Pakistan bowlers toil in drawn tour game
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LEICESTER: Pakistan bowlers had to work hard for their wickets as their two-day tour match against Leicestershire petered out in a tame draw at the County Ground here on Sunday.
Ateeq Javid top-scored in a total of 226 for six with a fine half-century and all of the county batsmen spent valuable time in the middle, including Aadil Ali (41) and Lewis Hill (33).
Pakistan declared on their overnight total of 321 for nine to give their bowlers a full day’s work ahead of the first Test against England at Lord’s, starting from Thursday.
Leicestershire’s overseas signing Muhammad Abbas shared the new ball with left- arm seamer Rahat Ali, while Harry Dearden and Sam Evans started the home side’s reply positively.
The pair battled through a testing first hour as Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed regularly rotated his bowlers throughout the morning session with Rahat and Hasan Ali bowling the longest spells of five overs.
After the stand had reached 51, the county lost first wicket when Evans (22) went back to a delivery from leg-spinner Shadab Khan and was trapped lbw.
Dearden (19) fell in quick succession, driving part-time spinner Saad Ali to Sami Aslam in the gully.
Skipper Lewis Hill began with a glorious cover drive as Leicestershire went into the interval at 57 for 2. He continued to be positive after the break, sweeping Shadab through square-leg before running him down to third man.
Hill (33) and Javid added exactly 50 before former tried to clear mid-off but hit one up to Hasan at mid-off.
Aadil joined Javid and the pair batted nicely, mixing attacking strokes with solid defence to take the score to 137 for 3 at tea. The duo took the score past 150 before Javid, who clattered a six to midwicket and four through extra in the 62nd over, posted a half-century from 111 balls.
Javid retired out on 54 before Wells (25) became the first victim of Abbas, driving to Fakhar in the gully. Aadil progressed to within nine of 50 until Fakhar had the batsman stumped.
Tom Taylor posted a quickfire 17 not out while Harry Swindells was unbeaten on 2 before the teams shook hands in what had been a useful outing for both.
Scoreboard
PAKISTAN (1st Innings):
Azhar Ali b Klein 73
Fakhar Zaman c Javid b Wells 71
Sami Aslam b Klein 8
Usman Salahuddin not out 69
Sarfraz Ahmed c Hill b Javid 17
Saad Ali c and b Ali 2
Shadab Khan b Wells 17
Faheem Ashraf c Wells b Javid 15
Hasan Ali run out 5
Mohammad Abbas c Hill b Ali 16
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-7, W-7, NB-9) 28
TOTAL (for nine decl, 89.5 overs) 321
FALL OF WKTS: 1-121, 2-156, 3-176, 4-199, 5-207, 6-245, 7-267, 8-272, 9-321.
DID NOT BAT: Rahat Ali.
BOWLING: Klein 18-3-44-2 (2nb); Taylor 17-2-49-0 (2w); Jones 13-1-73-0 (1w); Wells 14-3-45-2 (2nb); Javid 15-3-42-2; Mike 7-1-28-0 (5nb); Ali 5.5-0-28-2.
LEICESTERSHIRE (1st Innings):
H.E. Dearden c Fakhar b Saad 19
S.T. Evans lbw b Shadab 22
L.J. Hill c Hasan b Shadab 33
A. Javid retired out 54
A.M. Ali st sub b Fakhar 41
T.J. Wells c Fakhar b Abbas 25
H.J. Swindells not out 2
T.A.I. Taylor not out 17
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-2, W-7) 13
TOTAL (for six wkts, 75 overs) 226
FALL OF WKTS: 1-51, 2-52, 3-102, 4-165, 5-203, 6-207.
DID NOT BAT: B.W.M. Mike, D. Klein, R.A. Jones.
BOWLING: Mohammad Abbas 12-4-42-1; Rahat Ali 14-4-50-0 (1w); Hasan Ali 10-4-18-0 (1w); Faheem Ashraf 9-5-10-0; Shadab Khan 13-4-32-2; Saad Ali 5-0-20-1 (1w); Fakhar Zaman 12-0-48-1.
RESULT: Match drawn.
UMPIRES: P.J. Hartley and C.M. Watts.
Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2018
