We're Getting Slaughtered In England

I have a blog post up on Dawn's website. It concerns our selection issues before the summer tour to England. You may be surprised, but I bitch out Shoaib Malik.

Liveblogging T20 Semifinal: Pakistan Vs. Australia

2:14 p.m. I'm shocked beyond words. Pakistan were in front for 39 out of 40 overs in that game. Like I said, I'm out. Bye.

2:12 p.m. Well that's it from me. I don't really have anything to say.

2:11 p.m. Hussey made 60 off 24 balls. And honestly, Pakistan didn't bowl badly. We fielded a little bit crappily, but nothing outrageous given our standards.

2:10 p.m. Australia have beaten Pakistan. Again.

2:09 p.m. Hussey's taken our heart out, chewed it up, and spat it out. Six more, and Australia are through. Pakistan's second last-over defeat in this tournament. It was too good to be true. Australia will face England in the final.

2:08 p.m. Haha. Hussey slices one for four to backward point. Really terrible fielding, that was a catch.

2:08 p.m. Six more! Hussey smacks it down the ground. Unbelievable. Australia are going to get there. 5 from 3.

2:07 p.m. Oh dear. Ajmal drops it short. Hussey safely hits it for six. 11 from 4. That was bad bowling.

2:06 p.m. Ajmal darts in on leg stump, and Johnson gets a single. 17 from 5.

2:05 p.m. Johnson on strike.

2:04 p.m. And that's four, it should've been two. A mistake on the boundary. 18 needed off the last over. It's all you, Ajmal. It's all you.

2:03 p.m. Yet again, it's two. Wide long off. Hussey's done well here, really giving Australia a shot. 22 off 7.

2:03 p.m. Two more, this time to wide mid on. 24 off 8.

2:02 p.m. Hussey tries another paddle, but this one's outside off. Still get two, somehow, to third man. 26 off 9. My fingers are shaking.

2:01 p.m. And now two to long off. Good running there. Appeal for runout, but he's safe. Pakistan need to be sharp here. There WILL be a runout chance or two. 28 off 10.

2:00 p.m. Four! Aamer bowls a fullish delivery, and Hussey plays the paddle for four. 30 off 11.

1:59 p.m. A quicker one, and it's just a single. Keeps Hussey on strike though. 34 needed off 12 balls. Anyone's game really.

1:58 p.m. Two more to square leg. 35 off 13.

1:57 p.m. And other team, and this game would've been over an hour ago. But Australia never, ever die. They're the cockroaches of the cricketing world.

1:56 p.m. Oh dear. Hussey lifts a quicker one from Ajmal over fine leg for six. 37 off 14.

1:55 p.m. Bang! Mitchell Johnson absolutely smashes Ajmal for four to midwicket. That was the hardest hit shot all day. Australia still in this. 43 off 15.

1:54 p.m. Gone! Ajmal with another doosra! Smith is beaten charging down the wicket, and Akmal has another stumping. "He's got ice running through his veins, this man," says Chappelli about Ajmal. Indeed.

1:53 p.m. A couple of singles to end the over. 48 off 18. Ajmal to continue.

1:52 p.m. Four to Smith, first up to fine leg. Australia WILL NOT give up.

1:50 p.m. Gone! Aamer gets the big wicket of White, holing out to long off! What a moment! 139/6, and Australia staring down the barrel here.

1:48 p.m. Aamer back into the attack. Him and Ajmal will bowl out probably.

1:47 p.m. Well, evidently Afridi was hit for two sixes. Great. 56 from 24 required. Going to go down to the wire, this.

1:46 p.m. This is seriously painful. Why don't my streams last more than 4 overs at a stretch?

1:43 p.m. Aaaannnd my feed has given way again. Lovely.

1:42 p.m. Haha. Well so much for that. White gets that slog sweep working this time, six over midwicket. He's the only guy standing between Pakistan and the final right now.

1:41 p.m. This is beautiful bowling from Rehman and Ajmal. They're actually beating the batsmen, not just restricting them.

1:40 p.m. Rehman continuing. Just one off his first two balls.

1:37 p.m. Ooooh. Akmal is this far from his third stumping. White lifted his back foot, and Akmal whipped off the bails, but a nanosecond after White brought his foot back on. Great bowling though, beat him all ends up. Anyway, just the five off it, 112/5 in 14. 80 needed in 36 balls.

1:36 p.m. If we lose from here, it'll be because of our fielding. Aamer lets one go through, giving an additional run, and bringing White back on strike. Two more.

1:36 p.m. Ajmal's got White majorly confused here. What a bowler.

1:35 p.m. Ajmal into the attack. Here's the battle.

1:34 p.m. White's the key here. He really, really is.

1:33 p.m. Nine runs and a wicket off the over. 107/5 in 13. 85 needed off 42 balls. Very much achievable.

1:32 p.m. Hussey replaces Hussey.

1:30 p.m. Gone! Rehman the secret weapon! That one just stood up in the pitch, didn't come on, Hussey was through his shot, and gave Rehman an easy catch. Good bowling, just holding that one back. Huge wicket -- Hussey and White really looked like they were going to do this easy. 105/5 in 12.3.

1:30 p.m. Even their edges are going for six. Rehman actually outfoxed him there, White's sweep went straight up, but went too far. Six more.

1:28 p.m. And now Hussey. We've conceded four sixes in the last two overs. A little too easy right now. 98/4 in 12. Target is under 100 now; they need 92 in eight overs.

1:27 p.m. Six more! White could be the key here. He smashes Hafeez over cover, again without really trying. Suddenly Australia are right back in this thing.

1:25 p.m. Good over for Australia there. 15 off it. 82/4 in 11. Also, Ramiz, Duckworth-Lewis can't be "installed". It's not friggin Windows.

1:25 p.m. One more! Exact same shot.

1:24 p.m. Shot. White slog sweeps Afridi to midwicket for six. It really is amazing how effortless some of these sixes are.

1:23 p.m. Great bowling. You can see the Aussies trying all sorts of things right now, instead of batting normally. It's costing them too. Just the four off the over. 67/4 in ten. 125 needed in 10 overs.

1:22 p.m. Only singles in this over so far.

1:21 p.m. Hafeez into the attack.

1:19 p.m. White the new man in. He takes three dot balls to settle, and then gets a single into the leg side to get off the mark. What an over from Afridi. A wicket and a single, and Australia will need something special from here. 63/4 in nine.

1:17 p.m. But it doesn't matter! Would you believe that Akmal got another stumping? Clarke charges Afridi, tries an ungainly slog, misses, and Akmal does the rest. Wow, this really must be Pakistan's day: Kamran Akmal is actually behaving like a normal, international keeper.

1:17 p.m. Oh, Billy. That was plumb LBW. Afridi skids on into Clarke's pads, and that was out to everyone, except Billy Doctrove.

1:15 p.m. Afridi with a slip in to the new batsman. Good, attacking captaincy. Even if he doesn't edge it, at least it gives him something to think about. Anyway, that's the over. 62/3 in eight.

1:14 p.m. Gone! What a moment! Rehman beats Haddin in the flight, it grips and turns past an advancing Haddin, who is stumped. Well done Kamran for not screwing that up. 58/3 in 7.2. Huge wicket, Haddin was looking dangerous. D Hussey in.

1:13 p.m. After an agonizing ten minutes, my stream is back. Rehman to Haddin.

1:11 p.m. This is so incredibly pissing off.

1:10 p.m. Okay, not only did my stream disappear, but my browser crashed. Brilliant.

1:06 p.m. Rehman's first over goes for ten. Australia on to 45/2 in 5. They're not going anywhere, Australia. I promise you that.

1:04 p.m. Six! Haddin's really looking up for it today, I have to say. Without really trying, he deposits Rehman over backward square. Australia are staying within the run rate here, not falling behind as so many teams do chasing big totals.

1:02 p.m. Well, so much for that. Clarke is away with a very nice shot to wide long off, ruining Razzaq's over. Seven off it, Australia are 35/2 in 4. Rehman into the attack, replacing Aamer. Interesting move.

1:01 p.m. Credit to Razzaq, he's come back well in this over. Mixing it up, and not allowing them to get away by premeditating. Needs to close this over strong now.

12:58 p.m. Haddin's really looking to go after him. Two to wide mid on, looking to be really aggressive.

12:58 p.m. Oh dear, Razzaq continuing. This isn't going to go well.

12:57 p.m. Quiet enough end to an eventful over. Six and a wicket off it, 28/2 in three. Australia need 164 in 102 balls.

12:54 p.m. Gone! What a truly asinine shot from Watson. There was a long off back, and Watson hit it straight to him. A monumentally idiotic shot, that was. Aamer gets his second wicket, and Australia lose another danger-man. 26/2 in 2.3. Captain Clarke in.

12:53 p.m. Shot! A short art jab from Watson, back down the ground off Aamer. That was a strange shot, and it goes for four, almost killing the umpire and his partner.

