Sussex vs Pakistanis Tour Match

[Umair Malik]

Sussex Team
JC Archer, WAT Beer, DR Briggs, BC Brown*†, C Cachopa, HZ Finch, GHS Garton, LJ Hatchett, FJ Hudson-Prentice, MW Machan, PD Salt, A Sakande, LWP Wells.

Pakistan team
Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq*, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed†, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, Zulfiqar Babar, Imran Khan.

Starting time: 10:00 GMT (15:00 PST)

Sussex Won the Toss And Elected To Bowl First.

Radio Commentery

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[smartman]

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[Umair Malik]

End Of Day 1

[Umair Malik]

kya koi sky sports par chal raha?

Nope,Only on BBC 5 Radio Commentery

[Umair Malik]

Sussex v Pakistanis, Hove, 1st Day Report

This was a gentle day by the seaside for the Pakistanis. Azhar Ali made his second century in two innings as they eased to 363 for 5 while Misbah-ul-Haq spent useful time in the middle albeit against a weakened Sussex attack.

Azhar, who reached his hundred from 205 balls, and Younis Khan added 125 for the third wicket. Azhar then put on a further 146 with Misbah; their three-figure stand came up when the Pakistan Test vice-captain swept a six over the roof of the pavilion at square-leg. The over-rate for the day was so good that the innings was only one short of the mandatory 100 overs by stumps.

Sussex had only returned home at 3am following last night's T20 match against Glamorgan in Cardiff, so the five players from that fixture who were named in this XI could be forgiven for being a touch bleary-eyed.

One of those who did not make the trek to Wales and back was debutant Jofra Archer, a former West Indies Under-19 allrounder with a British passport who is aiming to secure a full-time contract with Sussex, and he enjoyed a memorable first day in first-class cricket, finishing with 4 for 49 in a wholehearted display of nippy seam bowling. "I hope I've put my foot in the door," he said. "The coach said just enjoy it, but I was a bit nervous."

A telling part of the day came early on and reinforced that England will view Pakistan's opening pair as a weak link to target. Shan Masood became Archer's maiden first-class wicket when he struck with his 11th ball, finding a touch of extra bounce as he slanted the ball across the batsman to take the outside edge.

Archer's morning got better when he trapped Mohammad Hafeez, who had been dropped on 15, playing across a full delivery. This meant that Hafeez's first three innings on the tour had failed to produce a substantial score or substantial time in the middle.

Pakistan would have been 53 for 3 had Azhar been taken low at second slip by Harry Finch, the drop denying club debutant, Abidine Sakande, a wicket. It was not, though, a day without good news for Sakande, who found out he had achieved a 2:1 in a Human Science degree from Oxford University.

Younis escaped an inside edge past the stumps off Ajmal Shahzad before reaching double figures, but he and Azhar soon settled against bowling that, from the seamers other than Archer, veered far too frequently into the pads.

A lapse in concentration, or the feeling that enough was enough, appeared the likely route to a wicket and so it proved during the afternoon session when Younis advanced at Danny Briggs but only picked out mid-off.

During their innings, Younis and Azhar both passed milestones: 16,000 and 8,000 first-class runs respectively. That the junior partner has half felt quite apt; sooner rather than later the baton will be passed as the fulcrum of Pakistan's batting.

Azhar's average outside of Asia is 28.70 compared with 52.36 in UAE, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh combined but he has the defensive technique to withstand England's bowlers. This is a tour for him to cement his senior standing in the batting order in conditions he has found less comfortable.

He was dropped again on 57 at deep mid-off, then on 72 an outside edge ran fine of first slip. He eventually brought up his century after tea with his 16th boundary from 205 balls.

Misbah was not entirely convincing to begin with but in the final session settled into his familiar block-and-bash mode against the spinners as Briggs and Will Beer operated in tandem. He skewed one lofted shot against Briggs over mid-off then started to pick off Beer: it was a shame a young legspinner only bowled seven overs in the day, they have to bowl to learn. Misbah's fifty came off 65 balls when he swept Briggs for his ninth four. Moeen Ali will be in for a challenge if he has to bowl extended spells during the series.

