AUS Vs PAK, 2nd Test: Facing a daunting Australian side in Australia with their backs against the wall, Pakistan grabbed the upper hand in the second session on Day 4 and are now chasing a historic triumph
AUS Vs PAK, 2nd Test: When was the last time Pakistan won a Test match in Australia? This remains one of the most intriguing questions in the cricket world even as the Pakistan national cricket team make another tour of Australia, the first in three years. There were many false dawns, but this time, the Men in Green might just realise their dreams of beating the Aussies on their turf. (Scorecard | Cricket News)
The 2023-24 opener started with a thumping win for Australia with soon-to-retired (from Test), David Warner showing his class yet again with an epic knock. But Pakistan, now under a new dispensation, matched the mighty Aussies session by session as the Boxing Day Test entered the penultimate day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
At Tea on Day 4 of the second AUS vs PAK Test match, Pakistan were 129/3 in 33 overs with former captain Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel unbeaten on 35 off 59 and 10 off 18. Meaning, they were 188 runs away from, well, beating the ICC World Test Championship holders. The last team to score more than 300 in the fourth innings at MCG were Pakistan in a losing cause, in 1990.
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Pat Cummins' seemingly unbeatable Australia were dismissed for 262 in their second innings after losing for wickets for 75 runs in the Day 4 morning. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who hit 53 -- his highest score since the first Ashes Test against England in June -- helped the hosts take an overall lead of more than 300 runs. Pakistan, left-arm pacers Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza claimed four wickets each, 4/76 and 4/32, respectively. st in Perth by 360 runs.
The last time Pakistan won a Test match was during the tour of 1995-96 when the Wasim Akram-led side escaped with a 74-run win at the Sydney Cricket Ground -- in the third and final match, after having already lost the series 2-0. Pakistan have since suffered 15 successive defeats Down Under.
For the record, the Australia vs Pakistan Test series is now called the Benaud–Qadir Trophy, in honour of legendary leg-spinners Richie Benaud and Abdul Qadir. Pakistan's tour of Australia 2023-24 will conclude with the third and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Pakistan won their last Test in Australia in 1995. The match is scheduled to begin on January 3, 2024.