In their 61-year cricketing history, Pakistan have been bowled out for under 100 only 14 times. Six of them have occurred in the past three years, culminating in that embarrassing dismissal for 49 yesterday. I wrote a few days ago that the South African pacemen could be spurred to do their worst but I couldn't have predicted figures of 6-8 for the sensational Steyn! Nevertheless, Graeme Smith chose not to enforce a follow-on and risk the match ending inside two days. That has had the benefit of treating the crowd to some typically entertaining innings from Amla and centurion AB De Villiers and the opportunity for Pakistan to set a more positive record by achieving the record fourth innings run chase.
I'm being generous here! Of course Pakistan were never going to knock off 480 to win, especially when Younis Khan's wicket left them gloomy on 82-4. Steyn, Philander et al could have blown them away inside an hour so hats off to skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq for battling their way to a century partnership and take the game into a fourth day. For all their recent batting collapses, the nation stands at a creditable fourth in the ICC rankings so they must be doing something right.
However, let's hope they avoid any more frightful failures in this series. On the controversial tour of England in 2010, which left half the team in jail, Pakitan were bowled out for 80, 72 and 74 in the First, Third and Fourth Tests, respectively. Needless to say they lost all these games heavily. For Steyn and Kallis, read Anderson and Swann! Only once have they been dismissed for a double-figure score and won. Fast forward to Dubai in 2012, and Pakistan were 2-0 up when Anderson, Broad and Panesar left them reeling at 99 all out on day one. Abdur Rehman's 5-30 kept them in the game, but when Younis and Azhar Ali blazed a double-century third-wicket stand to set England 324 to win, it was Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal who did the damage and completed an impressive victory from the jaws of defeat.
The Middle East was the scene of possibly Pakistan's nadir back in 2002. In the Second Test at Sharjah against Australia, Waqar Younis' men were skittled for 50-something not once but twice! Younis and Misbah were both playing that day so yesterday's disaster must have stirred memories best left forgotten. At that time, the Aussie line-up was pretty much as strong as any we've witnessed in my lifetime: Langer, Hayden, Ponting, both Waughs, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warne, Lee, Bichel, McGrath. About the only thing that went right was Waqar winning the toss.
Both openers were back in the pavilion after 7 balls. It went from bad to worse. After McGrath and Lee came Bichel and the maestro Warne. Pity Abdul Razzaq, the only man to reach double figures as Pakistan plummeted to 59 all out. The second highest contribution came from extras (14). The performance was put into context by Australia's response. In particular, Matthew Hayden doubled Pakistan's score all on his own! However, Saqlain and Razzaq did well to restrict the Aussies' lead to about 250 but come the second innings, it was groundhog day for Waqar et al. This time, poor Taufeeq Umar's 'pair' was completed without facing a single ball (run out by Ponting)! A Lee lifter meant Razzaq retired hurt, then the highest partnership was shared by opener Imran Nazir and Misbah - a mighty 19 runs. The whole sorry sage was over in two hours. Australia had won by an innings, Pakistan had scraped a pathetic 112 runs in two innings and Warne's match figures were 17.5-6-24-8.
As for 2013, best write off the Jo'burg opener and re-gather strength for Cape Town.
