October 6, 2002	Sunday	Rajab 28, 1423

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COLOMBO, Oct 5: Pakistani tearaway Shoaib Akhtar grabbed five wickets in 15 balls to cause a dramatic Australian collapse in the first cricket Test here Saturday.

Australia, comfortably placed at 74-1 in their second knock, slipped to 89-7 before being shot out for 127 in 39.5 overs at tea on the third day.

Set a victory target of 316, Pakistan will begin their chase Sunday morning after rain washed out the entire last session.

Earlier, leg-spinner Shane Warne took 7-94 but failed to prevent Pakistan from saving the follow-on in the morning session.

Starting the day at 210-5, still needing 58 to make Australia bat again, Pakistan survived an anxious first hour before being all out for 279 in their first innings.

Shoaib, nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express, sliced through the middle-order in a sensational burst that included removing the under-pressure Waugh twins for zeroes in three deliveries.

Shoaib finished with five for 21 from eight overs, while off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq claimed four for 46.

“I will consider this my best bowling only if Pakistan wins the match,” Shoaib said.

“I have had problems with my rhythm and injuries in the past, but it was just perfect today. I want to be the best against the best.”

There was no hint of the drama to follow when Matthew Hayden and Rick Ponting negotiated both pace and spin to lift Australia to 74-1 midway through the post-lunch period.

Working up lightening speed, Shoaib began the destruction by forcing first-innings centurion Ponting to play onto his stumps after making seven.

Mark Waugh, battling to retain his place in the Test team, went first ball as Shoaib’s yorker crashed into his wicket.

Captain Steve Waugh barely survived the hat trick delivery, the edge missing his stumps by a whisker, but could not escape the next which crashed into his pads.

A fourth wicket fell at the same total of 74 as Hayden (34) was given out caught at silly point off Saqlain Mushtaq by Indian umpire Srinivas Venkataraghvan.

As Hayden stood his ground, television replays indicated the ball may have gone off the batsman’s forearm instead of the gloves.

But there was no respite for the Aussies at the other end as Shoaib clean bowled Adam Gilchrist for five and trapped Shane Warne leg-before for zero.

Brett Lee, who had hit batsman Shoaib on the helmet with a bouncer in the morning, was greeted by a dangerous full toss which earned the bowler a warning from umpire Steve Bucknor.

Warne, who picked up all five wickets of the morning, claimed his 22nd haul of five or more wickets in an innings.

The champion spinner now has 457 Test wickets, second only to world record holder Courtney Walsh of the West Indies, who retired last season with a tally of 519.

Australia dropped three catches to let Pakistan off the hook after Faisal Iqbal, Friday’s batting hero, was dismissed by Warne in the day’s second over.

Faisal added just five runs to his overnight score of 78 when he was caught in the slips by Mark Waugh.

Faisal, whose 83 came off just 85 balls, could have gone with the day’s fourth delivery when he edged Glenn McGrath through the slip cordon between Warne and Mark Waugh.

Rashid Latif, who went on to hit a defiant 66, was dropped by Ponting at third slip and Hayden in the gully. Both fielders failed to sight the ball due to the red advertising hoarding in the background.