Pakistan on Thursday were on the verge of winning the first Test against Australia in Dubai but the endurance showed by skipper Tim Paine and his batting partner Nathan Lyon turned the scene upside down. While chasing a mammoth target of 462, the Aussies managed to end up the game in a draw.
Opener Usman Khwaja played the lead saviour role. Without his 141-run heroic, it would have been impossible for the Australians to save the game against the Pakistani spin attack. Meanwhile, there was Travis head who gave support with his gritty 72 but ultimately, it was skipper Paine who didn’t let his team feel the pain of losing the match.
Pakistan needed 2 wickets in the last over and in order to have those, they had deployed 9 fielders around the batsman. They toiled hard for those two scalps but unfortunately, they had to satisfy themselves with an unwanted draw.
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In the earlier sessions, Pakistan were only rewarded when they took the second new ball as soon as it was due and Hafeez trapped Head leg-before with the first ball. Australia wobbled but Khawaja and Paine, who batted for 3 hours and 39 minutes, ensured a draw.
The second Test starts in Abu Dhabi from October 16. Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq will miss the match after he suffered a fractured finger fielding on Thursday.