Pakistan escaped with a thrilling draw on Day 5 of the second Test against Australia in Karachi. Needing 506 to pull off a record chase with eight wickets in hand, Pakistan ended up losing seven but held their nerves to play out a riveting draw. The result was needed, especially given the backlash the PCB received after the dull stalemate in Rawalpindi. Leading the charge was captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, both of whom peeled off match-saving centuries. (Also Read: Babar Azam misses Test double but goes past Virat Kohli, Don Bradman, Ricky Ponting to achieve phenomenal batting record)
While Babar smashed a few records during his marathon knock of 196, it was Rizwan’s efforts that kept Pakistan floating till the very end. With Pakistan losing three wickets for 22 runs in the final session, Rizwan ensured he batted defiantly with the tail. After he added a brilliant 115 run partnership with his skipper Babar, Rizwan saw himself battling against time. With three wickets left and eight overs to see off, Rizwan ensured no further damage was done.
In the process, Rizwan entered an elusive list of rare brilliance. Rizwan's second Test century made him only the second wicketkeeper batter from Pakistan to score a hundred in the fourth innings of a Test match. Previously, Moeen Khan had achieved the feat in 1995. Overall, Rizwan is the seventh to get there, along with Adam Gilchrist, Rishabh Pant, Matt Prior, Alan Knott and AB de Villiers.
After getting away with a drop catch, when Usman Khawaja put down Rizwan on 91, the keeper batter had another nervy moment. After creaming two boundaries in quick succession, Rizwan tried to tap the ball hoping to try a single that would give him his century. However, the ball came back to Lyon and the spinner threw the ball back onto the stumps. The woodwork was disturbed but Rizwan’s dive saved him. Next ball, Rizwan tucked the ball on the off-side to complete his 100th run as the Karachi crowd went bonkers. With three balls, left Rizwan crunched another four as the players shook hands.
{{/usCountry}}After getting away with a drop catch, when Usman Khawaja put down Rizwan on 91, the keeper batter had another nervy moment. After creaming two boundaries in quick succession, Rizwan tried to tap the ball hoping to try a single that would give him his century. However, the ball came back to Lyon and the spinner threw the ball back onto the stumps. The woodwork was disturbed but Rizwan’s dive saved him. Next ball, Rizwan tucked the ball on the off-side to complete his 100th run as the Karachi crowd went bonkers. With three balls, left Rizwan crunched another four as the players shook hands.
{{/usCountry}}"It wasn't an easy task to bat for five sessions to save a Test against a team like Australia, we all know how good a bowling attack they have. We had a plan to go for the chase when I and Babar were batting, but the ball was pretty old, so it was pretty tough to score quick runs against the old ball," Rizwan said after the match.
"We had a simple plan, we needed to play session by session. Definitely there was pressure towards the closing stages, but I tried to keep my calm. What can I say, Babar is the number 1 player in the world, no doubt about that. Everyone knows it. Batting for two days to save a Test match is not that easy, that too against a quality side like Australia."