LAHORE
\nShowering praise on Pakistani skipper Babar Azam, Australia\u2019s former captain Steve Smith, who is part of the Test team, declared him to be one of the five best batsmen in the world.
\nTalking to journalists in a virtual press conference in Lahore, Smith said that Babar established multiple records during his innings.
\n\u201cBabar played very well against our spinners while Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafiq played exceptionally well in the fourth innings. Babar is an extraordinary player and played remarkably well against our bowlers particularly our spinners,\u201d he said.
\nHe added that in Karachi Test Pakistan played 172 overs in the fourth innings and batted brilliantly. \u201cIn Karachi Test we came very close to victory but we missed many chances. But we would try to win the series by winning the last Test match in Lahore.\u201d
\nTalking about his batting, Smith said, \u201cI tried to play long innings on these pitches but I was able to score around 70. I was definitely disappointed when I was out after a lot of hard work. Hopefully, in Lahore will be able to play long innings.\u201d
\nThe Australian batsman said that so far the series is going very well and both the teams are showing great spirit. He said that he has not seen Lahore pitch yet but is not expecting a bounce on it. \u201cI think Lahore\u2019s wicket will be similar to the first two Test matches,\u201d he believed.
\nIn response to a question, the Australian batsman said: \u201cWe like to play Test matches in challenging conditions. We like to come to Pakistan and play on different pitches.\u201d
\nAFP adds: Australia\u2019s Steve Smith said on Saturday that close catching is a \u201creal challenge\u201d on low-bounce pitches after he spilled a crucial catch in the second Test drawn with Pakistan in Karachi.
\nThe 32-year-old is considered one of the safest pair of hands in the game with 137 catches in 84 Tests, and his drop off Abdullah Shafique\u2019s bat on the fourth day of the Test became a major talking point.
\nPakistani opener Shafique went on to score 96 to supplement skipper Babar Azam in a stand of 228 for the third wicket.
\nAzam racked up a match-saving 196 while Mohammad Rizwan hit 104 not out as Pakistan batted all but 26 minutes on the last two days to score 443-7 in 171.4 overs to ensure a draw.
\nThat left the three-match series tied at 0-0 with the third and final Test starting in Lahore on Monday.
\nThe first Test in Rawalpindi also ended in a draw.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE Showering praise on Pakistani skipper Babar Azam, Australia\u2019s former captain Steve Smith, who is part of the Test team, declared him to be one of the five best batsmen in the world. Talking to journalists in a virtual press conference in Lahore, Smith said that Babar established multiple records during his innings. \u201cBabar played […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1314,5161,2788,650],"class_list":{"0":"post-250455","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-babar-azam","9":"tag-best-batsmen","10":"tag-graeme-smith","11":"tag-world"},"yoast_head":"\n