12:51 p.m. Four more! Gives himself room by moving legside, and hits Razzaq to long off for four. A better mid off fielder would have stopped that, but we're Pakistan, so forget it. 15 off that over. 22/1 in 2.

12:50 p.m. And now Haddin into the act. Shimmies down the track, and works Razzaq through the covers of a back of a length for four. He's too easy to hit around at the best of times, but on this wicket? If Afridi gives him more than a single over, he's stupid.

12:50 p.m. Australia's running is really going to test Pakistan here. We better be on our toes. I know, I know.

12:48 p.m. Haha. What did I tell you? Watson politely pulls Razzaq for six over midwicket. He didn't even try there.

12:47 p.m. Razzaq in from the other end. He's going to get killed on this wicket. Watch.

12:46 p.m. Smash! Watson smacks Aamer to midwicket, a front foot pull. They exchange pleasantries too. This is great cricket. 7/1 after one over. Watson and Haddin at the crease.

12:44 p.m. Gone! Aamer gets Warner! What a start! Australia are 1-1 and lose one of their stars early on. Warner poked at one outside off, and it went straight to Umar at backward point.

12:43 p.m. And we're back, and straight away my feed's giving me issues. Sigh. Hold on.

12:26 p.m. And a run out off the last ball, as Tait yorks Umar, who hits it straight back to Tait, who easily runs out Misbah. It's always funny when somebody gets out without playing a ball, and it couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy. Misbah is really the bane of my existence. Anyway, Pakistan end at 191/6, courtesy some brilliant batting from the Akmal brothers (Kamran 50 from 34, Umar 56 from 35) and Butt 32 off 30. Mini-cameos from Who? (13 off 6) and Razzaq (12 off 7). And by the way, Umar was a doubt for this game with a back injury (a real one, not a "my brother's been justifiably dropped, so I'm going to throw a hissy fit" type of back injury). Anyway, Australia will require 192 in 20 overs. If any team can do it, it's them. Be back in ten minutes.

12:26 p.m. Umar slices a Tait full toss behind point for two.

12:24 p.m. Haha. What a bizarre dismissal. Razzaq is run out...off a wide. Well, it's a run, and Umar's back on strike, so it's okay. But this has been a fantastic last over from Tait.

12:24 p.m. Tait bowling well here. The only runs Pakistan are getting is byes, when they run even despite missing. And Umar keeps playing that idiotic paddle.

12:22 p.m. Anyway, it's 184/4, and Tait to bowl the last over.

12:21 p.m. I can't say who's performing worse, Australia or my feed. It's given out right at the business end of this innings.

12:20 p.m. Wow, Australia are really falling apart here. Byes, wides, overthrows.

12:19 p.m. Okay, I have no idea how, but we've raced to 177/4 in 18.3.

12:17 p.m. What a time for my feed to go out. Shit.

12:16 p.m. Six more! Umar, you beauty! A front foot, swivel/hook over long leg for six! I can't believe this is actually happening.

12:15 p.m. Australia are definitely rattled here. Haddin lets four byes go through -- nothing remotely challenging about that take. Just went straight through him.

12:14 p.m. Umar's dealing in sixes here. He just clears his leg and smashes Johnson over midwicket for six.

12:12 p.m. Haha. Who? is gone, well out of his element against the pace of Nannes. Just a soft catch to mid off, after trying to slog it. Well, 13 off 6, he's basically done his job, as Harsha says. 145/4 in 17. We need 180 for sure here. Australia will come at us hard.

12:10 p.m. Holy crap. Umar smashes Nannes over long on for six, effortlessly. Next ball, he plays that annoying paddle for four. This has been an unbelievable batting performance, it really is.

12:09 p.m. Four more! Down the ground. Who? is on fire here. 132/3 in 16.

12:08 p.m. Bang! Who? just laces Clarke over midwicket for six! Huge shot! It's gone out of the ground! Bloody hell.

12:07 p.m. Michael Clarke brings himself on. Clearly he's realized this is a spinner's wicket.

12:05 p.m. Afridi's wicket and five off the over. 118/3. Hussey might be Australia's best bowler today. And that last wicket could really change this game. Pakistan have no real boundary hitters left, other than Razzaq. Who?, Hafeez and Misbah aren't really going to smack it around.

12:03 p.m. Khalid Latif, also known as "Who?", replaces Afridi.

12:02 p.m. Gone! Oh, Afridi, you idiot. I'm not even going to bother describing that. Sigh. 114/3 in 14.2

12:01 p.m. Well, by hook or by crook, Pakistan score eight off that over too. 113/2 in 14. Other than the first two overs, and David Hussey's first over, Australia have really struggled to bowl overs for fewer than six or seven runs. And speaking of which, Hussey is back into the attack.

12:00 p.m. Ooooh. Tait sees Afridi backing away, bowls a slower one, and it just misses the off stump, as Afridi was completely fooled. Something's about to give here. Afridi is looking like he's had enough of this single stuff.

11:58 a.m. Unlucky for Tait. He bowled a quick yorker, Umar tried to flick it, it missed everything, went between his legs, and eludes a diving Haddin. Four byes.

11:58 a.m. Tait replaces Smith, who got a wicket in the last over.

11:57 a.m. Nice batting from Afridi here, just looking for ones against Nannes. Pakistan got eight in that over without much risk. 105/2 in thirteen.

11:55 a.m. I really don't like it when Umar plays that paddle shot. He can play so well in front of the wicket, why does he try that crap? It comes off for two here, but really, that's needless right now.

11:54 a.m. An Umar tap into the leg side brings up the Pakistan 100. 100/2 in 12.2.

11:53 a.m. Nannes replaces Hussey into the attack, since Afridi's in. Can't play pace, our captain.

11:52 a.m. So a wicket, a boundary, and four singles off that Smith over. 97/2 in twelve.

11:51 a.m. Afridi's off the mark with a single, a late cut to short third.

11:50 a.m. Smack! Umar takes his front leg out of the way, and slog sweeps Smith for four to deep midwicket.

11:49 a.m. Afridi in.

11:48 a.m. Gone! Smith's back into the attack, and Butt holes out in the deep. That's disappointing from Butt -- he really should've been more sensible than that. That's frustrating. 89/2. I sense a collapse. I do, I really do. Australia are going to skittle us out for 107. You watch.

11:47 a.m. Tidy over from Hussey, just the four singles off it. The batsmen were trying to get after him, but he was bowling too flat. 89-1 after 11.

11:46 a.m. David Hussey into the attack.

11:45 a.m. Anyway, it's 85/1 after ten overs. Game's set up here.

11:43 a.m. Gone! What a catch! Akmal smashed it to Johnson to the covers again, but this time Warner ran in and took a great, tumbling catch. Big wicket there, and my apologies to Akmal for jinxing him. 82/1. Did his job, Akmal. 50 off 34. And little bro replaces big bro. Good move by the camp.

11:41 a.m. Michael Clarke has a serious problem here. This is not a pitch for quick, bang-it-in-the-pitch bolwers like Nannes, Johnson and Tait. His spin options are inadequate, other than Smith. If Pakistan keep their head -- I know, funny -- they can get a huge score here.

11:40 a.m. Oh my. Akmal ends a huge over with two fours to the point boundary, one driven, and one slashed. Akmal's fifty is up. Pakistan move on to a scarcely believable 81-0 after nine. 78 runs have come off the last seven overs.

11:37 a.m. Tries it again, but this time it's mistimed to wide long off for two. Getting a real move on here.

11:36 a.m. Bang! Length delivery from Watson, who replaces Smith after one over, and Akmal just launches it over Watson's head for six. Huge hit.

11:34 a.m. Finally, a tap-and-run, something we don't do nearly enough. Eight off the over, and we've moved on to 63-0 after eight. Australia will be asking themselves a couple of questions now. It's been easy, almost too easy, for them in this entire tournament. They haven't been challenged at all. I wonder if that might come back to haunt them.

11:33 a.m. Akmal looking a little ungainly here. Another swing, another mistimed shot, and it just gets over mid on for two.

11:32 a.m. Swing and a miss from Akmal. That was a gully cricket show.

11:31 a.m. Well, Butt hit Johnson for four, but I can't tell you how, because I was being encouraged to purchase Just For Men dye for hair and beards.

11:29 a.m. Bang! Akmal is beaten in the flight by Smith, but goes through with the shot, slices it, and it carries over long off for six. This has been some start by Pakistan. 15 from the over, and it's 55-0 after seven.

11:28 a.m. Ok, we're back. 47-0 after 6.4 overs. Smith has come into the attack.

11:27 a.m. Yaaaar. What the hell?

11:26 a.m. Crap, my feed's gone. Argh. Hold on.

11:23 p.m. Twice in this over Butt has eluded fielders with lofted shots that weren't timed. Once over midwicket, once over extra cover. Two each.

