"Younis Khan shines amongst the rubble of Pakistani batting" - 3rd Test, Day 3 Review

[MenInG]

It was expected at some point in the series and it just as luck would have it for Pakistan’s sake, Younis Khan rose to the occasion and played an innings to die for.

He took 31 balls to get off the mark but when he did, he did it in style playing amazing shots all over the park.

His 18th hundred came at an opportune moment when the situation called for a solid response. Younis answered without hesitation and got his century in 188 balls.

Azhar Ali also showed glimpses of why he is regarded as the next big hope for Pakistan but perished for a well fought 53.

The rest of the batting order did not stand up to the situation as was needed. Asad Shafiq and Adnan Akmal did not last too long leaving Pakistan placed precariously on 282/6 – still 131 runs behind with 2 more days play remaining.

Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq unbeaten on 50 now stands between a reasonable lead for Sri Lanka and what could be an uncomfortable time for the hosts.

Sri Lanka for their part will be very satisfied with their performance. They suffered an early blow with news that one of their strike bowlers, Prasad, would take no further part in the match due to a muscle strain. How they responded to take 4 Pakistani wickets today is admirable.

Two more days to go and the Sharjah Test, much to the shock of cynics, may well produce a humdinger of a match as all 3 results are possible.

[Sufian84]

i think pakistan is in a good position to draw the match. if misbah and the tail can play to lunch tomorrow then the draw is secured.

[TheHK16]

need 100 runs at least tommorow

[JibranAnsari]

Misbah played very very slow, he should have at least made 80 runs.

[hur rizvi]

Our aim should be to play aggressively tomorrow and get the lead down...

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Originally Posted by MenInG Two more days to go and the Sharjah Test, much to the shock of cynics, may well produce a humdinger of a match as all 3 results are possible.

you mean all 4

[Sherlock]

70-odd runs will be good, but SL will no doubt attack and attack hard. They go for 220+, plus the lead, dec if they haven't been bowled and put Pakistan in for the last 10-15 overs of day 4, and hope to take wickets on last day.

My bet, a draw.

In the Bookie circles, SL edge ahead.

[alberto]

we should bowl defensive lines and put men on the boundary

[aasifwanis]

u cnt jump d conclusion....its ckt budy.

[sarmadn]

Originally Posted by JibranAnsari Misbah played very very slow, he should have at least made 80 runs.

he thought he was playing in the 2nd innings to save the match lol

[MenInG]

Originally Posted by pakigoneaussie you mean all 4

I was only looking at it from a Pakistani point of view

[aasifwanis]

its matr of survivn a session......hv faith.....srries s secured

[Zaz]

Need to try and last whole first session tmrw Misbahs wkt is key

If we do that im confident we can draw this

[osee_bhai]

Tail needs to hang around, Misbah is obviously key. When we are 8-9 wickets down I expect him to really farm the strike and get some big shots going.

[MenInG]

I am looking to win this !

Even if Pakistan concede a 100 run lead, Sri Lanka will be forced to put on a lead and let us bat again as they have nothing to lose.

Pakistan can then take a call on whether the ratings (2-0) is the driver or simply a morale boosting series win

[Amjid Javed]

Misbah needs to get a hundred tomorrow and we need to make sure we bat atleast the whole off the 1st session and reduce sri lankas lead down quickly and stay in the game!

We need to be postive! Hopefully rehman will get some runs as well.

[MenInG]

Originally Posted by Amjid Javed Misbah needs to get a hundred tomorrow and we need to make sure we bat atleast the whole off the 1st session and reduce sri lankas lead down quickly and stay in the game! We need to be postive! Hopefully rehman will get some runs as well.

Funnily enough the only way we will stay in the game is if Sri Lanka see a whiff of victory - then they are likely to do the running and create an outside chance for us

[hur rizvi]

Pakistan tail has'nt wagged uptil now in the series...

So tomorrow might be their day

[KingKhanWC]

Wonderful innings by Younis, swept the Lankan spinners superbly!

Misbah is still there, he will look to take time out of the game and stay there for as long as possible. Our tail isn't as weak as it once was so I expect us to bat out the morning session. Even if Lanka have a small lead a couple of early wickets will put us on top.

Beautifully poised for day 4, a result is very much on for both teams.

[adnan yasin]

Its unlikely that we give lead to Srilanka ...and it will be marathon effort to come close to their total

kill the time for atleast hour and half ..

at the moment Still pakistan has save 60% of the match

[Khan6575]

Rubble?

We still have 4 wickets in hand and only 131 runs behind with two days to go, it won't be easy for Sri Lanka to get the four wickets, put a reasonable target on board while giving themselves enough time to dislodge us for the second time. This match is heading for a draw.

[Hamxa89]

You never know with the Pakistani tail... It has a tendency to wilt when it really needs to step up
Tomorrow is not gonna be easy for Pakistan..

My bet.. its 60-40.. SL win/draw

[Zaz]

Originally Posted by Khan6575 Rubble? We still have 4 wickets in hand and only 131 runs behind with two days to go, it won't be easy for Sri Lanka to get the four wickets, put a reasonable target on board while giving themselves enough time to dislodge us for the second time. This match is heading for a draw.

yeah i think the title is a little over dramatic. I wouldnt call it rubble Performance of the other batsman hasnt been great but its not rubble either!

