[VIDEOS] Babar Azam (157*) and Asad Shafiq (119*) - Pakistan 336/3 on Day 1 against Australia A

[Danyaalr01]

Another thing they could do is just bat till dinner tomorrow then declare and bowl with the new ball under lights on day 2.

 

[AFM]

No need to declare or retire. The result doesn't count here. Just keep batting as long as possible. Need all the time out in the middle as possible.

 

[Danyaalr01]

Asad looks uncomfortable against the new ball right now. Babar still looks good though.

 

[shah_1]

Asad looks uncomfortable against the new ball right now. Babar still looks good though.

Babar started his career as an opener

 

[Danyaalr01]

Shot from Babar.

 

[Green Patriot]

It feels good to hear Babar being praised

 

[Danyaalr01]

150 up for Babar.

 

[Danyaalr01]

Paksitan should just bat on to dinner on day 2.

 

[KyoOne]

Why not let Rizwan and Iftikhar get match practice? It foolish to keep on batting when you have already gotten a decent work-out

 

[MenInG]

Babar 150

 

[Danyaalr01]

Why not let Rizwan and Iftikhar get match practice? It foolish to keep on batting when you have already gotten a decent work-out

They'll bat tomorrow. I think the plan is to just bat once, or maybe twice if they can get the Aussies out. They should declare at dinner tomorrow.

 

[angrypathan]

Why not let Rizwan and Iftikhar get match practice? It foolish to keep on batting when you have already gotten a decent work-out

This is a first-class match, can't be treating it like a joke. Besides, both Babar and Shafiq have a habit of getting out soon after scoring 100 so it's nice to see them carrying on and developing the ability to score daddy hundreds.

 

[mumtaz]

I think they will declare overnight. Bowl tomorrow and then bat on day 3 again. Shafiq and Babar wont bat in the 2nd innings.

 

[Titan24]

While its too early to say but Babar’s game has definitely gone up or atleast hasnt been effected after the added responsibility of T20 captaincy. Good signs for the future.

 

[MenInG]

 

[MRSN]

And this is an hour later than the bowling team really wants or needs.

It’s the first hour after dinner when the new ball takes wickets, as the light - and degree of swing - is constantly changing.

Misbah is the coach in case you forgot. He has a very defensive mindset. Should have called both Asad and Baber after 100s and allowed other batsmen to have a go.

 

[Markhor]

Why not let Rizwan and Iftikhar get match practice? It foolish to keep on batting when you have already gotten a decent work-out

Rizwan's rubbish whether he gets practice or not.

 

[Markhor]

Finally a reason to smile. First decent day all tour.

 

[castortroy]

These hundreds don't mean anything. Aussies bowling line up will guarantee have pak 50-4 in every innings

 

[majiz]

the 'brown ricky ponting ' doing good
always seemed like he could score in australia

looking forward to watching naseem shah bowl

 

[Slog]

Hundreds dont mean jack.

 

[Abdullah719]

This game has FC status, so that's just Babar's 4th FC hundred. Has a lot of catching up to do... hopefully he does it in Tests.

 

[Danyaalr01]

Hundreds dont mean jack.

What exactly do you mean?

 

[majiz]

These hundreds don't mean anything. Aussies bowling line up will guarantee have pak 50-4 in every innings

this is a better pakistani side than the one that last toured. cummins is elite but maybe babar has the potential to score big anyway .i feel like pakistan have a great chance in the day/nighter . when the ball is moving around and shaheen shah afridi has his eye in. remember this australian batting line -up isn't particularly good. i feel like pakistan will win a test match but its wishful thinking yeah

 

[ARK Rafay]

This game has FC status, so that's just Babar's 4th FC hundred. Has a lot of catching up to do... hopefully he does it in Tests.

Does it also means batsman can't retire?

 

[Abdullah719]

Does it also means batsman can't retire?

I don't think there's any restriction on that.

 

[Titan24]

Hundreds dont mean jack.

100s in the 3day game are really important for the confidence and understanding of the conditions by spending more time on it. That is what practice games are meant for. What exactly you were expecting them to be to mean something?

 

[Danyaalr01]

The pitch at the WACA on Friday will be more similar to the one Pakistan will get in Brisbane, of course the Gabba will have slightly less bounce, but both pitches will be dry with little grass. They will be easier to bat on then the pitch used today. Today's pitch was a mixture of the WACA and Adelaide.

 

[Danyaalr01]

100s in the 3day game are really important for the confidence and understanding of the conditions by spending more time on it. That is what practice games are meant for. What exactly you were expecting them to be to mean something?

Some people think it is embarassing to score in warm ups or against minnows. Maybe not this guy, but there are people that make fun of players when they score against Zimbabwe. It would be embarassing if they didn't score runs against that side.