11:21 a.m. You know how people are always talking about the power of the internet? How it's empowering to the common citizenry and all that? Well, let's put it to the test: let's organize boycotts of every single company that advertises on Geo Super. By the way, Watson has replaced Tait.

11:20 a.m. So Johnson's first over goes for five runs, including a boundary, and a wicket, except no one appealed. 32-0 after five. Both Butt and Akmal on 15.

11:18 a.m. And now Butt gets four more to -- where else? -- the covers, by backing away and lifting it over the infield. By the way, the commies are still awestruck at the lack of an Aussie appeal against Butt. Even I heard that nick.

11:18 a.m. Did he nick that? I could've sworn I heard something. Butt definitely edged that one straight to Haddin, but the Aussies didn't appeal. Bizarre.

11:17 a.m. Johnson replaces Nannes.

11:16 a.m. Some nice batting here from Pakistan. After getting a measure of the pitch, they've upped the ante in the last couple of overs. Now watch them throw it away.

11:15 a.m. And now Akmal into the attack. I think he saw that short one from Tait coming, moved inside the line, and pulled it very fine for four. 13 off the over, and the last two have been good ones. 27-0 after four.

11:14 a.m. Four more! Butt spanks Tait through the covers, more of a cross-bat shot this time.

11:14 a.m. After being deprived of a wide by the ever-inept Billy Doctrove, Butt flicks Tait behind point with his wrists. Four.

11:12 a.m. Ah, that should've been four. Tait bowled it up to Butt, who drove powerfully but straight to the man in the covers.

11:11 a.m. Akmal goes down the ground again, but this time doesn't time it. Two. A very strange pitch this. Not coming on at all. Anyway, that's the over. 11 off it, it's 14-0 after three.

11:10 a.m. And now Nannes loses his line, bowling one well wide down the leg side.

11:10 a.m. Four more! Length delivery on off stump, and Akmal simply drives through the line. Butt has to duck, and it races to the long off fence.

11:09 a.m. First boundary! Akmal backs away, gives himself room, and slices Nannes over the covers for four.

11:09 a.m. Chappelli is having a go at our lack of aggression. Bhai, chorr do yar.

11:08 a.m. I think the Geo guy is having a bet with himself, to see how many ads he can fit in between overs.

11:07 a.m. Very tight from Australia here. 3-0 after two overs.

11:06 a.m. Tait keeps bowling bouncers. Like Chappelli says, it's about sending the message.

11:06 a.m. Akmal's first runs, with an upper cut to third man. Could've gotten two, but we're Pakistan.

11:05 a.m. Haha. They just showed a graphic of Pakistan's "form" against Australia in recent times. Less said the better and all that.

11:04 a.m. Ooh. A bouncer to Akmal first up.

11:04 a.m. Salman squeezes a full length delivery wide of slip for Pakistan's first runs.

11:02 a.m. So it's a maiden to start. Akmal looked very circumspect there, like he had no idea how the pitch was going to play. Tait to Butt from the other end.

11:01 a.m. First four balls have been on target, no runs. Meanwhile, Ravi is being his charitable best by calling our tournament "mixed".

11:01 a.m. Ooh. Some nibble there, as Nannes brings it in to Akmal. Shout for LBW, but it pitched outside leg. Akmal hops away in pain.

11:00 a.m. And straight away Nannes is on target, just outside off. Akmal taps it to the covers. Two slips in place.

10:59 a.m. Alright, here we go. Akmal and Butt are the first lambs to slaughter. Nannes will start the slaughter. And Ian Chappell and Ravi Shastri will announce the slaughter.

10:54 a.m. Give Fawad Alam credit: he's the only one to do the "hand on heart" thing during then anthem. Kudos.

10:51 a.m. Anyway, team news. Pakistan: Butt, Akmal, Hafeez, Afridi, U Akmal, Latif, Misbah, Razzaq, Rehman, Aamer, Ajmal. Australia: Warner, Watson, Clarke, D Hussey, White, M Hussey, Haddin, Smith, Johnson, Tait, Nannes. This is the equivalent of Barcelona-Stuttgart.

10:50 a.m. Moin Khan: "Larkey form mein hain." Wow. I love our standards. We got creamed against Australia and England, lost narrowly to New Zealand, and scraped through against a substandard South Africa, and suddenly we're in form. Excellent.

10:46 a.m. Given the conditions (wet), their attack (taken 47 out of a possible 50 wickets in this tournament), and our batting (shambolic), I'm expecting a total of 50-60. All out.

10:44 a.m. Anyway, the match is due to begin in 15 minutes.

10:44 a.m. People on twitter are convinced that Shoaib Akhtar is drunk in the studio. My question would be: how can you tell? Isn't he always like this?

10:41 a.m. WHAT is up with Ramiz Raja's hair?

10:40 a.m. Looks like we might get some action here. Australia have won the toss and are bowling first.

10:40 a.m. Oh my God, Shoaib. Please shut up.

10:29 a.m. Well, this is stupid. I'm taking a break until we have more news. Maybe I'll watch an episode of Parks and Recreation or something.

10:26 a.m. By the way, you know how Pakistanis are always conspiracy theorizing and asking idiotic questions like "No, no, no...you have to ask, who gains the most from this?" Well, with that logic in mind, isn't it obvious that the generator manufacturers are behind our electricity crisis?

10:23 a.m. Goddamn, HBL. Why you gotta scare us like that? Jeez. I'll sign up for an account, okay?

10:18 a.m. The rain is still coming down. If it's canceled, it'll be the first time in 11 games that the Australians haven't killed us.

10:17 a.m. Actually, rain is pretty good for us. The shorter the game, the better chance we have. If it's a T2 match, six balls each, I'm firmly behind us.

10:15 a.m. Well, it's raining. Crap. In the meantime, you can enjoy the fact that Shoaib Akhtar is now an "expert" in-studio analyst. This is what the world has come to.

Hello and welcome to Rs.5's coverage of the T20 semifinal between Pakistan and Australia. As always, all times are local (i.e. Chicago).

Liveblogging Australia Vs. Pakistan T20 World Cup

3:38 p.m. Fitting end that, with Tait knocking over last man Ajmal. What a dominating performance. But as Chappelli has said all day, it's par for the course when these two teams meet. Pakistan really are quite pathetic. And Australia are really quite good. Anyway, that's it from me.

3:36 p.m. "This game ending not with a bang but with a whimper," Harsha cheerily informs us. You can say that again. This game has been over for half an hour. It's the test match equivalent of a game being over in three days.

3:33 p.m. A great catch! Fawad slogs one from Johnson to deep midwicket, where Pup takes an excellent catch. That was dying on him. 151/9.

3:31 p.m. So two overs to go. 44 required. Fawad and Sami batting. I think we're okay here. Heh.

3:29 p.m. And Hussey gets Aamer, skying one to long off. This is too easy. This is too fun. 146/8.

3:28 p.m. Hussey back into the attack.

3:27 p.m. Now Fawad hits a meaningless six. He's batting too low for me. Was one of the few Pakistanis who played well in Australia last summer. Anyway, 52 off 18 required.

3:24 p.m. After smacking a meaningless six, Misbah holes out trying to do it again. He's played a fairly useless innings, Misbah. The card will show him being Pakistan's best player today, but that's why statistics are so misleading. He was crucial to Australia's success today, first with two dropped catches and then with a slow and too-steady innings.

3:23 p.m. Australia are a class apart from this Pakistan team. In case you didn't know already. 66 off 24. God, finish this already.

3:20 p.m. Fawad and Misbah are just knocking it around for singles now.

3:19 p.m. Well, Pakistan need 71 off five overs. Plenty of fat ladies clearing their throats here.

3:17 p.m. Razzaq gone! Nannes gets him to hole out to long off. What a truly dominating performance this has been from Australia. Killed them from the start.

3:16 p.m. Well, while I was gone, Tait got Afridi. Have no idea how. But it's good news, you never know with Afridi what he could do at the end. Pakistan need a highly unlikely 72 off 32.

3:13 p.m. Crap, my feed is acting up again. Hold on.

3:10 p.m. Tait replaces Watson. Pup hasn't allowed any bowler more than an over if they've leaked runs. Good strategy, keeping these guys guessing.

3:08 p.m. Excellent over from Johnson. Six off it, when Pakistan basically need double that. 112/4 in 13. 80 needed off 42.

3:08 p.m. Good over from Johnson, this. Just four off four so far.

3:06 p.m. Johnson replaces Smith. Good change. Swing and a miss from Afridi first up.

3:05 p.m. Runs off every ball in that over, nine off it. 106/4 in 12. 86 needed off 48. They're making a good try of it here, Pakistan. I really thought they would just collapse.

3:03 p.m. Damnitt. Afridi lifts it over short fine leg by moving across and scooping it. Four more.

3:03 p.m. Watson back into the attack. Two singles off the first two balls. Just brings an element of control on proceedings does Watto.

3:01 p.m. 17 in total off that Smith over. 97/4 in 11. 95 needed off 54 balls.

