Watson's five wickets hands Australia the edge by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Ground:	Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood
Scorecard:	Australia v Pakistan
Player:	SR Watson
Event:	Pakistan in England 2010

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DateLine: 14th July 2010

 

Once stumps were drawn for the second day's play there was no clear winner though the Australian side can claim that they are in front. It was another fascinating day of play as wickets tumbled at regular intervals thus setting up a possibility of an early finish for the Test.

 

Though there were rain and poor light interruptions but that did not stall the Australian charge set up by the bowlers before the Pakistani bowlers got into act. Earlier in the day the Australian innings ended at 253 with Michael Hussey once again playing the part of a rescuer. The southpaw made a fighting fifty as he helped the Australian side cross the 250 run mark.

 

The Pakistani side in reply never got their innings going as the Australian bowlers kept pegging away. Farhat had no answer to a perfectly pitched off-cutter from Ben Hilfenhaus while debutant Azhar Ali was beaten by the extra bounce generated by the same bowler. Umar Amin survived just a couple of deliveries before Mitchell Johnson got him to edge behind. The Akmal brothers did not survive long as Watson removed both of them trapped leg before. With the innings wobbling at 83 for 5 in walked Shahid Afridi and he played in the way that he knew.

 

Though the Pakistani skipper was beaten in the first ball that he faced he began to lash out at Watson with such ferocity that it seemed that he would change the course of the match. For the 14 balls he stayed at the crease, the Pakistani skipper crashed four boundaries and a couple of sixes before he was dismissed trying for one shot too many. Salman Butt meanwhile got to his fifty as he guided Pakistani closer to the Australian score before an unplayable yorker from Watson evicted the southpaw from the middle.

 

Watson then went on to collect his maiden five fer and had his name inscribed on the honours board. The Pakistani side crashed to 148 thus conceding a lead of 105 runs to the Australian side.

 

Watson and Katich got off to a flier as the pair went after the bowling which looked insipid. None of the bowlers were able to create any sort of impression on the openers and it seemed that the Australian side was surging towards a huge total before Asif struck twice. Watson was caught at the slips while Ponting padded to an inswinger to be trapped leg before. That was the inspiration that the Pakistani side needed and Gul took over from there. Michael Clarke lost his off stump to a booming inswinger while Hussey was caught at slips of a delivery that bounced extra.

 

Katich and nightwatchman Mitchell Johnson then survived for a couple of overs before the umpires deemed that the light was unfit for further play.