Pak vs Ind, 3rd Test in Karachi, Day 3 - A Tale of 2 Y’s

Anyone following cricket and in their twenties or beyond would surely remember the days when the 2 W’s - Wasim and Waqar, were in their prime, leaving destruction in their paths and legendary tales behind them. One of those tales, originating from England, was of a mother threatening to put her kid to field in the slips with Waqar bowling unless he went to bed like a nice boy! Wry English humor at it’s best. One of the highlights came during the Pakistani tour to England in the summer of 1992 when the W’s not only got rid of the English batting lineup with 13 wickets shared between them, but then also scored crucial 60 odd runs between them to snatch a historic win for Pakistan. From such performances became the stuff of legends, the two W’s can never be forgotten in Pakistani cricket history. Fast forward 13 years, and it seems another pair, this time Younis and Yousuf, are seeking to create tales of their own, but with the bat. It’s mind boggling to absorb the fact that in their last five partnerships against India, they have plundered runs at nearly 200 runs per partnership. The Indian bowlers have looked clueless against these two, and the Y’s together have contributed in large part to the worn out body language of the bowlers on display today, from long days of toil in this series. Who knows, we may be embarking on a period of time over which will be collected tales of the 2 Y’s.

While the Y’s dominated the first session, things got gripping in the middle session of the day, with tantalizing cricket on display during the hour prior to the tea interval. The new ball was due, Afridi had just hit Kumble for three fours in an over, followed by an exchange of aggressive body language between the two, and one could feel that the fate of the match could be decided in the coming overs. Afridi had done this to the Indians before, his match changing charge in India last year was surely fresh in Dravid;s mind. So he sent in Tendulkar to loop in a few at Afridi for an over to try and get him with greed, restore sanity in the middle and then proceed with the new ball. Tendulkar’s over was exciting as ever, but with only one run being scored. Afridi settled back and padded away five straight deliveries, further validating his emerging maturity and throwing Dravid into a conundrum. And so the cat and mouse game continued for another several overs, before the Indian Captain finally caved in and tired-looking Pathan was handed the new ball for the last over of the session.

What little energy was left in the Indian line-up was quickly eradicated soon after, with a trademark burst from Afridi that saw sixes and fours plundered in rapid succession. Although Afridi holed one out and left soon after tea, yet still had eliminated any effects this new ball may have had on the match.

A few words must be said for Faisal Iqbal though, who truly justified the stand-in place for the Big Inzi. With the Y’s gone, Faisal took it upon himself to keep one end in check through the testing period with the old ball, Afridi’s attack from the other end with the new ball and Razzaq’s settling in, until it was safe enough to go on his own attack that brought up a well deserved century. Congratulations to him for breaking out of his Uncle’s shadow.

While at the end of Day 2, there must have been nervous enery and anticipation in both camps, that has by now been divided between the Indian and Pakistani groups respectively. Unless something spectacular happens, we are likely to see Pakistan going for the win with India looking to save this match before too long into the next morning.