LAHORE: Pakistan survived an intriguing last session to reach 73-0 on day four after a bold declaration by Australia set a tricky target of 351 runs in the series-deciding third test on Thursday.
Opening batters Imam-ul-Haq, 42 not out, and Abdullah Shafique, 27 not out, survived television referrals against off spinner Nathan Lyon to leave the home team still needing 278 runs in a minimum 90 overs on the last day Friday.
Shafique had a close escape when Steve Smith's poor run in the slips continued as the Australia vice-captain couldn’t hold onto a sharp chance off Marnus Labuschagne's penultimate ball of the day.
Captain Pat Cummins declared Australia’s second innings at 227-3 shortly after tea, Usman Khawaja having achieved an unbeaten 104, his second successive century to round off a brilliant tour to the country of his birth.
It gave Australia nearly four sessions to have a crack at Pakistan, after missing out in the second test at Karachi where Pakistan batted for 171.4 overs and forced an epic draw.
The worn-out pitch at Lahore encouraged Cummins after Pakistan collapsed to 268 in the first innings against the brutal reverse swing of Cummins and Mitchell Starc to concede a massive 123-runs lead.
Khawaja featured in three half-century stands and raised his hundred at the stroke of tea as Australia blunted the reverse swing of Naseem Shah (1-23) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (1-45) while scoring freely against spinners Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan.
Khawaja made 97 in the drawn first test at Rawalpindi and followed with 160 and 44 not out at Karachi. Despite being ill on the opening day of this test, Khawaja scored 91 in the first innings. The left-hander has an impressive 496 runs at a series average of 165.33.
Khawaja combined in a 96-run opening stand with David Warner, who was clean bowled on 51 by Afridi in the penultimate over before lunch.
Labuschagne, with 36, then shared another brisk 65-run stand with Khawaja before he swept hard at left-arm spinner Nauman and was caught at deep midwicket in the second session.
Smith scored only 17 but on 7 became the fastest batter to 8,000 test runs in his 151st inning, one quicker than former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara. Naseem found the outside edge of Smith's bat soon after tea.
In an eventful morning session, Pakistan missed out on dismisings Warner early; Khawaja escaped on 31 after he was bowled off Naseem’s no-ball and then umpire Aleem Dar was involved in an animated conversation with Warner likely about how and where the veteran was running on the deteriorating pitch.
Warner even removed his helmet and gloves, exchanging words with Dar before play resumed after nearly three minutes.
Pakistan need 278 runs to win Test series against Australia
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Pakistan need 278 runs to win Test series against Australia
- Pakistan reach 73-0 on stumps, Day 4, after Australia declared on 227/3
- If Pakistan successfully chase the target, they will win the Test match and the series 1-0
History-chasing Djokovic and Alcaraz to meet in Australian Open final after epic semifinal wins
- Carlos Alcaraz striving to become the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam
- Novak Djokovic is aiming to be the oldest man in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic finally beat one of the two men who have been blocking his path to an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title when he edged Jannik Sinner in five sets Friday to reach the Australian Open final.
To get that coveted No. 25, he’ll next have to beat the other: top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.
They’re both chasing history in Sunday’s championship decider, with the 22-year-old Alcaraz striving to become the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam.
The top-ranked Alcaraz also had to come through a grueling five-setter. He fended off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that started in the warmth of the afternoon Friday and, 5 hours and 27 minutes later, became the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open.
That pushed the start of Djokovic’s match against Sinner back a couple of hours, and the 38-year-old Djokovic finally finished off a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win just after 1:30 a.m.
“It feels surreal,” Djokovic said of his 4-hour, 9-minute triumph. “Honestly, it feels like winning already tonight. I know I have to come back … and fight the No. 1 of the world. I just hope that I’ll have enough gas to stay toe-to-toe with him.
“That’s my desire. Let the God decide the winner.”
Djokovic was at the peak of his defensive powers, fending off 16 of the 18 breakpoints he faced against the two-time defending Australian Open champion. It ended a run of five losses to Sinner, and a run of four semifinal exits for Djokovic at the majors.
“Had many chances, couldn’t use them, and that’s the outcome,” Sinner said. “Yeah, it hurts, for sure.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have split the last eight major titles between them since Djokovic won his last title at the 2023 US Open.
Nobody knows how to win more at Melbourne Park than Djokovic. He has won all 10 times he’s contested the Australian Open final.
He said he saw Alcaraz after the first of the semifinals was over and he congratulated him on reaching his first final at Melbourne Park.
“He said sorry to delay,” Djokovic later explained. “I told him ‘I’m an old man, I need to go earlier to sleep!”
Djokovic, aiming to be the oldest man in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title, was kept up late.
“I’m looking forward to meeting him on Sunday,” he said.
Final 4
With the top four seeds reaching the Australian Open men’s semifinals for just the fifth time, Day 13 was destined to produce some drama. The season-opening major had been a relatively slow burn, until the back-to-back five-setters lasting a combined 9 hours and 36 minutes.
Alcaraz and Zverev, the 2025 runner-up, surpassed the 2009 classic between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco as the longest ever Australian Open semifinal.
Medical timeout
Alcaraz was as close as two points from victory in the third set but was hampered by pain in his upper right leg and his medical timeout became contentious.
He said initially it didn’t feel like cramping because the pain seemed to be just in one muscle, the right adductor, and he needed an assessment.
He navigated the third and fourth sets and was behind in the fifth after dropping serve in the first game. He kept up the pressure but didn’t break back until Zverev was serving for the match. He then won the last four games.
“I think physically we just pushed each other to the limit today. We pushed our bodies to the limit,” Alcaraz said. “Just really, really happy to get the win, that I came back. I just rank this one in the top position of one of the best matches that I have ever won.”
Believe
Asked how he was able to recover despite being so close to defeat, Alcaraz admitted he was struggling but said kept “believing, believing, all the time.”
“I’ve been in these situations, I’ve been in these kinds of matches before, so I knew what I had to do,” he said. “I had to put my heart into the match. I think I did it. I fought until the last ball.”
Zverev was demonstrably upset about the time out out in the third set, taking it up with a tournament supervisor, when his rival was given the three-minute break for treatment and a massage on the leg.
After the match, he maintained that he didn’t think it was right, but he didn’t think it should overshadow the match.
“I don’t want to talk about this right now, because I think this is one of the best battles there ever was in Australia,” he said “It doesn’t deserve to be the topic now.”