[Osman]

i think even if we match sri lankas score we are not in a position to lose the game....as its them that has to force the game for a result.....much depends on rehman as well as misbah...he is the best of the tailenders....somehow if we can get a lead of 50, that would be ideal....means SL have to force the issue even more and that would only be a benefit to us

[AZ]

Shocking approach by Misbah in the 2nd sessions, was playing for a draw on Day 3.

Need to bat for a large chunk of Day 4 to secure the series now, can't believe its at risk now!

[Zaz]

Originally Posted by AZ Shocking approach by Misbah in the 2nd sessions, was playing for a draw on Day 3. Need to bat for a large chunk of Day 4 to secure the series now, can't believe its at risk now!

misbahs gotta be more pro active tmrw morn and get as many runs on the board as possible No more of his tuk tuk

The tail is gonna succumb sooner or later n by that time we need the deficit to be cut by as much as possible

[Sherlock]

I don't think blaming Misbah is fair. The pitch has turned into a very testing one. It takes turn and seam, has high bounce then low.

Misbah is important tomorrow, I seen him go for runs later in the innings when Shafiq went, so maybe they'll have a chin-wag and realise scoring quicker will be a better bet.

[mmkextreme_1]

Best possible outcome for Day 4 is, we reduce SL lead to 50...and SL have a collapse equivalent to what they had in England last summer.

But more then likely this match is a draw

[Amjid Javed]

Misbah needs to play an inns like his name sake Inzi and help the tail along and maybe we can reduce the lead to 30 behind! Then its game on!

[sam]

Ramiz on Twitter:

@RamizSpeaks
Ramiz Raja
So bored watching Misbah. He operates like an old timer: occupy crease& wt.for lose ball. All he needs is suspenders to match his style!

[saeed-sohail]

Tomorrow is a vital day for us. Bat out the morning session and SL will have to make all the running.

Great knock by YK. Best thing about his knock was his positive attitude at the crease. He seems liberated and playing without pressure.


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[Areesh]

Seems like going for a draw. By the word rubble seems dramatic here.

[AZ]

Originally Posted by Sherlock I don't think blaming Misbah is fair. The pitch has turned into a very testing one. It takes turn and seam, has high bounce then low. Misbah is important tomorrow, I seen him go for runs later in the innings when Shafiq went, so maybe they'll have a chin-wag and realise scoring quicker will be a better bet.

how can you possibly defend making 2 runs off 52 balls whilst YK was playing positively on the same pitch?

pathetic, defensive approach and has eventually put us in a high-risk position.

[Sherlock]

Originally Posted by AZ how can you possibly defend making 2 runs off 52 balls whilst YK was playing positively on the same pitch? pathetic, defensive approach and has eventually put us in a high-risk position.

It took Younis 32-balls to get off the mark. He eventually scored a excellent 100.

Lets wait and see what Misbah does tomorrow, and if it truly is a pathetic innings or a innings that decides the match.

[Down2Earth]

asad must be under serious pressure after his performances in this series. malik is there and umar akmal seems to be in top form. he may struggle to keep his position in the side come england.

[mmkextreme_1]

Guys sorry I know this is the wrong thread to ask the question..

Since the hour goes back in the US tonight 2 AM, does the hour go back in Sharjah as well? Or does play begin at 1 am US time?

[Hamxa89]

Originally Posted by Down2Earth asad must be under serious pressure after his performances in this series. malik is there and umar akmal seems to be in top form. he may struggle to keep his position in the side come england.

Asad has really looked out of sorts in this series. Especially in the innings today, he looked uncomfortable throughout. Even though the ball wasn't doing that much, he looked like a walking wicket in his entire stay!

His dismissal disappointed me the most today.I think it was a great opportunity for him to prove his metal and do something substantial for the team.

Surely he needs to sit out for the England series with either Malik or U.Akmal replacing him.

[Couch Cricketer]

Originally Posted by Hamxa89 Asad has really looked out of sorts in this series. Especially in the innings today, he looked uncomfortable throughout. Even though the ball wasn't doing that much, he looked like a walking wicket in his entire stay! His dismissal disappointed me the most today.I think it was a great opportunity for him to prove his metal and do something substantial for the team. Surely he needs to sit out for the England series with either Malik or U.Akmal replacing him.

We really need someone like U Akmal in the team at the moment when we loose a few wickets we become too defensive and don't have an attacking player.
Aus at their peak had Gilchrist to take them out of sticky situation and score quickly from 5 down that allowed them to dominate and demoralise opposition.
But the way U Akmal was performing earlier I understand why he was dropped and agree with it but we need someone that can score quickly at 4 or 5 down as our 4 of the 5 batsman are already very slow at scoring. We need an attacking batsman to even things out.

[Love Pakistan]

This match will be a draw! Both teams have to do something extra ordinary to win this match and I can't see Pakistan taking the lead in this innings to bowling them out early enough and I also can't see them taking 10 wickets in 1 or 1.25 day!

[Ryankhan]

very happy to see Younis Khan finally with a 100 as in 2011 he missed many 100s.
Azar sadly couldnt get a 100 but hope misbah gets a much needed 100 to get Close to lanka lead. tailenders will play vital role but sad so far rehman n gull both dissapointed and ajmal batting really well n supporting misbah really good