Taha Hashim was in Karachi to witness Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan star in an incredible final day’s play between Australia and Pakistan in the second Test.
Well then, where to start with a day that felt hallucinogenic, that threatened to turn the impossible into a reality, that reminded us that this series, painted from the build-up as a historic one, is something to marvel at in the here and now?
To Babar Azam, first again. The Pakistan captain had already played a fine innings the day before. If he’d been knocked over on the fifth morning, it would’ve still sat up there as one of his best works: a fourth-innings exhibition against Australia on a wearing pitch, barely a misstep across two sessions and all that typical Babar flair packed into it. But with his side needing to bat out an entire day to keep their chances of a series win alive, he refused to bask in yesterday’s glory, studiously shimmering from 102 to 196. When it ended, the highest score made by a captain in the fourth innings of any Test match, and with the result still up for grabs, a brief hush hung in the air. Was it even possible that Babar Azam could be out?
He’d acquired a sense of invincibility. When someone bats for that long, it becomes hard to pick out just one hit. Is it the cover drive off Mitchell Starc for four from his 295th ball, a shot all about the economy of movement? The paddle sweep off Mitchell Swepson, which shows an immaculate judgement of length? Perhaps the neatest expression of his excellence is the bat jamming down at the last moment to deny the tailing yorker from Patrick Cummins. Captain versus captain, one tearing in, the other refusing to budge. Together, all of Babar’s shots blended into a glowing realisation: this is no ordinary Test innings.
Ten hours at the crease don’t allow for perfection. Swepson, whose chastening figures misrepresented the trouble his leg-breaks caused in the middle session, had Babar prodding, but silly point and short leg couldn’t hold on. Nathan Lyon, too, brought uncertainty with the fizzing off-break in the morning and had an lbw shout go against him on umpire’s call when Australia went up for a review in the afternoon. But the evening brought a reward: the dismissal of Babar and some hope for the tourists. As he walked off, the brief shock of the demise turned into an almighty sound of raucous applause. This crowd had swayed to his beat and chanted his name during the innings with a ferocious devotion. Had Babar added just four more runs, the reaction would’ve been something to behold.
The rest of the escape, however, belonged to Mohammad Rizwan. He’d begun his innings in the afternoon streakily, surviving an lbw appeal off Swepson after DRS showed him to be too far down the track. But alongside Babar he found his way, and in the hour after tea the shots came out to raise a possibility that seemed a little less silly to say out loud: could Pakistan actually have a go at winning this? That was the real genius of their partnership, worth 115 runs.
Reality did eventually take hold – a stalemate would be Pakistan’s happy ending – but Babar’s dismissal didn’t stop Rizwan from taking the aggressive route. A freneticism made itself evident in those final overs, almost as if he’d forgotten about the stakes at play. He climbed into the third new ball, taking boundaries off Starc and Cummins, and the race was on for a hundred before time was called. He should’ve fallen short; on 91, Rizwan chipped a ball off Swepson straight to Usman Khawaja at extra cover, but the catch went down. Had that stuck, Australia would’ve had three overs to nab two tail-end wickets.
Instead, with men around the bat, Rizwan attacked some more off Lyon, saw to his hundred and was there for the final ball to seal it. Later on, as his teammates emerged for the end-of-match handshakes, there was a warm embrace with Babar. They’d pulled it off.
That these two starred should be of little surprise. The game in these parts seems to revolve around them. One runs the show, the other sits behind the stumps and weaves his magic from there. They’ve had a ball at the top of the T20I order, orchestrating a famous 10-wicket win over India at the T20 World Cup last year. Shaheen Afridi is alongside them as one of Pakistan’s most important cricketers, but he’s got a different role to play. Something clicks when Babar and Rizwan are out there in the middle, punching gloves and hitting it to all parts; they average more than 47 as a partnership in each international format.
On Wednesday, they combined once again to produce something surreal, a final-day finish that won’t be easily forgotten. The scoreline may still be 0-0, but this series is alive and well thanks to them.
