Dubai: Pakistan spinners Zufiqar Babar and Yasir Shah exposed Australia’s weakness against spin to share nine wickets between them and inflict a crushing 221-run defeat in the first Test of the two-Test series at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
The Australians walked into this Test match bubbling with confidence after recording a clean sweep over Pakistan in a three-match One-day series and one-off Twenty20 match. They were forced to bow before a spirited all-round performance from Pakistan, despite the absence of their star spinner Saeed Ajmal — being banned from bowling due to his suspect action.
Pakistan proved that they have the spinners who can wreck the Australian batting line-up as left-arm spinner Babar bagged five wickets for 74 runs and leg spinner Yasir took four wickets for 50. Debutant Shah returned with match figures of seven for 116. Out of the 14 Tests Australia has played in Asia recently, they have lost nine — proving that they are still vulnerable to spinners and unfamiliar conditions.
If Pakistan can win or draw the second Test in Abu Dhabi starting on October 30, they will record their first series win over Australia since 1994. This victory is also Pakistan’s second win over Australia since beating them by three wickets at the neutral venue Leeds in England in 2010.
The dominance and authority with which Pakistan played in this Test match earned them their biggest victory margin over Australia, the previous best being a 74-run win in Sydney in 1995.
Medium pacer Imran Khan provided the breakthrough in the morning, ending a 43-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Chris Rogers and Steven Smith with a reverse swinging delivery that saw Rogers’ bails fly. Next man Mitchell Marsh lasted just eight balls before Babar forced Mash to play into the hands of Azhar Ali at silly point.
Four runs later, Babar struck again by removing Brad Haddin for a duck through a delivery that skidded through and hit the stumps.
What followed was a stubborn partnership between Smith and Mitchell Johnson. The first boundary came after a gap of 273 balls when Johnson flicked a delivery from Rahat Ali to the boundary. Smith, when on 37, escaped being stumped by wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmad off Babar. He also offered a tough chance to Misbah-Ul-Haq with his score on 44 off Babar.
Smith raced on to his seventh half-century in Test cricket. The pair held on for 28.5 overs, adding 65 runs for the eighth wicket when Yasir had Smith caught at short leg by Asad Shafiq for 55. It was a stupendous effort by Smith to save the match and Australian skipper Michael Clarke was seen giving him a pat on the back for his fighting knock.
Johnson refused to give up and even hit Babar for a six over long on. He reached his ninth Test half century in style hitting Babar for boundary to long on. Partnering Peter Siddle, Johnson added 43 runs in the next 13 overs. Yasir soon ended Johnson’s fighting knock by having him stumped by Sarfraz for 61.
With 23 more overs remaining, last man Steve O’Keefe joined Siddle but Babar picked his fifth wicket by having Siddle caught at silly point to usher in the victory celebrations.
