Email Us Forum Mail Article Print Article

2nd Test: So Close, So Far

Sunday, August 31 2003

Bangladesh took another giant step towards their first win despite Pakistan's eventual 9-wicket win the second Test at Peshawar.

The Bangladesh side made their second highest score in their short Test career in posting a highly respectable 369.

After losing Hannan Sarkar (6) early to Umar Gul, Javed Omar and Habibul Bashar went about restoring the innings in adding 167 for the second wicket.

Bashar fell just 3 runs short of a well deserved third Test century when he played across the line of a Shabbir Ahmed delivery and was trapped LBW.

Omar and Mohammad Ashraful then set about another strong stand, adding 130 for the third wicket.

By the time the next wicket fell, Omar had completed his maiden Test hundred in making 119. He became just the 4th Bangladesh batsman after Aminul Islam (on debut), Habibul Bashar (2) and Ashraful (also on debut) to score a Test hundred.

Once Ashraful was dismissed for 77, Bangladesh completed the collapse from 2/310 to all out for 369.

Shoaib Akhtar was the chief destroyer, taking 6/11 in a short burst to finish with 6/49, while Umar Gul took 2/67.

Pakistan in reply were bowled out for 295, largely thanks to the failure of the batsmen to convert their starts into hundreds.

Taufeeq Umar played somewhere near his unlimited potential in making 75 before he was caught by Khaled Mahmud off Mohammad Rafique. He was the second of 5 Rafique scalps.

Yousuf Youhana looked capable of making a large score before he ran out of partners, stranded on 64.

For the first time in his Test career, Yasir Hameed (23) failed to make a hundred, while Inzamam-ul-Haq made 47 and Rashid Latif 40.

At least it can be said, however, that the innings was brought to an end in style - by the first Bangladeshi hat-trick.

Alok Kapali had taken just 3 wickets in his 10 Test career before this match, all at a high price. In this innings, he claimed the final 3 wickets on successive deliveries to snare 3/3 and double his Test career wicket tally.

Rafique's 5/118 was pushed into the background as Bangladesh took their first ever first-innings lead in Test cricket.

Sadly, though, the Tigers were humbled for just 96 in their second innings - an eerie co-incidence from their first Test, where they made a 300+ first innings score only to be humbled for less than 100 in the second.

Habibul Bashar made 28 as Akhtar again cleaned up, this time taking 4/30 to complete his first 10-wicket haul in Tests and his 100th wicket.

Umar Gul pitched in with 3/16 while Danish Kaneria took 2 wickets and Shabbir Ahmed 1.

In their chase of 165, Pakistan lost just 1 wicket - Taufeeq Umar, caught Mashrafe Mortaza bowled Mahmud for 23 - as they cantered to a 9-wicket win.

Mohammad Hafeez raised his maiden international ton with an unbeaten 102, while Yasir Hameed was undefeated with 18.

For his influence on the result of the match, Shoaib Akhtar earns Cricket Web's Player-of-the-Match award.

Scores:

Bangladesh 369 (Javed Omar 119, Habibul Bashar 97, Mohammad Ashraful 77, Shoaib Akhtar 6/49)

Pakistan 295 (Taufeeq Umar 75, Yousuf Youhana 64*, Inzamam-ul-Haq 47, Rashid Latif 40, Mohammad Rafique 5/118, Alok Kapali 3/3 inc. hat-trick)

Bangladesh 96 (Shoaib Akhtar 4/30)

Pakistan 165/1 (Mohammad Hafeez 102*)

Pakistan won by 9 wickets.

Cricket Web Player-of-the-Match: Shoaib Akhtar.

Pakistan lead the 3 Test Series 2-0 after 2 matches.

Posted by Andre