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After two successive draws, the historic Pakistan versus Australia Test series will conclude with the third and final Test in Lahore, starting March 21. The series-deciding fixture has garnered extra context and value as the two teams eye a decisive 1-0 lead that would help them take the Benaud-Qadir trophy.
The game also carries heavy weightage in the new cycle of the World Test Championship, spanning 2021-23, with a win here set to give the successful team 12 crucial points. After sharing four points apiece from the two previous games, both the sides will be hoping to take full points of their own.
Heading into this Test, Australia stand at the top of the WTC points table with four wins and three draws, while Pakistan are positioned one spot below after three victories, two draws and a solitary defeat. Avoiding another loss has helped Pakistan keep their noses ahead of third-placed South Africa. Their arch-rivals India are currently at fourth in the nine-team standings.
Key players
The marathon knock of 196 in the fourth-innings of the Karachi Test only further reinforced Babar Azam’s importance to Pakistan. The skipper and modern-day batting giant was absolutely brilliant with the bat in the second Test, helping Pakistan post a daunting 443/7 in response to a daunting target of 507. He walked in with Pakistan 21/2, staring down the barrel, and went on to record the highest ever score by a captain in the final innings of a Test match. The 27-year-old continued his rapid rise on the world batting chart in what is essentially a bowling era.
Equally critical to Pakistan’s survival and draw at the end was wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan’s outstanding hundred. Rizwan produced an exceptional century, an unbeaten 104 off 177 deliveries, to take Pakistan to safety late into Day 5.
The cricketer once again stamped his authority on a cricket match for Pakistan, continuing his ascent at the highest level. Rizwan has been tremendous for Pakistan since replacing former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed back in 2019. Since making his comeback, the 29-year-old averages a fantastic 47.73 over 20 Test matches.
One of Pakistan’s major positives from the first two Tests of the series against Australia, Abdullah Shafique will be entering the series finale after two eye-catching scores to his name in respective second-innings in Rawalpindi and Karachi. The batter recorded his maiden hundred in the first Test and backed that up with a fighting 96 in the second Test.
Usman Khawaja has certainly been one a quality batter for Australia ever since his homecoming to Pakistan. Relishing an exciting return to the birth of his country, the elegant left-hander hasn’t taken a foot wrong in the series.
Khawaja has made scores of 97, 160 and 44 not out on the tour so far, continuing his mighty fine batting form since making a Test comeback through the Sydney Test of the Ashes Down Under. The ability was never in doubt, but Khawaja is finally producing the level of consistency that was always expected out of him.
It is not usual for Steve Smith to go unnoticed but that has largely been the case for him in this Test series. The great batter recorded a solid 78 in his only innings of the first Test in Rawalpindi and backed that up with another defiant knock of 72 in the first innings of the Karachi Test.
Smith hasn’t been at his very best over the last couple of seasons but remains the most crucial cog in Australia’s wheels on the batting front. The tourists will be desperate for their modern-day legend to produce a major score and help them secure a historic series win at the Gaddafi Stadium.
Prediction
This has been a series of cat and mouse so far. While Pakistan looked mostly in the ascendancy in the first game but couldn’t coast along to a victory, Australia came roaring back in the second and looked like tilting one their way till Babar & company held the fort in Karachi and ended with a draw. The way the first two games have panned out has only made the series decider more interesting, with the anticipation that finally, the series will also witness a bowler-friendly track in Lahore.
Such a scenario could benefit Australia, whose bowlers toiled hard with largely disciplined lines for the best part of two days in the final innings in Karachi but were still nullified by a benign deck that never really offered them lateral turn or uneven bounce.
Pakistan, however, are playing at home and could well take equal advantage in case there is some ready-made help from the deck. Expect another close match, with Pakistan potentially coming out on top.
