Ramiz Raja shows no mercy after Pakistan's crushing defeat puts India on top in WTC: 'Blown away in just 31 overs'
Ramiz Raja shared his views about Pakistan's crushing defeat to Australia in the 1st Test at Perth.
Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja expressed his disappointment after Australia crushed Pakistan in the 1st Test of the action-packed bilateral series on Sunday. In a match where Nathan Lyon reached new heights, Shan Masood's Pakistan suffered a shocking batting collapse as Australia wrapped up the series opener inside the first four days of the Test at the Perth Stadium.
Mitchell Marsh's gritty 90-run knock and a David Warner special in the 1st innings powered Australia to a gigantic total of 487 in 113.2 overs. Relying heavily on former skipper Babar, Pakistan only mustered 271 in its first essay. Spin wizard Lyon shared seven wickets with Mitchell Starc and skipper Pat Cummins. Though Warner failed to open his account in the 2nd innings, Marsh extended his impressive run as his unbeaten 63-run knock paved the way for Australia to score 233-5 d in 63.2 overs.
What Ramiz said about Pakistan’s ‘resistance menu’
For the hosts, opener Usman Khawaja played a crucial knock of 90 off 190 balls in Australia's second essay at Perth. Asked to chase down a daunting 450-run target, Babar-starrer Pakistan folded for just 89 as the Green Arm suffered another embarrassing defeat in the longest format. “Intent and technique were both missing from Pak’s ‘resistance menu’. Blown away in just 31overs in the second knock was disappointing. Aussies were on another level…,” Raja said on X (formerly known as Twitter) after the Perth Test.
Lyon joins 500 club in Perth
Playing his first match after stepping down as captain, Pakistan's Babar scored 21 off 54 balls in the 1st innings. The former Pakistan also had a forgetful outing with the willow as he perished for just 14 in 37 balls. Talking more about the match, Australia's Lyon became the eighth bowler to take 500 Test wickets. The senior spinner picked five wickets in the 1st Test match for the hosts. Australia will meet Pakistan in the 2nd Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on December 26.
WTC standings: India on top after Pakistan's heavy defeat
With Australia registering a massive 360-run win over Pakistan, the Asian giants have slipped to the second spot on the ICC World Test Championship points table. The result also helped India in taking the top spot in the WTC standings. Based on the Points Percentage System (PCT), India are at the top of the WTC standings with 16 points from 1 Test. Pakistan are placed second with 24 points from 2 games in the third edition of the ICC event.