3:00 p.m. Oh dear. Afridi is laying into Smith here. 4,4,6. One to cover, the second to wide long on, the third to cover again. As long as he's there, Pup should just keep the quicks on.

2:57 p.m. Well, safe enough. Two to wide long on. The squeeze is most definitely on, just six runs off that over. 80/4 after ten. Pakistan need 112 runs in 10 overs. Hahaha.

2:56 p.m. Johnson bowls a no ball, and gives Afridi a free hit. I bet he gets over excited and screws it up.

2:54 p.m. Johnson beats Afridi all ends up. Good change bringing in the quickie against Afridi.

2:53 p.m. So after a couple of bad overs, OZ pull it back with the big wicket of Umar and just seven off it. 74/4 after nine.

2:51 p.m. Who, exactly, is behind these ads that end up on Star Cricket? They're terrible. Anyway, Afridi in.

2:50 p.m. Gone! Umar is beaten in the flight, and slices one to deep cover, where it's juggled but taken in the end. 70/4.

2:49 p.m. Steve Smith, the leggie, is on. Umar paddles his first ball for two.

2:48 p.m. Misbah charges and hits Clarke over his head for four. Another expensive over, fourteen off it. We really should just keep our pacers on against these guys. Anyway, it's 67/3 after eight.

2:45 p.m. Clarke brings himself on, and his second ball is smacked by Misbah over midwicket for six. Good running off the next ball gets two. Well, they're trying Pakistan, give them that.

2:44 p.m. Just the four off the over, nice bowling. Got through it in a hurry too.

2:42 p.m. David Hussey into the attack, to bowl his offies.

2:42 p.m. Expensive over that, as Misbah works a couple off the last ball. 49/3 after six, and that's the end of the powerplay.

2:41 p.m. It really says something that a uniformed policeman in the crowd is a better fielder than half of the Pakistani team.

2:40 p.m. Bang! Umar Akmal just lays into Watson. Goes well into the stands for six, where a policeman takes it one-handed. Harsha enjoyed that.

2:39 p.m. Watson replaces Tait. Umar charges and smacks it, but it's cut off by mid off.

2:37 p.m. 5 runs and a wicket off that over. 38-3 after five, and Australia look like they're going to win this in a canter. Again. Hahahaha.

2:35 p.m. Pakistan just restricted to singles here. Required rate is already over 10.

2:33 p.m. Hahaha. Hafeez smacks a short ball from Johnson straight to the man at deep square, who literally didn't have to move. Three wickets in 4.2 overs, Australia doing well. Misbah in.

2:33 p.m Mitchell Johnson replaces Nannes.

2:32 p.m. Hafeez with an ungainly slog over midwicket gets a boundary, sorta kinda ruining the Tait over. Anyway, 33-2 after four.

2:31 p.m. Great over this from Tait, just cramping Hafeez and keeping it back of a length. They can't get him away.

2:27 p.m. Gone! That was predictable. Tait was hurrying these guys. Butt tried to hoik a short one over midwicket, only to get an edge, and it's a safe catch to mid-on. Umar Akmal in.

2:26 p.m. Could've been a lot worse too, if Hafeez had eluded the short fine leg with his glance. As it stands, 14 off it. 28-1 after three.

2:25 p.m. And now some overcompensation from Nannes, hurling it down the leg side. Goes for a wide, and they get a bye too. Horrible over, this.

2:24 p.m. And again! More width from Nannes. Clarke might think about plugging the off-side, it's the only place this guy can score runs.

2:24 p.m. Nice shot from Butt, a wristy flick through the covers. Four more.

2:22 p.m. Ah, some width from Nannes, exacerbated by the fact that Butt gave himself room. Slices it over point for four.

2:22 p.m. I don't think anybody told Messrs Butt and Hafeez what total Pakistan are chasing here.

2:21 p.m. 14-1 after two.

2:20 p.m. Tait beats Hafeez for pace twice in a row. He's getting out very soon, Hafeez. You watch.

2:19 p.m. Rameez, please stop talking. Please. You're really, really annoying.

2:17 p.m. And we're back. 4 runs off Tait's first three balls.

2:16 p.m. Damn, my feed is giving me problems again.

2:15 p.m. Aargh. Nannes ruins a goodish over with one sliding down the leg side, which Hafeez swivels behind square for four. 9-1 after 1. Tait from the other end?

2:14 p.m. "You've got to be careful when you're running with Salman Butt," advises Rameez.

2:12 p.m. Ah, nice shot from Hafeez first up. Driven on the up through the covers. Pakistan's first boundary.

2:10 p.m. Hahhahahahaha. This is seriously awesome. Akmal slices Nannes's widish delivery straight to third man. And unfortunately for Akmal, Salman Butt wasn't fielding there. Pakistan 1-1 after 1 ball. Good times.

2:10 p.m. And we're off. Nannes starts off with a wide down the leg side to Akmal. Butt on the other end.

1:56 p.m. Here's the crazy thing: there were only thirteen dot balls in the entire innings, six of them in the last over. Jeez.

1:52 p.m. What a crazy, crazy over. Aamer bowls Tait off his last ball, giving Pakistan 5 wickets in the last over, three to Aamer and two run outs. And no runs! Still, not a problem. Watson with 81 off 49 and Hussey with 53 off 29 were the stars. Pakistan will need 192 to win. Be back soon.

1:51 p.m. And it's the same thing off the fourth ball, with this time Smith running to the batter's end and getting run out. 4 balls in this over for 0 runs and 4 wickets.

1:50 p.m. By the way, Madrid scored an 89th minute winner. Disgusting.

1:49 p.m. Well, if Aamer didn't get his hat-trick, the team did. Smith misses and they go for a bye, but Kamran Akmal is on target with his throw, and Hussey is run out. Three in three for Pakistan. 191/8.

1:47 p.m. And now Johnson's gone, bowled off a yorker. Crap.

1:46 p.m. Gone! Haddin tries to smack Aamer out of the ground, gets an edge, and is caught by Sami at short third. Well, that's going to happen at this stage -- the job is basically done anyway. Pakistan are going to get nowhere near this total.

1:45 p.m. And a boundary to end the over. 191-5 in 19 then. So last over coming up, from Aamer.

1:44 p.m. Give Ajmal credit, he's bowled well. The only Pakistani to do so. But then again, if you get 101 off two bowlers, it's really not a big deal if one of them does bowl well.

1:42 p.m. Gone! White holes out to deep square -- he didn't get all of that short one from Ajmal. No worries, Haddin is in. 181/5 in 18.2.

1:41 p.m. Butt misfields and gifts White two. "Some of his out cricket is quite ordinary," Chappeli tsk-tsks.

1:39 p.m. Hussey ruins Sami's good over by moving across and looping it over the short fine leg. 179/4 after 18. Sami's gone for 54 in his four overs; him and Hafeez have conceded more than a hundred between them. Good times.

1:37 p.m. Sami bowls a beamer, and they get two. Next ball is two more, as a yorker is squeezed out to Razzaq at deep square. "Ambled in" is right, Sanjay.

1:36 p.m. Sami continuing. Two singles off the first two balls. Come on guys. Finish this.

1:33 p.m. Anyway, two relatively new players at the crease: Mike Hussey and Cameron White. Australia are 167-4 after 17. Pakistan are going to be chasing 210 today. They'll get about 110. Write it down.

1:32 p.m. Watson gone! Ah well, can't say he didn't do his job, eh? Ajmal gets him LBW with a quicker one there.

1:31 p.m. The ever reliable Cricinfo suggests that Hussey hit Sami for four sixes in one over. Hahaha. Too good.

1:30 p.m. Okay, I clearly missed quite a bit of action. Thirty runs and a wicket in about one over. What the hell happened?

1:25 p.m. Nooo!! My feed has disappeared. Crap, hold on, let me find another.

1:23 p.m. I can't type fast enough to keep up with Australia's strokeplay here. Suffice it to say, it's 133-2 after fifteen.

1:21 p.m. Ajmal continuing, and his second ball is swept expertly behind square for four. As Harsha notes, OZ have simply not taken their foot off the pedal today. Not for a second. Joy to watch.

1:20 p.m. By the way, it's 123-2 off 14.

1:19 p.m. Hahahhahahaha. Butt drops an absolute sitter at long off from a Hussey strike. Hahahaha. They're going to pay for that. Oh man, it's fun playing Pakistan. It's so much fun.

1:18 p.m. Four more! OZ really do look like they're on a mission here.

1:17 p.m. Harsha and Rameez are having a go at Afridi's captaincy for bowling Hafeez that early, and not taking him off when he was going for runs. Well, everyone was going for runs. What was he supposed to do?

1:16 p.m. Sami back into the attack.

1:15 p.m. Big over then, fifteen off it. 116-2 after 13. Afridi bowled out too, conceding 33 off his four.

1:14 p.m. And now a six from Watson off Afridi. This is carnage, and again, they're not even really trying.

