Mohammad Rizwan, on the other hand, isn’t having any of it. He isn’t ready to simply drop anchor and buckle down. He is, in fact, buckle up and ready to take off in full gear.
The final two overs Pakistan needs only 12 more deliveries to make history. To get this far, they’ve fought for 170 overs, which seems improbable. Since Test matches were play over five days, they’ve already lasted longer than any other team. This is their chance to shine.
They still have three wickets in hand, including Mohammad Rizwan in the middle order. With the finish line in sight, he is the one holding the baton. After facing 167 deliveries, he’s already kept the Aussies at bay for nearly four hours. Rizwan’s team only wants him to face the majority, if not all of the dozen balls left in the inning.
After all, this isn’t a fight for survival. This isn’t a one-on-one battle. This isn’t going to be a cautious last-ditch effort to save the day. Instead, this is a valiant attempt to reach safety. This is a risky foray into freedom.
Rizwan isn’t going to be the lone soldier holding the fort as the Aussies charge in for a final charge. If anything, he’s the lone marauder launching the final assault on them. Pakistan’s effort in Karachi over the last two days will not be remember as a dramatic draw.
It was a well-planned heist full of daring and self-assurance. They didn’t waste the 171.4 overs hanging on in fear, instead going toe-to-toe with Pat Cummins and his team until the very end. And it was Australia that was forced to withdraw its troops and accept defeat, despite the fact that the pitch never gave way to the extent that it was expected to.
Rizwan penned the finish with the debonair flair of a man made for the big occasion. If Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique laid the foundations of this marathon effort with class and composure. Nothing summed up Pakistan’s incredible achievement better than the megathon’s penultimate over.
Rizwan, Babar, and the daredevilry of Karachi
Rizwan was on 91 and looking for his century as Nathan Lyon began his final over of the lengthy spell. He was surrounded by Australians. On one side, there are three, and on the other, there are four. Pat Cummins was taking a page from the birds of prey’s playbook and had seven of his players swooping in for the kill. Lyon had his tail up as well, having brought the game back to life in the final half-hour.
Rizwan, on the other hand, kept his characteristically mischievous grin. Fawad Alam had walked out when Cummins knocked him out in the final of his spell, which both Azam and Alam had tried their hardest to see off. The ball had finally started to cause some havoc off the rough spots, with Lyon in particular getting some zip off the surface
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Meanwhile, Mitchell Swepson had made up for his poor first spell by getting the ball to drift in and turn sharply away from the right-handers. Every ball that spun a little faster than the previous one strengthened the cordon around the bat.
Rizwan was having his own little games with Labuschagne while Azam was playing arguably one of the most memorable knocks of all time. Rizwan was flicking specks of dust towards his fellow busybody at short-leg when they weren’t busy needling each other with friendly jabs. For good measure, Labuschagne kept kicking them away with some fancy footwork.
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Rizwan also swept a Swepson delivery onto Labuschagne’s leg, which resulted in the ball ballooning to safety towards a vacant mid-wicket. When Cummins pushed the final ball of his only over wide off off-stump with the third new ball, Rizwan jokingly complained to him about how “unfair” it was for the Australian captain not to give him a chance to bat.
