Pakistan vs Australia, 1st Test Stats Review: Imam-ul-Haq stars with twin tons in historic game

Imam-ul-Haq was the star performer having scored centuries in both the innings of the first Test match against Australia in Rawalpindi. The left-handed batter struck 157 runs and an unbeaten 111 in the game which ended in a draw. Nauman Ali took six wickets for 107 runs in the first innings as Imam’s opening partner Abdullah Shafique also smashed 136 not out in the second innings with Australia’s first visit in Pakistan after a long gap of 24 years ending in a stalemate.

Speaking about the Test match, Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam had won the toss and opted to bat first. Ima-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali smashed big scores of 157 and 185 respectively as the hosts declared their innings for 476/4. Australia’s top order contributed as the first four batters slammed half-centuries. Cameron Green also scored 48 with the visitors getting all out for 459 runs courtesy six-wicket haul from Nauman Ali.

Imam then continued from where he left off in the first innings as he and Shafique remained not out with Pakistan scoring 252 in 77 overs. That was it as the players from both sides shook hands to end the Test match in a draw. Imam, who became the tenth Pakistani to struck tons in both the innings of the Test, was adjudged with the Player of the Match award. The second of the three-match Test series begins on March 12, 2022, at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from Pakistan vs Australia, 1^st Test:

 10 – Imam-ul-Haq became the tenth Pakistani player to score a century in both the innings of the Test match.

238.33 – Australia registered the second-worst bowling average (238.33) by a team in Tests with a minimum of 200 overs.

3 – Nauman Ali scripted the third-best bowling figures (6/107) for Pakistan in a Test innings in Rawalpindi. Mohammad Zahid took 7/66 against New Zealand in 1996 and Mushtaq Ahmed 6/87 also against New Zealand in 1996.

5 – Usman Khawaja and David Warner registered the fifth-best opening partnership (156) for Australia against Pakistan in Tests.

2 – Azhar Ali registered the second-best score (185) for Pakistan in Tests in Rawalpindi. Saleem Malik is on top for his score of 237 against Australia in 1994.

4 – Imam-ul-Haq scripted the fourth-best Test score (157) by a Pakistani opener against Australia.

869 – Warner has scored 869 runs with a stellar average of 173.80 against Pakistan in the last six innings including four centuries and two half-centuries.

12 – Marnus Labuschagne has now the joint-most fifties (12) with Joe Root in the World Test Championship (WTC).

5 – David Warner (1152) surpassed Justin Langer (1139) and has now scored the fifth-most Test runs for Australia against Pakistan.

5 – Nauman Ali also achieved the fifth-best bowling figures (6/107) for Pakistan in Tests since 2018.

18 – Also Labuschagne has the joint-most 50 plus scores (18) with Root in the WTC.

5 – Ali’s spell of 6/107 was also the fifth-best for a Pakistan bowler against Australia in Pakistan.

74.12 – Khawaja averages 74.12 against Pakistan in nine Test innings.