1:13 p.m. Bang! That's Hussey's first big shot, who just lifts Afridi effortlessly over his head for six. This has been a fantastic batting performance from OZ.

1:12 p.m. So seven off that over then. 101-2. We're looking good here, especially if Razzaq bowls on this wicket. I wonder when he'll be brought into the attack.

1:11 p.m. Haha. Just as Rameez Raja says Watson will have a more difficult time against Ajmal than he did Hafeez, he carves him for four to extra cover off a low full toss.

1:10 p.m. Ajmal into the attack, replacing the expensive Hafeez.

1:09 p.m. Eight off that over, OZ are 94-2 after eleven.

1:08 p.m. Watson is just murdering these guys. He moves on to 63 off 36, without even really trying. Hundred is on for him, no question.

1:08 p.m. Sorry for my mistake; Afridi is continuing here, not Razzaq.

1:06 p.m. Unfortunately Hafeez's quota is now over; he went for 47 in four overs. Razzaq replacing Afridi from the other end, Australia are 86-2 after ten. Like I said, 200 is on.

1:05 p.m. One more! Watson on fire here, brings up his fifty in style. Fun stuff.

1:04 p.m. Hahaha. Watson just gets down on one knee and bludgeons it over long on for six. He didn't even look like he was trying there. This Hafeez chap is quite crap, Pup will be kicking himself for getting out to him.

1:03 p.m. Watson smacks a quicker one for four behind square, then runs hard for two to mid on. A good over for OZ, eight off it. 72-2 after nine.

1:02 p.m. David Hussey needs to be careful here. Don't try to go too hard against Afridi early on. Just settle in first.

12:59 p.m. Damn! Hafeez bowls Pup with a fairly innocuous delivery. Really? You lose a wicket to this guy? Anyway, David Hussey in, and Afridi to continue. 64-2 after eight.

12:57 p.m. Hafeez is bowling all sorts of rubbish here. A low full toss is smacked for four by Watson down to long on, the next one is short and would've been four but for a nice stop on the boundary from Sami.

12:57 p.m. Hafeez back into the attack.

12:55 p.m. Some nice bowling from Afridi, mixing it up both in terms of pace and direction and trajectory. Just the single off the over. 56-1 after 7. It's okay, our start has ensured we can have a couple of quiet overs and not really have it affect us.

12:54 p.m. Oops, sorry about that, that last boundary was from Watson, not Pup. Anyway, Afridi into the attack.

12:53 p.m. Rubbish delivery from Sami to end the over, short and going down the legside, gifting Pup his first boundary. 55-1 after six.

12:51 p.m. Crap! Warner got over excited with a short delivery from Sami, top-edged it, and holes out to deep square. Well, he did his job. 51-1 in the sixth over. Captain Clarke in.

12:48 p.m. Sami replaces the very successful Hafeez.

12:48 p.m. 48-0 after five. Like I said, I'm feeling 200 today.

12:47 p.m. Bang! Two more boundaries! One over midwicket, one to wide mid off. Now Aamer is falling apart.

12:45 p.m. Yes! Another dropped chance, though to be fair to Misbah, it was a half chance, which for Pakistan is usually a one-tenth chance. How are these guys still allowed to play international cricket? After sweeping them back home in the summer (3-0 in tests, 5-0 in ODIs and beating them in the only T20), you'd think they'd just quit.

12:43 p.m. Warner just murders a tossed up half volley down the ground. 17 in all off the over, 37-0 after four. Fantastic start. Also, there have been two additional goals at the Bernabeu, it's now 2-2.

12:42 p.m. Haha. A four, a dropped catch, a six. Oh, it's fun to play Pakistan.

12:40 p.m. 7 runs off the over then, without any bother whatsoever: just good, hard running and moderate aggression in shot selection. 20-0 after three, and I have a good feeling about this. I'm feeling a big total.

12:38 p.m. Good batting here from Australia, getting runs off every ball, even the good ones (of which Aamer is bowling plenty).

12:35 p.m. Smack! After a good start from Hafeez, conceding only two singles off the first five, Warner dances down and deposits Hafeez over long off for six. 13-0 after two. Nice solid start here.

12:34 p.m. What have we here? Mohd Hafeez, an offie, bowling with the new ball. That's too bad, I would've liked seeing Warner and Watson facing Mohd Sami on this pitch with the new ball. On target first up.

12:33 p.m. And a thick outside edge to third man for a single ends the first over. OZ 5-0 after one.

12:31 p.m. Aamer's come back well in this over after the boundary. Back on a good line and length, moving it out and in alternately. Warner needs to calm down here.

12:30 p.m. Bang! Warner smacks Aamer behind square off one that was sliding down the leg side. First boundary.

12:30 p.m. And straight away there's some nip there for young Aamer outside off, as Warner nibbles at it.

12:27 p.m. By the way, if Madrid draw today, then Barca can afford to lose away to Sevilla and still win the title if they win their other two games. Ok, back to the cricket. Warner and Watson to open for us, facing Aamer first up.

12:24 p.m. Damn. Ronaldo just equalized for Madrid. Terrible goal-keeping -- how do you get beaten near post from there? Ugh.

12:22 p.m. By the way, sincere thanks to all the people on Twitter who gave me the links to watch this game. Much appreciated.

12:19 p.m. Ravi Shastri is yelling the pitch report. Chill out, dude. Seriously. Just calm down.

12:17 p.m. Australia have won the toss and will bat first. Come on, boys! Put up 200 against these Paki cheats.

12:16 p.m. Anyway, team news: we're going with Warner, Watson, Clark, White, D Hussey, M Hussey, Haddin, Smith, Johnson, Tait, Nannes. Pakistan is going with Butt, Akmal, Hafeez, Afridi, U Akmal, Alam, Misbah, Razzaq, Aamer, Sami, Ajmal.

12:13 p.m. Despite this, I prefer Star Cricket to Geo Super which actually cut away to ads in between overs for Kurlz chips. Pretty much guarantees I'm never eating Kurlz chips in my life. Screw you, Kurlz.

12:11 p.m. I know this is horribly naive and all that, but can't cricket channels just show, you know, cricket? What's with all the bells and whistles and "analysis" and highlights packages and bimbos in skirts?

12:10 p.m. By the way, Osasuna are up a goal against Real. At the Bernabeu. Heh.

12:06 p.m. By the way, just to let you know, I'm supporting Australia in this game. After the debacle at Sydney, after Pakistan confirmed the worst suspicion of every fan alive, I decided to end this abusive relationship with Pakistan cricket. I filed for divorce, and am now rooting against it whenever I can. So: GO AUSTRALIA! WOOH!

12:04 p.m. Hey, Wasim Akram is clearly dyeing his hair, right?

Hello and welcome to Rs.5's coverage of the T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and Australia. As always, all times are local (i.e. Chicago).

Pakistan's All-Time XI

I have a blog post up on Dawn, picking the best possible Pakistan test team ever. Check it out.

Photo Of The Day

When trying to catch the ball (or staying out of your teammates' way), it might help to keep your eyes open.

Getty/Cricinfo

Idiots.

Younis Khan Won The Australia-Pakistan Test Series

I have a post on Dawn's website on the debacle at Sydney. Go check it out.

What Do Brit Hume And Mohammad Yousuf Have In Common?

Well, it's certainly not a sweet cover drive, though in all fairness, I've never seen ol' Brit play cricket.

No, I'm referring to their proclivity to evangelize when the situation really, really does not call for it. Here's Brit Hume telling Tiger Woods to convert to Christianity because, you know, he cheated on his wife and stuff, and he needs to find a redemptive faith (no, seriously).



And this is what Yousuf was up to last month in New Zealand:

Yousuf told people there that he tries to preach Islam on his cricket tours abroad, saying that he invited top cricketers like West Indian great Brian Lara and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori in a bid to provide them with a better understanding of Islam.

“We had a session with Brian Lara when he came to Pakistan and told him things about Islam he didn’t know,” said the Pakistan captain, who began his cicketing career as a Christian but converted to Islam in 2005 changing his name from Yousuf Youhana to Mohammad Yousuf.

“When we were in New Zealand last month, I invited Vettori for a similar session,” he said.

Sigh.

Liveblogging Pakistan Vs. Australia 2nd Test Day 2

1:04 a.m. And that's the end of the day's play. Australia will have one wicket to get tomorrow morning. Our lead is 204, a pretty sizable one, due mainly to the gritty effort of the openers, and a couple of sparkling 40s from Yousuf and Umar. It could've been a lot more but we shouldn't get too greedy I suppose. That's it from me for this test, the work week is here which means I won't be live-blogging any of the remaining days. Let's hope our bowlers can do at least half as good a job as they did in the first innings tomorrow. Thanks for following and bye.

1:03 a.m. All sorts of problems with my feed here. Feed guy has really let me down today.

1:02 a.m. That crazy shot, mind you, was four balls before the close.

