Rivals to write fresh chapter in short history

Pakistan's previous Test appearance at the Adelaide Oval coincided with the formal opening of a new grandstand named in his honour by Australia's most revered sportsperson, Sir Donald Bradman.

Almost three decades later, neither the grandstand nor the knight bestride Australia's cricket landscape, and the redeveloped stadium has become the principal home of day-night Test cricket in this nation.

Pakistan have played just one prior pink-ball fixture in Australia – three years ago at the Gabba, where they lost the 2019-20 Domain Test Series opener last week – and just three day-night Tests in total since the format was pioneered (at Adelaide) in 2015.

Despite their lack of familiarity with the new-look Adelaide Oval and the day-night format it will host from November 29, Pakistan have a lengthy association with the historic ground that dates back to their first multi-Test tour of Australia.

1972-73 (First Test)

Pakistan's second Test appearance on Australian soil, a dozen years after their maiden visit, was scheduled either side of Christmas Day and coincided with a rebirth for the home team. Not long returned from the UK where they had the better of a 2-2 drawn Ashes series against England, Ian Chappell's young team was as hard-edged as they were supremely confident.

That was apparent from Dennis Lillee's opening spell when he struck Talat Ali a brutal blow, forcing the Pakistan opener to retire hurt with a fractured thumb. After a haphazard schedule of warm-up fixtures that included games against a Western Australia colts team and a Victorian country XI, Pakistan's batters were ill-prepared for Lillee's ire and Bob Massie's control and crashed to 6-104. It was only some doughty tail-end defiance that lifted them to 257.

Ian Chappell then helped himself to the highest score of his Test career, taking particular delight in the bowling of rival skipper Intikhab Alam who was belted for three sixes in the space of five deliveries. More history followed when Rod Marsh, fresh from a first-class career high 236 for WA against the hapless tourists weeks earlier, became the first Australia wicketkeeper to post a Test century.

Image Id: 9FCF28FDCC5F4AF5B4A2831A8106C0CA Image Caption: Ian Chappell cashed in against Pakistan // Getty

In deficit by 328 runs, Pakistan drew hope from a 79-run first-wicket stand between Sadiq Mohammad and makeshift opener Saeed Ahmed. However, it was the looping off-spin of Ashley Mallett rather than the thunderbolts of Lillee that decided the outcome.

Mallett's 8-59 remains the best Test innings bowling return by a specialist off-spinner in Australia. The match ended in somewhat farcical circumstances with Pakistan nine wickets down and still 114 runs adrift when stumps were drawn on Boxing Day, which meant the teams had to return next morning to complete the formality. That was duly achieved after one over, from which Mallett had Talat Ali – batted bravely with one hand – caught without addition to the score.

Pakistan 257 (Wasim Bari 72, Intikhab Alam 64, Lillee 4-49, Massie 4-70) and 214 (Sadiq Mohammad 81, Mallett 8-59) lost to Australia 585 (I. Chappell 196, Marsh 118, Edwards 89, Mushtaq Mohammad 3-67, Asif Masood 3-110) by an innings and 114 runs.

1976-77 (First Test)

This attritional match was defined by a history-altering collision in its first hour, and crowned by some decidedly timid Australia tactics throughout its last.

Pakistan's arrival had been preceded by unrest within the player group over remuneration, and morale dwindled further in the face of a torrid opening spell from Jeff Thomson. Refreshed after almost a year without international playing commitments, Thomson bowled as fast as any time in his storied Test career and snared two early wickets before disaster struck.

Having watched teammate Alan Turner spill an earlier catch from his bowling, Thomson took it upon himself to sprint and dive for a miscued pull shot that looped towards mid-wicket, only to collide with Turner running at speed towards him. As he nursed his badly dislocated right shoulder, Thomson reportedly cursed: "I'll kill that @#&% … if I ever bowl again".

It was never made clear if the threat was directed at Turner laying prostrate alongside him, or reprieved batter Zaheer Abbas. What was sorely evident, when Thomson returned to international cricket six months later, that he could not generate the fearsome bowling speeds for which he was renowned pre-injury.

Image Id: AE1F4C4B2DFA4AEBBF761AE3E32D200A Image Caption: Lillee and Thomson in the mid 1970s // Getty

Australia's already depleted bowling stocks were further thinned when allrounder Gary Gilmour was hobbled by a foot infection, which left Dennis Lillee and leg-spinner Kerry O'Keeffe to shoulder the burden. Pakistan were unable to capitalise on their foes' woes, as their first innings 274 was dwarfed by an Australia batting fest in the days that followed Christmas.

Centuries to recalled opener Ian Davis and veteran Doug Walters lifted the hosts' lead to 182, and on track for victory when Pakistan limped to 6-298 midway through day four. However, the injury toll mounted as Lillee strained a thigh (but kept running in across almost 50 overs) and Asif Iqbal's defiant hundred carried his team to 466.

With most of the final day to score 285 and win, Australia exhibited a distinct lack of urgency in the face of tight bowling and growing spectator unrest. Despite needing 56 for victory when the last hour's mandatory 15 overs began, seventh-wicket pair Gary Cosier and Rod Marsh closed shop – perhaps mindful of the walking wounded left in the sheds – and finished 24 runs shy.

