Australian team arriving in Pakistan today (23 Sep 1998)

23 September 1998

Australian team arriving here today

By Our Sports Reporter

KARACHI, Sept 22: The Australian cricketers arrive here on Wednesday evening on a six-week tour of Pakistan, hoping to achieve what they have not accomplished during the last 39 years - a Test win on Pakistan soil.

The last time Australia beat Pakistan in Pakistan was in 1959-60 when Richie Benaud's team routed Fazal Mahmood's men 2-0.

Since then, Australia have visited Pakistan five times under different captains only to lose seven Tests in 13 meetings.

Mark Taylor was the only captain who came at a hand's distance in breaking the deadlock. But courageous and determined Pakistanis thwarted the left-hander at every turn, mainly by Salim Malik who scored 557 runs at 92.83 in that series.

Malik scored a superlative 237 at Rawalpindi after Pakistan had been forced to follow-on and scored another series-saving 143 at Lahore when Pakistan took the field on the final day with a lead of just 55 and five wickets remaining.

But it all started at Karachi when Inzamamul Haq and Mushtaq Ahmad scored 57 for the last wicket after Pakistan had been set a challenging target of 313. World's three greatest bowlers - Shane Warne, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis - shared 23 wickets between them in that memorable Test.

That Australian team is said to have been the most professional side ever to tour Pakistan. Most of the cricket pundits term this Australian team a weaker one as compared to the 1994-95 side, chiefly because Shane Warne is not in the squad. Warne, who captured 18 wickets four years ago, has undergone surgery to his bowling shoulder. There are six new faces in the Australian team, Michael Kasprowicz, Darren Lehman, Stuart MacGill, Colin Miller and Ricky Ponting who have played at international level but will be making their first trip to Pakistan.

Australia open their tour with a four-day game against Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) from Friday.

Mark Taylor (captain), Steve Waugh (vice-captain), Damien Fleming, Ian Healy, Michael Kasprowicz, Justin Langer, Darren Lehman, Stuart MacGill, Glenn McGrath, Colin Miller, Ricky Ponting, Gavin Robertson, Michael Slater, Mark Waugh.

Sept 25-28: Four-day against Karachi
Oct 1-5: First Test at Rawalpindi
Oct 8-11: Four-day at Rawalpindi
Oct 15-19: Second Test at Peshawar
Oct 22-26: Third Test at Karachi
Nov 6: First one-day at Karachi
Nov 8: Second one-day at Peshawar
Nov 10: Third one-day at Lahore.

Source:: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)