 

[MenInG]

Babar Azam has reinforced his standing as Pakistan's talisman, scoring a commanding unbeaten century in the pink-ball tour match against Australia A in Perth.

Test stalwart Asad Shafiq also reached triple figures before Pakistan went to stumps at 3-336 on day one of the three-day clash.

A strong Australia A pace attack led by Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson toiled as Babar (157no) and Shafiq (119no) piled on a colossal 276-run partnership.

The hosts weren't helped by a pink Kookaburra ball which quickly lost its hardness and didn't offer much even under lights on a tame Perth Stadium pitch.

Babar had a lucky escape when he glanced his second ball faced down the leg-side and a diving Alex Carey was only able to get a fingertip to it.

From there, it was a chanceless and masterful knock highlighted by the frequent use of a beautifully-timed straight drive.

Pakistan's T20 skipper reached his century off just 126 balls and had plundered 24 boundaries by the time he walked off the ground.

"He's an exceptionally good player," Australia Test hopeful Travis Head said.

"He's obviously translated that (white-ball) form nicely today.

"We'll think of some plans over the next couple of days and the next couple of weeks, I guess, for the guys playing the first Test against him."

Having stamped himself as one of the world's best white-ball batters, Babar will be looking to carry his sparkling form into the Test arena.

Babar top-scored with 99 when Australia and Pakistan squared off last October in Abu Dhabi, where the hosts won by 373 runs to claim the series.

The right-hander has averaged 53 from his past 11 Test innings including that knock.

Test prospect Riley Meredith snared two early wickets after Pakistan captain Azhar Ali won the toss and elected to bat.

Tasmanian speedster Meredith delivered the highlight of Monday's opening session, coming around the wicket to left-hander Shan Masood and sending down a vicious bouncer which the opener fended to Abbott at point.

The day-night match is doubling as a national selection shootout ahead of the first Test at the Gabba starting on November 21, with Travis Head, Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns and Will Pucovski all lining up for Australia A.

Coach Justin Langer and chief selector Trevor Hohns will sit down on Wednesday to pick their squad for the Gabba, with Harris, Khawaja and Burns competing to open the batting alongside David Warner.

Australia A XI: Marcus Harris, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Will Pucovski, Cameron Bancroft, Alex Carey (c & wk), Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Sean Abbott, Riley Meredith

Pakistan XI: Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (c), Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, (wk), Yasir Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Imran Khan

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/mat...-stream-free-perth-stadium-day-one/2019-11-11

 

[Omer2002]

these hundred do count...these are first class games so his stats will be boosted

 

[Danyaalr01]

these hundred do count...these are first class games so his stats will be boosted

I reckon if Babar was to play all his domestic in Australia rather than Pakistan, he would be doing a lot better. The Australian pitches suit him so much better. The ball comes onto the bat way better and he would dominate the spinners.

 

[jnaveen1980]

This is a pretty decent attack. Great start for Babar.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Some people think it is embarassing to score in warm ups or against minnows. Maybe not this guy, but there are people that make fun of players when they score against Zimbabwe. It would be embarassing if they didn't score runs against that side.

Not applicable to all. But there is a category called warm up bullying. Dinesh Karthik is a master of it. Always looks good in warm ups. But goes AWOL in real matches.

 

[Danyaalr01]

Not applicable to all. But there is a category called warm up bullying. Dinesh Karthik is a master of it. Always looks good in warm ups. But goes AWOL in real matches.

I'm talking about the guys that say things like "Haha, he scored a century against Zimbabwe, what a useless batsman." I have actually seen people say this, not on here, but in other places. Clearly they have no common sense and don't know anything about the game.

Luckily Babar has proven he is not a warm-up bully and this inning shows he has it in him to score big in Australia in the test series. This bowling attack was decent and the ball was moving and bouncing steeply, but this didn't trouble Babar.

 

[Abdullah719]

Asad Shafiq quotes:

What I was trying to do was to build a partnership as we had lost our openers early, so my plan was that if we can have a good partnership, things will stabilize

I was trying to ensure that my defence was strong and to hit boundaries on any odd bad balls that come my way

Babar played really well and during the innings we were telling each other if we were making any mistakes like our head falling over whilst batting and we were helping each other and that helped us

We will try and put as much total on the board as possible and see tomorrow morning what plan the captain and coach give us and then decide on what happens next

It was difficult in the morning as the new ball was swinging but things got better once the partnership was built, and the wicket also dried out, and this is what happens when a good partnership develops so that the body language of the opposing side also starts to show strain and we can then make use of that

It was a good start for me and such innings give you confidence which you can take into the next match

 

[Boiz Played Well]

Our only hope is that somehow Masood tackles them well early on. Because he is perhaps the one that is the least uncomfortable.

Did you see Masood bat? He was dropped at slip. Had 3-4 LBW shouts. And then got out to a short ball which got on him too fast. Hoping he gets better as tour progresses but he looked the least comfortable at the crease amongst them all.

 

[ARK Rafay]

Did you see Masood bat? He was dropped at slip. Had 3-4 LBW shouts. And then got out to a short ball which got on him too fast. Hoping he gets better as tour progresses but he looked the least comfortable at the crease amongst them all.

It was his first innings here. Give him a little time.

 

[Savak]

Australia's bowling stocks are worryingly poor outside their first choice pace attack.

 

[shah_1]

Australia's bowling stocks are worryingly poor outside their first choice pace attack.

Which team has good bowling bench strenght?

 

[Boiz Played Well]

Pakistan promises to put up a greater fight against Australia later this month after starting its red/pink ball season in perfect fashion.

After an early wobble, the tourists punished Australia A at Perth Stadium on Monday to reach day one stumps at a commanding 3-336.

The dominant display is Pakistan’s first on Australian shores this season after it was comfortably beaten 2-0 in the three-match T20I series that finished last week.

Here’s what we learned from day one of the tour match between Pakistan and Australia A.

BABAR COULD BE A BIG PROBLEM THIS SUMMER

In scoring a masterful 157 not out, Babar Azam sent an ominous warning to Australia before the first Test.

He’s in terrific touch and looks ready to take his game to the next level.

Already a force to be reckoned with facing the white ball, Babar’s Test career is on an upwards trajectory after a modest start. He averaged just 23.75 across his first 11 Tests, but has averaged 50.66 in his last 10.

He may have been facing a second-string attack, but Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson are far from second-rate bowlers — and Babar handled them with aplomb on Monday. Babar came to the crease with his side in trouble at 3-60 before turning the match on its head alongside Asad Shafiq in an unbeaten 276-run partnership.

“It’s been a beautiful innings really,” Michael Hussey said in commentary. “He’s timed the ball magnificently all around the ground.”

Babar plays gloriously off the front foot, so the fact he crafted the big score while facing plenty of short-pitched bowling early spells trouble for Australia. Furthermore, the venue for the second Test is Adelaide Oval, which is a slower wicket when compared to Perth Stadium’s, and should play somewhat into Babar’s hands.

What should also ring alarm bells is the fact the 25-year-old converted his century in style, which is something he’s been criticised of not doing often enough. He’s scored 11 Test fifties, and has made just one century.

But Hussey said that Babar now has what it takes become one of the game’s elite multi-format batsmen.

“I honestly believe this guy can be in the same conversation when we start talking about the best players in the world,” he said. “We start talking about (Virat) Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root gets floated around.

“I think if he can start putting together some big hundreds like this in the Test arena, he’s that good ... he’s a brilliant, brilliant player.”

AUSTRALIA A BOWLERS HAVE SHOWN THE WAY

Whether it was the good or the bad, Australia A’s bowlers laid out a clear framework for the Test side to follow against Pakistan later this month.

Pakistan’s top-order batsmen looked uncomfortable facing the short ball early, and it was a vulnerability Riley Meredith and Richardson happily took advantage of for a period.

Tasmanian quick Meredith was particularly assertive and bumped out opener Shan Masood with a vicious bouncer.

Babar and Shafiq steadied the ship for Pakistan, but the latter didn’t look comfortable for a long period facing short-pitched deliveries and was struck on the helmet by Richardson.

“They’ve certainly been unsettled by the short-pitched bowling,” Adam Gilchrist said at the time in commentary. “It was Meredith that really stirred the nest and now Richardson from the same end.”

Gilchrist said that Australia coach Justin Langer would have noted the batting troubles as he prepares his side for the two-Test series later this month.

Nonetheless, the Aussie quicks became guilty of overusing the tactic as Pakistan’s batsmen, most notably Babar, began picking the short-pitched deliveries with greater success.

As the pink ball became softer and Australia A’s quicks tired from the sheer volume of effort balls being bowled, Babar and Shafiq — who started their partnership at 3-60 — assumed complete control.

Brad Hogg said it revealed another lesson that Australia’s quicks should learn from.

“You’ve got 90 overs, four fast bowlers and bowling short-pitched bowling does wear you out. So you’ve also got to plan for the endurance of the whole day,” he said on Fox Cricket.

“Yes, Meredith has attacked and Richardson too, but you’ve got to have a bit of variety there. Start bowling on a good length and use it sparingly.”

TEST QUICKS UNDER NO MAJOR THREAT YET

This match has been billed as a shootout for Test batting positions, and after day one, it was easy to see why.

While Australia A’s bowling line-up is talented, it’s clear that the Australia fast bowling establishment have little to worry about this summer.

That’s not to talk down the quality of Richardson, Meredith, Michael Neser and Sean Abbott. But when your first string is Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and either Mitchell Starc or James Pattinson, then a truly special innings is required to raise the eyebrows of selectors.

None of Australia A’s bowlers were capable of that on Monday while bowling on a lifeless deck. As such, no late selection shocks should be expected at the low end of Australia’s Test order.

Meredith (2-73) showed promise early with the wickets of Shan Masood and Haris Sohail but ended up being Australia’s most expensive bowler, going at a whopping 6.08 runs an over. Richardson (0-61) looked to have lost none of his pace after a lengthy injury lay off and was tidy in his 22 overs, albeit wicketless. New South Wales quick Abbott was also wicketless and finished the day with 0-78 from his 20 overs.

The pick of the bowlers was arguably Neser, who caused headaches with the new ball and was tight with the old, finishing the day with 1-49 off 22 overs.

HEAD THROWN IN THE DEEP END

Travis Head is no stranger to rolling the arm over, but not like this.

While Head’s primary duty for both his state and country is as a specialist batsmen, the 25-year-old is regularly called on to chip in with his off-spinners to give the quicks a rest.

But without another tweaker in the XI, Head took on the role full-time, bowling 14 overs on day one.

For context, he’s only bowled 84 balls in his 12-Test career, the same amount as what he bowled on Monday.

Head struggled to hit troubling areas until late in the day’s play when a flighted delivery beat Shafiq, only for his South Australia teammate, Alex Carey, to miss the stumping.

That summed up Head’s day with the ball as he finished up his 14 overs with expensive figures of 0-70.

Should he make Australia’s XI later this month, it’s likely that the part-time spinner duties will stay with Queensland’s Marnus Labuschagne who’s taken 10 Test wickets at 30.00.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...s/news-story/d18e4679c5e755d59af3b215306ed66a

 

[Savak]

Which team has good bowling bench strenght?

Only India right now, Maybe England as well

 

[big_gamer007]

Pakistan is going to butcher kangaroos.

 

[jiduguravindra]

this is a better pakistani side than the one that last toured. cummins is elite but maybe babar has the potential to score big anyway .i feel like pakistan have a great chance in the day/nighter . when the ball is moving around and shaheen shah afridi has his eye in. remember this australian batting line -up isn't particularly good. i feel like pakistan will win a test match but its wishful thinking yeah

Pak didn't have chance in day night test..aus has even better bowlers than pak..Don't look too much into these practice games and form an opinion..Warner back in form, then Smith, who is going get him out..Pakistan just need to compete well, make sure to avoid embarrassing losses..If u expect too much from them,u will end up on a sad note..

 

[srh]

Asad Shafiq has scored all the runs he needed on this tour to select for the next tour

 

[Haripotter]

Pakistan batsman giving false hopes only to come crashing down this Sunday

 

[Amjid Javed]

Good to see Babar and Asad gain form. Plus good to see Azhar open, he should never have moved to number 3.

 

[sindhiboy]

Has the pitch flattened out?
I thought the ind vs aus series last year was a sign for things to come

That aussie pitches would not be flat anymore. And now be pace friendly with no scores of 500

 

[MenInG]

Babar Azam is the flavour of the month at the moment!

 

[majiz]

Babar Azam is the flavour of the month at the moment!

he's looking so good at the moment. only the most extreme pessimist could suggest theres no chance of him scoring a match winning hundred. australia really arent that good

 

[Syed1]

Was a treat to watch Bobby in highlights package.

 

[Bewal Express]

Babar needs a big test innings on this tour to show that he has arrived in tests like he has in ODI where he is amongs the best in the world. We know he has the talent, its a mental battle against the Test attacks.

As far as AS is concerned, no more excuses, time to produce or this should be the end.

 

[PakLFC]

Impressive. Can't do any better.

 

[Roaring40s]

While I am a fan of Babar, team management would have done much better in using this practice match for PRACTICE.

Look at how India did that in 2018, 12 batsmen got to bat and 10 bowlers bowled.

https://www.cricbuzz.com/live-crick...ractice-match-india-tour-of-australia-2018-19

 

[jiduguravindra]

While I am a fan of Babar, team management would have done much better in using this practice match for PRACTICE.

Look at how India did that in 2018, 12 batsmen got to bat and 10 bowlers bowled.

https://www.cricbuzz.com/live-crick...ractice-match-india-tour-of-australia-2018-19

M Vijay made century in practice match and was sitting ducks in real matches...This clearly shows we can't judge a player by seeing practice matches that he is going to score lot more. As far as practice matches is concern, it's a about having some time in the middle and moreover they will get the same type of wicket in test matches. It's definitely gonna be bowling pitch..