Faisal ton powers Pakistan to big lead
Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan piled on the runs, and another old tormentor - Shahid Afridi - scooped on the misery before Faisal Iqbal, the comeback kid, produced a maiden century of the highest class
Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan piled on the runs, and another old tormentor - Shahid Afridi - scooped on the misery before Faisal Iqbal, the comeback kid, produced a maiden century of the highest class
After the debacle of the first evening, India's middle and lower order waged a feisty fightback to restore the balance, only for an 109-run opening partnership to give Pakistan control of proceedings once again
After ten days of bat humiliating ball, and not a result in sight, this blue-riband series exploded to life on an enthralling opening day at the National Stadium in Karachi
Shoaib Akhtar provided the initial incision with the prized wicket of Rahul Dravid, and Mohammad Asif and Abdul Razzaq then produced sterling displays of seam bowling as Pakistan romped to a 341-run victory at the National Stadium
It's paradoxical that one had to reach the last day of the series to see the expected battle unravel
India's much-vaunted batting line-up was utterly embarrassed by a 23-year-old playing his third Test, and an experienced campaigner who rediscovered the edge that once made him such an exciting prospect
Pakistan's strike bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, has passed himself fit for the third Test against India at Karachi on Sunday
Pakistan now have a talent pool to be envied
Faisal Iqbal's return to the side for this Test, three years after his last appearance, was less contentious and more stirring and he marked it with a punchy maiden Test hundred
The collaboration of Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf spells danger
Greg Chappell was appreciative of India's efforts in the field
The Indians were subjected to further misery on the third day of the Karachi Test by a batsman who was returning to Test cricket after three years in the wilderness
'A lot went in our favour in this game which could have gone either way'
Just as one began to believe that the Karachi Test was going to obliterate all memories of the two games gone by, normalcy was restored
Rahul Dravid has admitted that India's frailties against the new ball were probably what cost them the Test
While India let Pakistan off the hook in their first innings, the Pakistani bowlers kept up the pressure throughout the Indian innings with incisive bowling
On a pitch which at last offered the bowlers some hope, the difference between Pakistan and India was the manner in which their bowlers exploited that assistance
Around 5:00pm last evening when the crowd was caught somewhere in between delirium and wonder, Sourav Ganguly made his slow walk to the middle to play his first Test innings in 46 days.
It's been 21 innings and over a year since a Pakistani opening pair put on a stand of over a hundred
After feasting on two placid pitches, the Pakistani batsmen were found wanting in footwork and caution but Akmal rose to the occasion with a superbly controlled yet aggressive innings
Kamran Akmal rated this innings alongside his maiden Test hundred at Mohali last year, where he saved Pakistan from defeat on the final day
There have been several sensational starts to Tests matches, but few may rival what Irfan Pathan engineered today
Stats highlights, Pakistan v India, 3rd Test, Karachi
Of the many remarkable things about the day, possibly the most outstanding was Kamran Akmal's hundred
Irfan's sensational hat-trick
Doubts about Shoaib Akhtar's bowling action resurface
So much happened in the day that it took a while to realise that India actually ended it wallowing in quicksand.
Sourav Ganguly is likely to make a comeback in the final Test at Karachi, after missing out at Faisalabad
India might be kicking themselves for several reasons
It's strange to think that we are here, in the final Test at Karachi, and so little has happened and even less of it on the field