OTD | Pakistan faced humiliating two-day defeat against Australia in Sharjah in 2002

Australia and Pakistan are cricket giants in all formats of the game. Especially in Test cricket, decades ago, they were the dominant force. With the kind of quality players they have had in the team, the battle between Pakistan and Australia is always a crowd favorite as it ensures some enthralling on-field moments. However, in 2002, the Men in Green had to suffer a humiliating defeat against the Kangaroos.

Pakistan were defeated in just two days during Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates. In the second Test of the three-match Test series on October 11, Pakistan opted to bat first at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium. Captain Waqar Younis expected to have a dominant session, but the Aussie bowlers had other plans as the visitors took complete control of the game on the opening day itself.

Legendary pacer Glenn McGrath drew first blood by removing the Pakistan opener Imran Nazir for a duck in the first over. The very next over, pace spearhead Brett Lee also joined the party as he dismissed Nazir’s partner Taufeeq Umar for a 2-ball duck. Abdul Razzaq and Younis Khan then tried to build a partnership, but McGrath gave another setback by removing the latter.

Misbah-ul-Haq and Faisal Iqbal also failed to find any resistance and departed without troubling the scoreboard much. Razzaq (21 off 62) was the only Pakistan batter who albeit showed some courage, but spin wizard Shane Warne got rid of him soon. Barring the bowling all-rounder, none of the other Pak batters could cross 5 runs. As a result, Younis and Co. were bundled for a paltry first innings score of 59.

Australia took huge first innings lead on the back of Hayden’s century

Australia in reply, took advantage of the low score and gained a massive first innings lead. Opener Matthew Hayden (199 off 255) scored a blazing century in the process. There were no other centuries or half-centuries from Steve Waugh’s men, but Ricky Ponting’s 44, Justin Langer’s 37 and Damien Martyn’s 34 took their team total to 310. Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq took four wickets while Razzaq grabbed three.

It was a similar story for Pakistan in the second innings. Apart from opener Imran Nazir and Misbah-ul-Haq, none of the other batters managed to touch the 10-run mark and they were bowled out for 53. Shane Warne was the wrecker-in-chief, picking up four wickets. Australia ended the game in just two days, winning by an innings and 198 runs. The aggregate total of the match was 422 – the lowest involving teams Australia and Pakistan in Tests.