Cricket story by Dominic Taylor, Wed, 18 Jan 2006 13:36:01 GMT


LAHORE, Pakistan - The overcast grey skies notwithstanding, the only interest in the Lahore test was whether Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid would break the 50 year old record of 413 for the first wicket put on by Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy. Spectators patiently waited to see if the record would fall, the Pakistanis dreading it the Indians welcoming it.

Play finally resumed at 2:20 local time and Sehwag and Dravid trudged out for one final time in this rain-washed test. India resumed at 403 for no loss and the Indian pair dragged it to 410 when Sehwag fell to Rana Naved ul-Hasan trying to loft his bouncer over Kamran Akmal. The Indians fell agonizingly short of the record and play was called off soon thereafter.

It has been a forgettable test for the bowlers from both sides as they took a hammering. The curator of the pitch has come in for some flak from each and every person who knows cricket in this part of the world. Before the series got underway, the Pakistani captain had promised green tops to help his fast bowlers, but what greeted people on the morning of the first day was a bald Gaddafi Stadium pitch with not a blade of grass; live or otherwise, on it. Batsmen from both sides made merry, with Pakistan rattling up 679-7 thanks to centuries by Younis Khan, Mohammed Yusuf, Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal. India replied strongly with Sehwag registering 254 and Dravid unbeaten on 128.

Dravid refused to dwell on the missed record, saying, “It would have been nice to get the record. But it was great that we had a good partnership upfront. We kept coming on and off the field (due to poor visibility) and it (loss of concentration) was bound to happen." He even defended the poor curator, “Even the groundsmen want to prepare a good pitch. But there are too many factors involved — the nature, soil, binding, clay, rolling… it's not an exact science. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don't,” he observed.

Match Summary
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat
Pakistan 679-7: Younis 199, Yusuf 173,
India 410-1: Sehwag 254, Dravid 128*
Match Result: Draw
Man of the Match: V Sehwag

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