day on 71 and notched his maiden Test century in the morning session.
But he wasn't going to settle for that and went on to reach 300 runs after the tea break as India took charge of the match by extending their first innings lead to 282 after declaring with the score at 759 for 7 wickets..
Nair batted for 566 minutes in all, facing 381 balls, and hitting 32 fours as well as four sixes in his marathon innings.
He is the second Indian batsman to score a triple century in Test cricket, following in the footsteps of Virender Sehwag, who scored 319 runs against South Africa in 2008 at the same ground, as well as 309 runs against Pakistan in Multan in 2004.
Nair also became the highest individual scorer for India against England in Test cricket, going past Virat Kohli's 235 runs scored in Mumbai in the fourth test of this series.
It was also the highest score for an Indian batsman who scored his maiden test hundred. Nair went past Vinod Kambli's 224 runs against England in Mumbai (1993).
This was India's highest-ever test score, beating their previous best of 726 against Sri Lanka in 2009.
Post tea, first up, Nair crossed the 200-mark off 306 balls, as his 150-partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin (67) came up off 251 balls.
India's 600 came in the 168th over when England had taken the third new ball. The third new ball worked, as Ashwin was caught at gully by Jos Buttler off Stuart Broad.
But Nair, who had been dropped on 34 not out earlier, was again dropped on 217 not out by Joe Root at slip off Jake Ball (0-93) in the 172nd over.
Ravindra Jadeja (51) then put on 138 runs for the seventh wicket with Nair, the duo scoring at more than 7.2 per over.
Jadeja scored his fourth test half-century off 52 balls, including one four and two sixes, but it was Nair who attacked the bowling in pursuit of his landmark.
Nair went from 200 to 250 in the space of 42 balls, and then to 300 in 33 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes in this interim.
Rahul shared a 161-run fourth-wicket partnership with Nair before missing out on what could have been his maiden double century.
He recorded his fourth Test century and was the ninth batsman in the world to get out on 199 after falling to leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the final moments of the day.
The 24-year-old batsman chased Rashid’s widish delivery on the off-side to give away a catch to point as he crumpled into a heap with hands on head.
He struck 16 fours and three sixes during his marathon knock, prompting England skipper Alastair Cook to rotate his bowling options.