*Official* Pakistan v Australia in UAE 2014

[uvelocity]

from what i saw (just before lunch til just before johnners got out) it was reasonable attritional cricket from both sides.

considering our lack of cricket, especially test cricket, the alien conditions - i know its not subcontinental but we never enjoy these dead style pitches, and missing a couple of our better players, we're not winning but i don't think we are letting ourselves down too much.

i actualy really think that hilfenhorse would have done a better job than okeefe. i dont think two spinners suits lyon either. he does best when the quicks are really threatening, forcing the batsmen to look to him to score, giving him an opportunity. lyon and okeefe are just not threatening enough to work in tandem imo.

good job by imran khan's pakistan so far

 

[smash84]

Anything under 350 and 4 sessions to go, Australia should be looking to chase it down.

having said that Pakistan are effectively 189 for 0 and even though I can see them folding for a lead less than 350, they will have to play worse than their usual self to get out all out in 2 sessions tomorrow.

A day 5 pitch in Dubai probably won't be a rank turner but it will get much slower and hence difficult to score.

Chances of a draw are reasonably good so far.

 

[Howe_zat]

Think uve's spot on re: spinners

 

[Maximas]

I'd have thought a Pakistan attack missing Junaid and Ajmal would struggle to bowl Australia out twice for under 300 tbh, but in saying that I missed all of yesterdays play, and as smali said this pitch is probably more likely to slow down than break up, I'd back the Aussies to at least draw this one.

 

[uvelocity]

gotta earn the right to be prepared to lose to draw

 

[morgieb]

Problem with us drawing is that it's just not in our DNA to bat for a draw. If forced to do that we'll collapse IMO, regardless of the Pakistani's attack inexperience.

 

[Gnske]

I'd have thought a Pakistan attack missing Junaid and Ajmal would struggle to bowl Australia out twice for under 300 tbh, but in saying that I missed all of yesterdays play, and as smali said this pitch is probably more likely to slow down than break up, I'd back the Aussies to at least draw this one.

Never underestimate our ability to collapse as horribly as Mickey Rourke's face.

 

[aussie tragic]

Warner has now scored 676 runs at an average of 96.57 in his last 4 tests with 4 centuries in 7 innings....how good was Bradman to do that over his whole career

 

[The_Bunny]

Just noticed Johnson has scored 387 runs at 24.18 and taken 77 wickets at 17.42 in 13 matches since his return.
knew he's been good but didnt realise that good.

 

[adub]

Problem with us drawing is that it's just not in our DNA to bat for a draw. If forced to do that we'll collapse IMO, regardless of the Pakistani's attack inexperience.

nah, this to me is shaping up as a perfect time for Rogers to grind out another of his 2nd innings tons.

Of course the others could all collapse around him, but I'm still reasonably confident we can squeeze a draw out. If they go at 3rpo Pakistan will still only be 350-360 in front come tea, so Misbah has a tricky decision on timing a declaration if they're still going. Can easily see him going to long and leaving himself not enough time, or the bats going too hard and collapsing to leave a getable target. We're clearly behind in the game, but we're not out of it yet.

 

[dermo]

surprising amount of confidence in our batting in this thread, i'll be very surprised if we get out of this seeing as we're going to have to bat for more than a day

 

[adub]

Hilarious that people are dropping SOK. It's his first test FFS. They'll play two spinners again in the 2nd test because that's what the conditions demand. Siddle has done SFA since his first spell, Marsh hasn't really looked like troubling anyone, Lyon got the last two but was on 0/148. It's just a dead flat track and the Pakistani bats being more used to such things adjusted better than we did. TPC and Hads in particular should be very disappointed in how they got out after getting a start. Marsh was pretty stiff to get a decision against him that far down the track. If even one of those three had go on we'd be looking a lot healthier. This is the best XI we available for this series. The last thing we need to do is go back to panic selections like last year in India, especially after just one innings.

 

[adub]

surprising amount of confidence in our batting in this thread, i'll be very surprised if we get out of this seeing as we're going to have to bat for more than a day

Yeah we could always fold like a house of cards. That's always on the table for us. I wouldn't be stunned at all by that, but I think we're not as fragile as we were a year ago when such a result seemed pretty inevitable.

But Warner is in rare form - it will end, but maybe not today. Rogers probably would have been dropped by now if it wasn't for his 4th innings record of 2 tons and a 50 in 6 digs @ 57.5, I reckon after working so hard on ugly runs in the first dig he'll be a bit freer next time out and will post another 4th innings score. I'm not a huge fan of Doolers but he did score a good ton in the warm up and then ran himself out here when he wasn't in too much bother, so his form in the conditions seems sound. Clarke is our best player of spin, no one at all would be surprised to see him go big, TPC is our 2nd best player of spin and looked in fine touch until he played a bad shot. It's really different from the mess we were in India.

Over 300 is always tough in the 4th innings of any test. But on a pitch where there's a little turn, but mostly it's just slow and low, patient batting should allow you to survive. And if Warner, Clarke or Smitteh did get going then 300 or more could be very getable.

 

[dermo]

yeah i just feel like every time we're in this position we say these things to convince ourselves we're a decent chance and end up collapsing for about 200

 

[dermo]

when was the last time we chased down a 4th innings score of around 300 to win a game?

 

[adub]

when was the last time we chased down a 4th innings score of around 300 to win a game?

Jo'burg - Cummins debut.

 

[morgieb]

yeah i just feel like every time we're in this position we say these things to convince ourselves we're a decent chance and end up collapsing for about 200

In fairness though it's pretty rare that we need to chase down 4th innings totals these days, for whatever reason.

 

[dermo]

ive been hurt to many times before boys

 

[Tangles]

Might be able to watch some tonight. 1am start time is awful. If the pitch is a dead as you guys say then we should be able to force a draw if needed.

 

[Valer]

Hilarious that people are dropping SOK. It's his first test FFS. They'll play two spinners again in the 2nd test because that's what the conditions demand. Siddle has done SFA since his first spell, Marsh hasn't really looked like troubling anyone, Lyon got the last two but was on 0/148. It's just a dead flat track and the Pakistani bats being more used to such things adjusted better than we did. TPC and Hads in particular should be very disappointed in how they got out after getting a start. Marsh was pretty stiff to get a decision against him that far down the track. If even one of those three had go on we'd be looking a lot healthier. This is the best XI we available for this series. The last thing we need to do is go back to panic selections like last year in India, especially after just one innings.

Sok shouldn't be dropped. This doesn't mean we won't see a kneejerk reaction from the selectors. The initial question was who will be dropped. I'd sadly be surprised to see an unchanged XI if Australia loses.

I was suggesting earlier that a 3rd pacer wouldn't have done more either.

Uve's point on Lyon working better solo may tip the balance. Don't know.

Given what we have available (injuries) I don't think the overall selection can really be blamed for our position.