Pakistan 272 (Zaheer Abbas 85, O'Keeffe 3-42) and 466 (Asif Iqbal 152no, Zaheer Abbas 101, Javed Miandad 54, Lillee 5-163, O'Keeffe 3-166) drew with Australia 454 (Walters 107, Davis 105, McCosker 65, Mushtaq Mohammad 4-58, Javed Miandad 3-85) and 6-261 (G. Chappell 70, Walters 51, Iqbal Qasim 4-84).

1983-84 (Third Test)

In the days before drop-in pitches wore the blame for producing lifeless Test matches, the Adelaide Oval gained a deserved reputation as a bowlers' graveyard. For a decade starting in 1981, the famous ground hosted 11 Tests of which eight ended in run-engorged draws.

Aware of the workload these conditions would impose on their bowlers, Pakistan rushed Sarfraz Nawaz into their touring party, and directly into the starting XI, when his six-month ban for criticising national selectors had lapsed.

Despite having turned 35 just days earlier, Sarfraz was called upon to send down 42 overs during Australia's first innings that yielded 465. The backbone of which was opener Kepler Wessels' 179 hewn from almost six hours' batting.

By the end of day two, another stalemate was all-but assured as Pakistan cantered to 1-184, and set for their highest Test innings total in Australia. A maiden century to livewire No.3 Qasim Omar, who became something of a cult hero for local crowds during the summer, was more than matched by tons to opener Mohsin Khan and Dennis Lillee's sparring partner, Javed Miandad.

Image Id: 85B0D8DEFBCC42E99840D4CA213BDF9C Image Caption: Qasim Omar was a cult figure in Australia // Getty

Lillee had been earmarked to carry the drinks in Adelaide having gone wicketless (bowling second-change) in the previous Test at the Gabba. However, injury to fellow quick Carl Rackemann meant Lillee not only took his place but bowled 50.2 overs in Pakistan's mountainous 624 before calling time on his career three weeks later.

It was late on day four when Australia undertook their second innings, 159 runs in deficit and in search of nothing other than batting practice. Kim Hughes gained the most and scored a century in the process, while Allan Border ground out 66 in almost four hours at the rock-hard crease.

That Pakistan employed nine bowlers across the five dour days said sufficient about the Adelaide deck, which has since been transformed into a seam bowlers' favourite and thus poses a very different challenge in the upcoming day-night Test.

Australia 465 (Wessels 179, Border 117no, Yallop 68, Azeem Hafeez 5-167, Sarfraz Nawaz 3-105) and 7-310 (Hughes 106, Border 66, Phillips 54) drew with Pakistan 624 (Mohsin Khan 149, Javed Miandad 131, Qasim Omar 113, Lillee 6-171).

1989-90 (Second Test)

The three-match series of 1989-90 was billed as a playoff for the title of world's second-best Test team behind the unassailable West Indies. Earlier that year, Australia had swept England four-nil to regain the Ashes in the UK, and Pakistan arguably had the best of two drawn Tests at home against arch-foes India.

After Pakistan slumped to a 92-run loss in the first Test at Melbourne, both teams underwent significant personnel changes for the next game in Adelaide. Ashes hero Terry Alderman was ruled out with a groin strain (replaced by Tasmanian Greg Campbell) and allrounder Peter Sleep made way for off-spinner Peter Taylor.

Pakistan flew in two fresh batters – opener Ramiz Raja and Salim Malik – and also summoned uncapped leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed as replacement for the mercurial Abdul Qadir who had returned home with a damaged finger. However, the revitalised batting stocks struggled against Australia's seamers and 257 was deemed a sub-par first innings total.

It would have been sizeably smaller but for allrounder Wasim Akram's breezy 52 batting at No.8. The apprentice to skipper Imran Khan's mastery of reverse-swing bowling, Akram then mesmerised Australia's middle and lower-order.

While Dean Jones stood defiant with a century, Akram ensured Australia's last five wickets fell for 13 runs, among them opener Geoff Marsh who had initially retired hurt due to a thumb injury that was later diagnosed as a fracture.

Trailing by 84 runs, Pakistan seemed to have surrendered the series when Merv Hughes reduced them to 5-90 early on day four. That was when Imran and Akram showed they could be as potent with bat as they had proved with ball, and summoned a game-changing 191-run sixth-wicket stand.

Imran fell for a typically majestic 136, the final hundred of his 21-year Test career. Akram's 123 off 195 balls was contrastingly brutal, but the pair somehow turned imminent defeat into a possible last-day win with Australia needing 304 to win or survive 78 overs for a draw.

Both of those scenarios dimmed with Marsh unable to bat, and Australia slumping to 4-129. It was Jones's second century of the match, and stubborn resistance from Ian Healy (27 from 94 balls) that ultimately stemmed the visitors' unlikely charge to victory.

Pakistan 257 (Javed Miandad 52, Wasim Akram 52, Rackemann 4-40, Campbell 3-79) and 9(dec)-387 (Imran Khan 136, Wasim Akram 123, Hughes 5-111) drew with Australia 341 (Jones 116, M. Taylor 77, Wasim Akram 5-100) and 6-233 (Jones 121no, M. Taylor 59, Tauseef Ahmed 3-80).

Domain Test Series v Pakistan

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Azhar Ali (c), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah.

First Test: Australia won by an innings and five runs.

Second Test: November 29 – December 3, Adelaide (d/n) (Seven, Fox & Kayo)