MUMBAI: In a striking relief from a surfeit of slam-bang limited-over onslaught just gone by, we had a crowded week of traditional Test cricket that provided as much thrilling moments by way of edge-of-the-seat finish and see-saw battles that ended in heart-breaks.
All this acknowledged the fact that the longer version of the game is still very much alive and kicking. The much tom-tommed “Ashes” clash could not have started on a more exciting note, what with England precariously holding on to a draw by the skin of their teeth. Nothing that Australia did could dislodge the last pair of James Anderson and Monty Panesar, better known as bowlers. They ended up as the most likely heroes as batsmen.
While England managed to survive a certain defeat, Pakistan just threw away a grand opportunity of pushing Sri Lanka hard and be in a position to achieve a probable victory and level the series. The ignominy of being bowled out for a paltry total of 90 in the first innings, Pakistan made a remarkable comeback in the second knock and looked almost certain to pile up a match-winning total mainly due to the efforts of debutant Fawad Alam. But they were once again bitten by the bug of inconsistency.
From 285 for 1, Pakistan plummeted to 320 all out. They lost nine wickets for the addition of just 35 runs. Never in their Test history could Pakistan have hastened to their doom in this manner. Sri Lanka had an easy target to achieve. Is the malady of unpredictability, that has afflicted Pakistan’s batting, incurable? Young Fawad Alam, with a dream of a century on debut under his belt, may well be asking what more could he have done.
Meanwhile, in far off Caribbean, minnows Bangladesh made history when they defeated West Indies in a Test match. Another youngster, Mahmudullah, made his off-spinners work wonder for Bangladesh, Eight wickets on Test debut is a wonderful achievement. Whatever the quality of the opposition a Test victory is a Test victory and Bangladesh can deservedly savor it Since they attained Test status, this is only their second win, the first being against Zimbabwe.
There was varied reaction at the end of each of the three Test matches. While Bangladesh were over the moon with their rare success, the Pakistani captain and team management were completely at their wit’s end trying to fathom why their otherwise efficient run machine has stuttered ever so often. Probably, the most unwelcome reaction came from the Australian captain Ricky Ponting. Denied what he thought was a certain victory, he accused England of resorting to time-wasting tactics in the last overs of the match. It was a lame excuse for his team’s inability to break the tenacious last-wicket pair which stood between him and victory. The cricketing world knows that the Ponting himself has earned quite a notoriety for gamesmanship. Even the Australian media has flayed him for making such vague charges.
