Day 1
Toss Pakistan, chose to bat
Pakistan 219-4 (1st innings) Younis Khan 106, Azhar Ali 53; Mitchell Johnson 3-22
DUBAI // Younis Khan may well become the greatest Pakistani batsman of all time. On Wednesday in Dubai, he brought that conversation out into the open at least, a 25th Test hundred stabilising a customary early wobble.
His 106 took Pakistan to 219 for four on an attritional opening day of the Test series against Australia. That put him alongside Inzamam-ul-Haq as his country’s leading hundred-getter but nudged him ahead also, as the only Pakistani batsman with a century against all Test nations.
It did not come easy, Younis surviving particularly tough bursts in the morning and early afternoon from Mitchell Johnson, who ended with three of the four wickets to fall.
“It’s an honour to score a hundred against all countries, in fact I feel proud to be the first Pakistani to do so,” he said. “I had not really thought about it but when I equaled Mohammad Yousuf’s hundreds it came to my mind. Having no hundred against Australia before this and equaling the great Inzamam’s record, it’s even more of an honour.”
Johnson, and some typically adept captaincy from Michael Clarke, made sure Pakistan never got away; in truth it is not Pakistan’s style to rush away in any case. They ended the day with captain Misbah-ul-Haq getting some useful runs as well.
But Australia equipped themselves well enough in conditions they have not been comfortable in always. Perhaps they did not build on the start they had but Johnson in particular was a threat throughout.
Late in the day though, Nathan Lyon began to extract big turn and signs are that the surface is wearing already.
“Obviously we started well, we got two early wickets which is what we like to do but after that the wicket was fairly slow and not much was happening,” Johnson said. “We got the ball to reverse and were a bit unlucky at times with a few plays and misses in the middle there but the wicket was pretty dead and slow.”
With the second new ball still only ten overs old, Thursday morning will be a critical passage of play. “We worked as a bowling unit we were patient and didn’t let them get away so we are happy to be in this position,” Johnson said. “We just need to get ourselves right and turn up in the morning.”
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
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