1:00 a.m. Hahaha. Sami swings wildly against Watson, and nicks it through to Haddin. Another crazy shot, but I guess that's understandable from a tail-ender. He too did a fair job, Sami. Our lead is 204, and Asif is in.

12:58 a.m. Don't know what happened there, but Dani gets a single to third man. 330/8, lead of 203.

12:57 a.m. More problems with my feed.

12:55 a.m. What a shot by Sami! He just lent into one from Johnson and it sped through the covers for four. Pushes the lead past 200, we're 329/8.

12:53 a.m. Well I should definitely make a note of appreciation for our performance today. Could we have played better, particularly after tea? Hell yes. But overall, we've done really well. The openers did their job, and the middle order -- while not carrying on from starts -- at least ensured we always had handy little 40-60 run partnerships until the collapse after tea.

12:52 a.m. Sami gets a single off the last ball to keep the strike.

12:50 a.m. And he's gone. That was on the cards, to be honest. Gullee plays his golf shot to midwicket, it goes straight to Bollinger at midwicket, and that's that. Eight down now for 323. A nice little partnership there. Can Dani hang around a little bit and push this lead past 200?

12:49 a.m. He's getting real adventurous, Gullee. Gives himself room and tries to swat it through the off side. Swings and misses.

12:48 a.m. Anyway Watson to bowl to Gullee.

12:46 a.m. The commies are having a real laugh at Sami's expense, as HotSpot shows that exactly where that ball hit poor Sami.

12:45 a.m. Hahahahaha. Sami gets hits in the nuts and Warney has the line of the day: "Don't rub 'em, count 'em." Classic.

12:42 a.m. Gullee edges Johnson, but it's too wide for Haddin and too short for North at first slip. They get a single for their troubles.

12:40 a.m. Johnson replaces Bollinger, who got some cheap wickets there.

12:39 a.m. Hahaha. Sami charges and swings across the line like a baseball player. He edges it of course (who the hell would middle a shot like that?) and it goes over the slips for four. 322/7, the lead is 195. Handy little partnership here of about 30 odd.

12:38 a.m. Gullee batting like a top-order player here, taking the single to deep point by just tapping it. Play him as an all-rounder?

12:36 a.m. And now Sami into the act! He smacks the newly introduced Watson over the covers for three.

12:35 a.m. Good over for us. 314/7, a lead of 187. If these guys sand Dani (I have no hope for Asif with the bat) somehow, some way can get us to above 350, they would've done their job and more.

12:34 a.m. Four more! Replay of the ball two balls ago. Going round the wicket, Bollinger has conceded 13 runs in two legal deliveries.

12:33 a.m. And Bollinger loses it temporarily, giving Gullee a bouncer that was well down the leg side. Haddin had no chance. Five wides. 310/7.

12:33 a.m. Bang! Gullee smacks a Bollinger pitched up delivery through the covers for four. Man do we need these runs.

12:31 a.m. Well left, Gullee.

12:30 a.m. Maiden over, score remains at 301/7, lead of 174. I have to wake up in six and a half hours, by the way. Good times.

12:28 a.m. Sami showing more discipline here than Misbah and Kamran combined. It's just a shame that (a) none of the top five, all of whom got decent scores, went big, and (b) neither of six and seven sized up the situation and realized we need to be batting tomorrow. Pity.

12:27 a.m. More drama here. Sami walks across his stumps, gets hit in front, looks a touch high, but the Aussies go up. Ashoka says no, Ponting chooses to review, and sure enough, it's high. Sami survives for now.

12:24 a.m. Now he gets two to square leg with a thick inside edge, raising our 300. 301/7, a lead of 174. This has been their session, no question. Their first of the match.

12:24 a.m. Haha. Gullee ducks into a Bollinger bouncer, and it flies to fine leg for four leg byes.

12:22 a.m. This has been so frustrating to watch. We've thrown away a chance to bat them out of the game. At 200-2, we would have legitimately ended up with 450 or something, a lead of 325. Now? They'll be feeling pretty okay, Australia.

12:20 a.m. Lead or no lead, this collapse has been embarrassing. We've lost 7 for 90.

12:19 a.m. Haha. And now it will be 2 out of 15. Bollinger pitches well outside off, and Kamran chases it, and smacks it straight down the throat of deep point. Another really stupid shot. I mean, what are these guys thinking? Do they think we have enough? Are they that stupid?

12:18 a.m. 295/6, a lead of 168. It really is amazing the extent to which we struggle to get to 350 in a test innings. Remember the number is 2 out of the last 14.

12:17 a.m. Kamran looking good here, working a single to that man at deep cover. Brings Sami to face Siddle.

12:15 a.m. Replay off the last over, as Kamran steers Siddle for four through the slips. The commies don't really know why there's not a third man, but a deep point. They have a point there. Haha. See what I did there?

12:13 a.m. Sami solidly behind that one. He needs to support Kamran here, who in turn needs to keep his head. Australia are very much in this game -- we do not want to be chasing anything more than 150 in the fourth innings. Not with our proclivity to collapse in a giant heap.

12:11 a.m. Four leg byes off Sami's first ball. They all count. We need to get to 375. We're at 290 right now. Will Kamran and the tail be able to get us there?

12:10 a.m. We've really thrown it away this session. Yousuf and Misbah played bad shots. Umar, fine, that was a decentish ball. But we've let them back into it, no doubt about it.

12:08 a.m. We needed to bat until tomorrow, but with Misbah's inane shot, that is not less likely. The silver lining is that another failure from Misbah means Younis will be more likely to return for the third test. The fool made 11 by the way.

12:07 a.m. Gone! Misbah's gone playing the worst shot of the day. Bollinger bowled a bouncer across Misbah, who decided that this is a particularly good time to play the first hook of his career. He edges it to Haddin, who's had a good game behind the stumps, taking that safely. That was really stupid, because it now leaves Kamran with just the tail. God, we're a daft team.

12:06 a.m. And now playing for the inswing, Siddle gets one to holds its line, and beats Kamran's outside edge. It's been action packed since lunch basically -- lots of runs, lots of wickets, and lots of stuff happening. Our lead is 159 now.

12:06 a.m. Oooh. Siddle seams one in. Kamran left it, but it jagged back in and went over the stumps almost.

12:03 a.m. Four more for Kamran, as he works Siddle through the third slip region. No third man.

12:01 a.m. Bollinger charging in here, beating Misbah.The lead is 152. A hundred more, kids. A hundred more.

12:00 a.m. Hahahaha. That's the third or fourth time in the last two months that I've seen Kamran get off the mark with a four first ball. He smacks Bollinger through extra cover for a boundary.

11:59 p.m. A lot of starts from us. Imran, Butt, Yousuf, and Umar all got out between 45 and 75. No one's gone on. How much will that hurt us on days 3 and 4 when Australia look to fight back?

11:58 p.m. And the review looks like he's out. Wow, what a huge wicket. Umar gone for 49, just as we were putting the foot on their throat. Every time we look like we're about to get away, they get a wicket. Anyway, Umar goes for a sparkling 49 off 48 balls, and is replaced by his brother.

11:56 p.m. I missed some action here, but I just got back in time for an LBW appeal from Bollinger against Umar. Doctrove says no, but it's been reviewed.

11:55 p.m. And we're back. Nothing really happened I guess, since we added just two runs. The partnership is 35.

11:52 p.m. Buffering. Goddamn this feed guy has pissed me off today.

11:50 p.m. Misbah has a job to do here. He can't get bogged down and hog the strike by not taking singles. When someone's on fire like Umar, you've got to feed him.

11:48 p.m. He's got the commentators so intrigued, does Umar. There's just something about him -- he has a presence, and oomph, an aura. And he's nineteen.

11:46 p.m. A single off the last ball, keeps the strike, Umar. Lead is 141.

11:45 p.m. And again. This time cutting in a touch.

11:45 p.m. And now Siddle beats him. Umar is on 41 off 32 balls. Crazy.

11:43 p.m. It's all happening. First Siddle drops it short and wide, Umar tries to hammer it, but chops it down on the ground and lets out a scream. Then he gets hit on the pads, it's a half shout, takes off for a single, and is sent back by Misbah. Action-packed stuff, this.

11:41 p.m. Anyway, Bollinger took the new ball here. Misbah playing very cautiously, which is fine. It's 267/4. We're now at $1.41 to win, Australia are at $6.20 and the draw is at $5.

11:40 p.m. Umar's somehow on 41. What a guy.

11:38 p.m. How do we have a lead of 139? Let me check Cricinfo real quick -- I missed about fifteen minutes of action there.

11:38 p.m. Holy shit, what happened? How are we 266/4?

11:20 p.m. Buffering. Crap.

11:18 p.m. Misbah's first runs, as he glances Johnson for two. Good running. Our running has really improved with Butt's dismissal.

11:17 p.m. It whizzes past Misbah's throat. He's going to get out soon, isn't he?

