Over more or less the first 12 sessions of this match,the tourists had done everything right to give themselves a rare look at winning in Karachi - a first in nine attempts stretching all the way back to 1956.
On the final day they needed eight wickets,starting with the set pairing of Babar and Abdullah Shafique. Personifying Australian nerves was Swepson,the leg spinner picked with a specific brief to go to work in the fourth innings.
Pakistani and Australian players leave the ground at the end of the play of the second test match between Pakistan and Australia.Credit:AP
A newish ball slid uncertainly from clammy hands,refusing to land where Swepson wanted. A handful of full tosses helped Babar and Shafique get going,into their stride against the hard ball knowing that each over they kept out would make things easier.
As he had done before in Brisbane against India and Sydney against England,it was Cummins who got closest to cracking the lock. Shafique,within four runs of a century,was tempted by a hint of reverse movement and a ball almost full enough to drive,snicking a catch into the lap of Steve Smith.
Soon after lunch,Fawad Alam also edged Cummins,his idiosyncratic technique worn down by ball after ball in a perfect off stump corridor from around the wicket. At that point,Pakistan had another 53.3 overs to survive.
Mohammad Rizwan’s early overs were not convincing. When Swepson returned in better rhythm to turn the ball,a wicket seemed inevitable. Here was the spell in which it seemed the game would turn,but fine margins told against Australia.
Australia’s David Warner,left,Marnus Labuschagne,second left,Alex Carey,second right,and Steve Smith celebrate after the dismissal of Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf.Credit:AP
Babar was given the benefit of the doubt for a front foot lbw appeal by Nathan Lyon,the sort that right-arm off spinners almost never get. Much as Warne had once done,Lyon shook his head in the vicinity of the umpire Aleem Dar,with similarly minimal response.
Rizwan also eluded a leg-before-wicket appeal and referral,this time because he had come too far down the wicket for ball-tracking to overturn the umpire’s decision against Swepson. In between times,Babar bunted consecutive balls into and out of the hands of silly point Travis Head and short leg Marnus Labuschagne. Australian brows furrowed.
When the final session began,Babar and Rizwan made their statement of intent and confidence,taking 20 from consecutive overs by Swepson and Lyon. This was not the start of a genuine attempt to chase,but a tactically wise feint to stop the tourists from dictating final session terms.
At length,the Australians began to get quieter in the field,slower to the ball and ultimately resigned to their fate. Pakistan did not chance a dash at the outright result,having already seized what looked like the moral win.
Twelve overs and three balls remained when Lyon stared down Babar. A bit more loop,bounce and spin caught the glove to short leg,silencing the National Stadium and bringing relief for the visitors.
Next ball,Faheem Ashraf edged a classic off break to Smith at slip and the Australians roared.
When Sajid Khan also edged Lyon to Smith after a frenetic stay,only three wickets were needed from the final eight overs. Cummins,having taken the third new ball,handed it to Swepson. Miscues and strangled shouts followed,and in the 168th over Usman Khawaja grassed the day’s final chance. With exhaustion and respect,the opponents shook hands in lengthening shadows.
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There is,of course,another way of looking at the past 10 days. Australia did not lose after conceding a huge first innings in Rawalpindi,and in Karachi they made all the running until stopped by an innings of greatness by Babar and impish support from Rizwan. They have already outperformed the teams who lost to Pakistan in the UAE in 2014 and 2018.
But like the touring parties of Ian Johnson,Richie Benaud,Bob Simpson,Kim Hughes,Allan Border and Taylor before them,they will leave Karachi with many memories. None will be of victory.
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