Cricket
Only rain can save Pakistan
2010-01-17 10:09
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Australia are six wickets away from completing a clean-sweep against a disappointing Pakistan. Simon Katich scored his first century of the summer, Ricky Ponting recorded his highest aggregate in a Test and Pakistan's top order looked rickety.
At the start of the fourth day, the most likely scenario was for Australia to add quickly to their overnight score and bat until after lunch, and Pakistan's batsmen to struggle and rain to play a part as the afternoon wore on. And so it to be.
Pakistan lost both openers within the first ten overs, then the captain and best batsman Mohammad Yousuf with the score on 61, and the young star Umar Akmal with the total at 83 for 4.
When the rain came an hour before the scheduled close, Pakistan were 4 for 103, needing an extremely unlikely 335 more for victory, with Khurram Manzoor on 23 and Shoaib Malik on 18.
Earlier Ponting and Katich added 141 in a brutal opening session as Pakistan continued to set defensive fields and waited for a declaration. Katich holed out to deep midwicket off Danish Kaneria and departed for an even 100, his ninth Test century.
Ponting also went after the bowling during their 191-run stand and was happy to be inventive, driving in the air over fielders and taking balls from outside off to the leg side.
Ponting failed to become the seventh batsman in Test history to score a double-century and a century in the same match when he departed for 89 on the fourth ball after lunch.
After his dismissal, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson came in as pinch-hitters but failed to have any impact and Australia lost 4 wickets for 27 runs starting with Katich.
Ponting already felt he had enough and declared at 5 for 219, setting Pakistan 438 to win.
Pakistan need either a deluge of rain or runs to save them and only their most ardent fans could expect it to be the latter.