11:15 p.m. Johnson to Umar. Good fielding at deep square keeps them down to one. Misbah to face.

11:13 p.m. Two for Umar off Hauritz into the leg-side. Single to follow. He looks in command, does Umar. Let's hope Misbah doesn't fuck it up for him.

11:11 p.m. That really was a terrible shot. I mean he was completely in control. He just fended at that one. He flashed, but didn't flash hard. Haddin took a fantastic catch, no doubt, but man -- that was heart-breaking.

11:09 p.m. Gone! Yousuf's gone! Against the run of play, that. He tries to guide Johnson over the slips, it was really a nothing shot, the type he used to play from 2000-2004. Throws his wicket away, and he's angry with himself, no doubt. Goes for 45, and suddenly OZ are very much in this game. They get another here, and they can keep the lead to well within reasonable proportions.

11:08 p.m. Umar edges (but with soft hands, so all along the ground) Johnson through the slips for three.

11:08 p.m. Well left by Umar. Don't chase Johnson outside off.

11:07 p.m. And a single into the off-side for Yousuf. Great running from both of 'em.

11:06 p.m. A single into the leg-side for Umar.

11:04 p.m. Yousuf pushes through the covers for two. Our lead is 105.

11:04 p.m. Hauritz is scared now, pitching it well outside off.

11:03 p.m. Yousuf into the act, moving across his stumps, and smacking Hauritz to square leg for four. The lead is above 100, 230/3.

11:02 p.m. Well apparently Umar got Johnson away for four somehow. He's up to 20.

11:02 p.m. Argh, for fuck's sake. Still buffering.

11:00 p.m. Oh no, don't buffer on me now. Not while Umar's at the crease. Come on, feed guy. Come on.

10:58 p.m. Johnson replacing Siddle. Strange decision, I have to say. Siddle's been the best bowler all day, he just got a wicket...and he's taken off.

10:56 p.m. Same shot, but flatter. Four more. I've said all series that Hauritz does not want any part of Umar Akmal. He's going to eat him alive if he keeps bowling. Anyway, 16 off the over, and Umar Akmal, it is safe to say, has arrived at the crease. Fucking hell, this guy gives me goosebumps. 221/3, and the lead is 94.

10:55 p.m. Hahaha this guy is something else. Hauritz tosses it up, and Umar smacks it to cow corner. Probably went too high rather than too far, so it's only four, not six. Lead is up to 90.

10:54 p.m. That's 8 in 2, this time cutting Hauritz for four more.

10:54 p.m. Hahahahaha. Umar smacks Hauritz through the covers for four first ball. Haddin's expression was priceless.

10:53 p.m. Faisal made 27 by the way.

10:52 p.m. And now Siddle beats Yousuf's prod outside off stump. This is the partnership where it all comes together. If it's less than fifty, OZ will be very much in it. If they bat on, well, I don't know. But suffice it to say, I'd like them to bat on.

10:50 p.m. Hahaha. What a way to go. Faisal slices a full delivery from Siddle, it goes to deep cover, where there was a man sort of half way back. Watson had to backtrack, and took it over his head. Great catch, very strange dismissal, solid partnership, and in comes the prodigal son: Umar Akmal.

10:47 p.m. You remember all those comments about "you get one on this pitch, and you can get two or three"? Our partnerships today: 109, 35, 60. Credit to each of our players for sticking it out even when they looked all over the place (Farhat and Faisal).

10:45 p.m. A no-ball followed by a delightful cut by Yousuf for four to the cover fence. He's on to 37, Pakistan move to 203/2. The fifty partnership was also brought up by the last boundary, so the milestones are coming thick and fast.

10:45 p.m. Again charges, and this time he lofts Hauritz over wide mid on for four. He's played very positively, Yousuf.

10:44 p.m. Worked for two behind to short third.

10:43 p.m. Yousuf charges, but yorks himself. Yeah, I figured he'd go after him.

10:42 p.m. And another maiden. Just settling in, we are. I do think that one of these guys will go after Hauritz soon, if he keeps bowling.

10:41 p.m. Yousuf misses a slash outside off. He needs to be careful here. We need him to be batting tomorrow.

10:39 p.m. Ooh, Siddle gets one to jump away from Yousuf. He's been their best bowler today, but strangely under-used by Ponting.

10:38 p.m. And a maiden to Faisal. I think he still can't believe that nothing happened in that last over.

10:36 p.m. Anyway, Hauritz from the other end.

10:35 p.m. Unbelievable. I can't get over that. Anyway, there was a single in the over, and it's 191/2. Lead of 64.

10:33 p.m. I can't believe they didn't appeal. I never thought that in this day and age, what with review systems and what not, a batsman can get away with a nick that huge. Hahaha. The look on Faisal's face is priceless. He's such a little rascal, Faisal. There's so much Karachi in him, it's not funny.

10:32 p.m. And we're back, and almost immediately Faisal nicks Siddle through to the keeper. In fact, it IS a nick, but only Bill Lawry appealed. They didn't appeal! The Aussies didn't appeal! There's a clear nick. Wow.

10:10 p.m. And Faisal works Hauritz behind square for a single off the last ball of the session, giving us a lead of 63 with eight wickets in hand. Yousuf is playing like he means business. 190/2 then, and I'll be back in 20.

10:09 p.m. Hauritz bowling the last over before tea.

10:07 p.m. Aha. Siddle over-pitches, and Yousuf spanks him through the covers for four. 189/2, lead is suddenly ballooned to 62. We've scored 36 runs in the last five overs, and it's all due to Yousuf playing and running positively.

10:06 p.m. Three more, but I can't tell you how because I lost pictures. Both batsmen on 23.

10:05 p.m. Nice, very nice. Faisal leans forward and drives Siddle for four through the covers. His best shot of the day, which isn't saying much I know, but still.

10:04 p.m. Straight away has Faisal feeling for one outside off.

10:03 p.m. And like I said, Siddle getting into the attack, replacing the ineffective Bollinger. Probably his only over before the break, Siddle. Faisal to face.

10:02 p.m. Yousuf paddle sweeps a Hauritz full toss for four down to fine leg. He's raced to 23, easily overtaking Faisal's 16. 178/2, and the lead moves above 50.

10:01 p.m. Faisal playing cautiously. You get the feeling he really wants a go at Hauritz, but getting out to him twice at Melbourne is probably holding him back.

9:59 p.m. Hauritz replaces Watson 10 minutes before tea.

9:58 p.m. Shot of the day. Bollinger over pitches, and Yousuf just lent into that, to long off for four. Just so good to watch, Yousuf. Like I said, Bollinger's not moving it at all, and with the angle, he's just allowing Yousuf to size him up. We've moved to 173/2, lead of 46.

9:57 p.m. Buffering.

9:56 p.m. Oooh, first false stroke from Yousuf. Bollinger drops it short, Yousuf tries to pull, gets a bottom edge, and it goes behind the wicket for four.

9:55 p.m. Really positive running from Yousuf, working it backward of square on the leg side, and he gets two easily. He's come out with intent, no doubt about it.

9:54 p.m. Yousuf pushes Bollinger between gully and point for two more. Bollinger's not really doing anything other than going across, and Yousuf is just able to line up shots through the off-side. I'd bring Siddle on for a couple overs before tea if I was Ponting. He might hurry one of these two.

9:52 p.m. Just the boundary then. 160/2, lead of 33.

9:50 p.m. Full, wide, four. Faisal smacks it over the infield over backward point, perfectly safe.

9:48 p.m. End of Bollinger's over. Not to jinx him or anything, but Yousuf looks pretty comfortable out there -- certainly more so than Faisal, who's been there for an hour longer. 156/2. Lead of 29.

9:46 p.m. And now two behind square, as Yousuf works Bollinger off his hips. Classic Yousuf shot, that.

9:45 p.m. Better, much better. Faisal drops it in front, and Yousuf calls him through for a quick single. Where has that been all day?

9:43 p.m. Beautiful. Watson drops it short, and Yousuf -- well, to say he pulled it would be too strong a word. More accurate to say he pivoted and just helped it on its way to the square leg fence. So languid, is Yousuf. It's 153/2. Lead of 26. Remember, kids. We get through to tea without any further wickets, and we have a real chance.

9:42 p.m. Drama here. Watson gets one to jag back, it hits something, and the Aussies go up. Ashoka says no, the Aussies ask for a review, and it's nowhere close to Yousuf's bat or gloves. That's a review wasted then.

9:39 p.m. Oooh. Yousuf drives Watson, gets the outside half of the bat, and it goes through gully for two. Dangerous, that.

9:38 p.m. Good single, a tap and run from Yousuf. Clark was in there in a hurry, but I think we would've been safe it it had hit. 147/2.

9:37 p.m. Good leave. That's how Johnson gets all his wickets, pitching it on the stumps and just angling it away. Have to know where your off stump is.

9:37 p.m. Nicely driven, but straight to mid-off.

9:35 p.m. Back and across, solidly into the covers.

