Australia beat Pakistan by 150 runs on the fourth day of the first Test at Lord’s, with part-time spinner Marcus North claiming six wickets to be the surprise match-winner yesterday.
Pakistan were bowled out for 289 before tea while attempting to chase a world record victory target of 440.
North took 6-55, first taking the prize wicket of top scorer Salman Butt (92) with his first delivery of the match.
PHOTO: AP
Pakistan, resuming on 114-1 yesterday, lost their first wicket in the morning session when Azhar Ali was caught by wicketkeeper Tim Paine off Ben Hilfenhaus for 42.
Australia struggled to exploit the overcast conditions, but they finally made the breakthrough when Hilfenhaus gleaned an edge off debutant Azhar, who spent just over two hours at the crease.
Butt, who made 63 in the first innings, looked set to go on to a first Lord’s century until he was stumped for 92 off 173 balls. It was an innocuous delivery angled down the leg-side and Butt attempted a leg-glance, overbalanced and Paine completed a neat stumping.
A disconsolate Butt remained at the crease with his head bowed for about 10 seconds until he kicked angrily at the turf and exited the field.
The entertaining middle-order batsman Umar Akmal made his intentions known instantly when he clubbed left-arm fast bowler Doug Bollinger to the boundary. Bollinger had a few angry words for the unflustered Akmal.
Akmal also attacked North and, in the 60th over, advanced down the pitch and lifted him over long-on for six. He looked to repeat the stroke in North’s next over, but just managed four runs on that occasion.
Akmal’s attacking nature was his downfall, however, when he fell to the final ball before lunch, caught at slip by Michael Clarke off North while trying to cut him through point and managing only a gloved deflection. That was 216-4.
Pakistan slipped to 229-6 shortly after lunch when Umar Amin’s edge off North was caught by Simon Katich at short-leg on 33, and captain Shahid Afridi’s aggressive instincts failed when he was caught on the midwicket boundary by Mike Hussey, also off North for 2.
Kamran Akmal hit 46 off 82 balls until he tried to slog leg-spinner Steven Smith over midwicket and was bowled. Pakistan lost their last four wickets for just six runs as North and Smith shared nine wickets in the Lord’s sunshine.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but