Sussex took the new ball as soon as it became available and in the fourth over, Archer claimed his third wicket of the day when Misbah padded up to a ball that would have taken off stump. Archer struck again when Azhar was late on a pull and was taken by the keeper. It is the mark of a promising bowler when his last spell of the day can be as good as the first.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

[Umair Malik]

End of Day 2

[Umair Malik]

Susex Vs Pakistani Day 2 Report , Hove


If it was not already clear, the second day at Hove reinforced how crucial Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah are to Pakistan's hopes in the Test series against England. Sussex's openers, Luke Wells and Harry Finch, added 212 for the first wicket before they declared 72 runs behind, offering Pakistanis the chance to see how keen they are for a proper game on the final day.

Mickey Arthur, Pakistan's head coach, had billed this match a "bowl-off" to support Amir and Yasir with two places "up for grabs". The ball did not swing conventionally before lunch and the lines were not consistent which enabled Finch and Wells to make a flyer: the fifty up in the eighth over, 120 in 27 by lunch.

In the first session it was a case of who bowled least worse but in the hour before tea Wahab Riaz - probably playing-off against Rahat Ali for a spot unless Pakistan decide on three left-armers - provided a reminder of the danger that can be posed almost out of nowhere when the older ball starts to move.

Wells was the first to fall when Wahab, who overstepped 10 times striving for pace, returned for his second spell of the day, his first from the Cromwell Road End, and started to find reverse swing with impressive pace: he will never be a bowler picked for economy, but he has the ability to rattle the batsmen. Wells drove flat-footed at a full delivery, edging behind seven short of a century, then Matt Machan was almost yorked first ball before being beaten by his second delivery.

Finch, opening the batting for the first time in first-class cricket, reached his century in Wahab's next over, when he square-drove his 16th boundary, but two balls later was tempted into driving a full delivery and edged to slip.

At the Sea End, Imran Khan - a name that adorned this ground in the late 1970s and 1980s - picked up a brace himself, although they owed a little more to the batsmen's errors. Machan was lbw after a horrid swipe across the line then Ben Brown drove loosely at his first ball: 212 without loss had become 233 for 4 in the blink of an eye. Imran had earlier struggled for rhythm as he ran up the hill, at one point delivering three consecutive no-balls.

Sohail Khan may still be ahead of Imran in the queue for the right-arm seamer's role having bowled well against Somerset. Although his figures here were expensive, he produced some sturdy spells, especially one during the afternoon when he troubled Wells, having him edge between first and second slip on 62 and then beating him three times in an over.

Wells' innings was a continuation of a strong run of form for the tall left-hander who had made 181 last week against Glamorgan. His fifty off 54 balls included 10 boundaries and seven more followed before Wahab found his edge.

Finch, whose previous first-class hundred had come against Leeds/Bradford MCCU at the start of this season, gave one chance on 64 when he drove low to short cover off Zulfiqar Babar, but he was particularly impressive on the front foot. His century also included three sixes, one a cut over the short off-side boundary off Imran.

Another issue for Pakistan, which England will be keen to exploit by keeping them in the field, is the lack of a proper fifth-bowling option. Azhar Ali trundled down a few overs of legspin while Asad Shafiq also had an over, but there will be a lot resting on four frontline bowlers. Yasir will have to keep it tight to allow the quicks to rotate; England will want to push Amir into his fourth and fifth spells of a day to test his endurance having played little multi-day cricket since his comeback.

Having come in to face a hat-trick ball on first-class debut, Philip Salt played positively after tea before Craig Cachopa was given lbw on the front foot to Zulfiqar to bring the declaration with 24 overs left in the day.

For the fourth time on the tour, Mohammad Hafeez reached double figures but not much further when, on 23, he pulled Jofra Archer to deep square leg. As a senior batsman, Pakistan will need Hafeez to lift his game in the Tests to ensure Azhar Ali and Younis Khan are not constantly exposed to the new ball.

Shan Masood reached the close unbeaten on 38 but was never entirely convincing. Having given the same top seven both these warm-up matches, Pakistan have set their stall out for the opening Test but, as far as the first-wicket pair are concerned, they will enter more in hope than expectation.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

[Muhammad ayaz]

day 3 0f 3
Start delayed due to rain