9:35 p.m. Faisal gets a single off Johnson into the legside. Johnson to Yousuf is the key battle.

9:34 p.m. Solidly behind that one, Yousuf. Need a big innings from him here. He needs to bat a long time.

9:33 p.m. Well bowled. A nice bouncer, which Yousuf lets go safely.

9:32 p.m. Yousuf's first ball then, Watson to bowl.

9:32 p.m. Faisal needs to tighten up here. No more fucking around.

9:30 p.m. We need to get to tea without further loss. It's 40 minutes from now. No. More. Wickets.

9:28 p.m. Gone! Johnson with a huge wicket, as he gets Butt driving and nicking through to Haddin. That was an excellent delivery, moving away late after being angled in. Butt goes for 71, and you have to say, he deserved a hundred, but that's the way it goes sometimes. He's done his job, and now it's up to Yousuf and (later) Umar from here. Captain's innings, right now. Come on Yousuf.

9:25 p.m. Faisal is looking so scratchy here, I can't tell you. Another edge towards the slips, but it goes for one.

9:23 p.m. Just the single off the over then. 143/1. Mark Taylor is confused how we played so much worse on a more Pakistani like pitch at Melbourne. Listen, dude, there's no point in trying to find the logic in our play.

9:21 p.m. There we go. That wasn't hard, was it, Faisal? Tap, place, and run.

9:20 p.m. 142/1, lead of 15. As I said earlier, Butt needs to carry on. A hundred at a minimum, a big hundred would be nice. He deserves it too, he's played really well.

9:19 p.m. Butt's last fifty runs have come in basically fifty balls, or something close to it.

9:18 p.m. Phoof. Ian Chappell almost commentator curses Butt, who slashes Johnson just over the slips for four. Hey man, we'll take 'em.

9:17 p.m. Johnson continuing to Butt.

9:13 p.m. Well, if he was going to get a boundary, it would be an edge through the vacant third slip region. He moves on to a torturous seven, our lead to 11, and drinks on the field.

9:12 p.m. Again, Faisal stuck. This is so frustrating. There's no concept of thinking about the game, of its nuances, of using strategy to play around iffy form. It's just block, block, block, and then wait to get out. Very disappointing.

9:09 p.m. 134/1. "A serious lead is needed here," intones Mark Nicholas. Yes. Yes it is.

9:08 p.m. Faisal finally gets a single away. He's playing and missing like it's nobody's business. "Well, at least he's off two," jokes Slats.

9:06 p.m. Butt flays Johnson for four behind point with an upper cut. He's played well, Butt. The man goes back, so he pushes a one off the next ball. He's got to 67 in no time.

9:05 p.m. Oooh, close. Faisal almost inside edges Watson on to his stumps. Again, he's worked himself into a lather. I keep repeating myself, but I mean, I don't know what else to say: you will get yourself out if you don't look for singles at every point in your innings -- even early on.

9:05 p.m. Daaaammmn.

9:04 p.m. Faisal's stuck in mud here, no question about it. He just can't get it away.

9:04 p.m. And that bye gives us a lead of one run.

9:03 p.m. Someone should tell the Aussie commies that Tony Greig is actually pronouncing "Akmal" incorrectly, so there's no need to be impressed by him.

9:01 p.m. Faisal's on 2 off 28 by the way.

9:00 p.m. Holy shit, that was a great ball. How that missed both Faisal's outside edge and the off stump I'll never know. Johnson with a beauty.

8:59 p.m. Well, pictures come back at an important time: scores are level. 127/1.

8:58 p.m. My guess, by the way, for the last time we had a first innings lead on OZ has to be Hobart, 1999.

8:56 p.m. Sigh. Buffering. I'm about to throw something.

8:54 p.m. Again the inability to get a single. That was fairly short and fairly wide, but Faisal tried to hit it through the field, rather than tap it in a gap and run.

8:53 p.m. Ponting ringing the changes from the other end. Johnson quickly gave way to Bollinger who's had a short spell to be replaced by Watson.

8:52 p.m. 122/1 then. Inching our way to a lead. God, I can't even remember the last time Pakistan had a first innings lead on Australia. Can someone look that up for me please?

8:50 p.m. He's really getting Faisal to stretch outside off to play away from the body.

8:50 p.m. Hauritz to Faisal. Come on, Faisal.

8:47 p.m. Cliche alert: if you're going to flash, flash hard. Bollinger drops short, and Butt gives it everything and it flies over the slips. Four more. Deficit is down to six.

8:46 p.m. Yeah, I spoke too soon. Disappeared again.

8:45 p.m. Crossed fingers, but it appears we're back. 117/1. Butt facing Bollinger.

8:44 p.m. This is uber-annoying.

8:38 p.m. In between paused pictures, I gathered that Butt got to his fifty.

8:34 p.m. This feed is really pissing me off. I'm getting very annoyed.

8:34 p.m. Buffering.

8:32 p.m. Nice cover drive from Butt. He's pushing harder though, making it more likely he gets an edge that carries. Gets three and moves to 49.

8:30 p.m. Bollinger replaces Johnson.

8:29 p.m. Bloody hell. Hauritz beats Faisal twice in a row. No harm done though. Wicket maiden, it's 109/1. Butt really needs to carry on here. He's the guy in form, he's the guy with the big hundred in the side game and two starts at Melbourne. Really needs to go on and get a real score.

8:28 p.m. Solidly behind the first one from Hauritz.

8:26 p.m. So much for catching your breath. Of course, Imran Farhat had to get carried away. He tries to sweep Hauritz, he edges it straight up, and Haddin takes an easy catch. So in his 4 innings, Farhat made 53. This is a key moment, we have to stay solid. The commies have been talking all day about this being a "get one, and you get a couple" type pitch. It's up to Faisal to prove them wrong. 109/1.

8:25 p.m. Phew, catch-you-breath time. We've fairly raced to 109/0.

8:24 p.m. Four more! A full pitched delivery outside off, and Butt squeezes it through the slip cordon, almost chopping it down. He moves on to 46; he's scored more runs these last fifteen minutes than he did in his previous three hours at the crease.

8:23 p.m. More runs, as Johnson strays, and Butt clips him for two through square leg.

8:22 p.m. Four more, with Butt opening the face, getting it through gully for a boundary. Hundred partnership, and someone has clearly got to these guys to be more positive in this session.

8:21 p.m. And now Farhat into the act, squeezing Johnson off the outside half of his bat for three through gully. A good throw would've had Butt in trouble, but he's safe. Good to see us ticking now. 99/0.

8:19 p.m. Beautifully played cut by Butt. This was all along the ground, and had to pierce a thicker off side field that Ponting had set after the last cut. Four more, and he moves on to 36. Farhat, by the way, reached his fifty at some point -- probably while I was being buffered.

8:18 p.m. 92/0, kids. Luck or no luck, lazy running or no lazy running, this has been an incredible opening stand. By Pakistani standards? This is positively Greenidge/Haynesque.

8:18 p.m. As a result of the previous shot, Hauritz drops short, and Butt smacks him through the covers for four.

8:17 p.m. Butt lofts Hauritz over mid off for two. Didn't hit the middle, but that's a safe shot with the field up. I'm okay with that.

8:15 p.m. I really hope someone -- presumably Waqar, since Inti doesn't have a brain -- told these two to look for singles in the inner ring. It's the easiest way to get frustrated, playing dot ball after dot ball. It keeps some momentum going, it makes you feel good about yourself, it pisses the hell out of opposing captains and bowlers, and most of all, YOU SCORE RUNS.

8:14 p.m. Okay, we have pictures. I think Hauritz bowled the first over for two. Johnson in from the other end to Farhat.

8:11 p.m. Buffering. My least favorite word in the English language.

8:08 p.m. And we're back. Frigging streaming issues. Ugh.

7:30 p.m. Yes. 84/0 then. Our session absolutely, but man it could've been different. The last hour, in particular, saw a bunch of lucky escapes. Be back in 40 then.

7:30 p.m. A couple of nice drives in this over from Butt, but straight to the fielder. Can he survive the last ball?

7:28 p.m. Siddle bowling perhaps the last over before lunch. Nothing stupid now, guys.

7:26 p.m. Hauritz of all people is ripping it. I tell you what, however we bat, Dani will have a massive role to play in their second innings. He better be up for it. Couple singles off that over by the way. 84/0.

7:22 p.m. Another over gone. 82/0.

7:18 p.m. You know what the crazy thing is? Farhat is somehow on 47.

7:17 p.m. Farhat now goes for a paddle sweep from about 17 feet outside off. He gets away with it, edging it for three. It was a no-ball too, so we get to 81/0. This last half hour or 45 minutes has been unbelievable.

7:15 p.m. Yup. Tries a huge drive, slices it, but it evades the point fielder for two.

7:14 p.m. Hauritz replaces Bollinger, who had a very short spell. I see Farhat doing something truly insane here.

7:13 p.m. