Pakistan vs Australia – North unlikely bowling destroyer
Published:Part-time spinner Marcus North was the unlikely man to propel Australia on the road to victory at Lord’s after claiming two key Pakistan wickets in the morning session.
North, more accustomed to batting, has now taken two more wickets in the final session of the day, meaning Australia are 1/50 to win the Test match.
Kamran Akmal has reached 25, while Mohammad Aamer is on 12. Akmal is currently 5/6 to score over 51.5 runs.
North claimed the key scalp of Pakistan opener Salman Butt for 92 with his first delivery of the match and then had Umar Akmal caught in the slips for 22.
Chasing a world-record fourth-innings target of 440, Pakistan reached lunch on 216 for four, still requiring another 224 for an unlikely victory. They have since moved on to 259/6 after North took the wickets of Umar Amin for 33 and a grandstanding Shahid Afridi for two in the same over.
The Pakistanis are 10/1 to win the match.
Butt was the lynchpin of an inexperienced batting line-up and he put on a stand of 102 with Azhar Ali to give Pakistan more than a glimmer of hope.
Azhar had moved confidently onto 42 when Ben Hilfenhaus broke the partnership, tempting the teenage debutant into a prod outside off stump and wicket-keeper Tim Paine pouched the catch.
Butt, who had top-scored with 63 in Pakistan’s first innings, continued in determined prompting Australia captain Ricky Ponting to make a bowling change at the Nursery End and, with a wayward first delivery, North struck gold.
Butt advanced out of his crease to work the ball into the leg side but missed and Paine did well to stretch back and dislodge the bails to leave Pakistan’s key man stranded. North then had Umar Akmal caught by Michael Clarke.
Pakistan, who need 440 to win the match, are 5/6 to score over 318.5 in this second innings, while Aamer is 5/6 to reach over 24.5, but with odds changing all the time see the full Pakistan v Australia beting market for up-to-the-minute prices.
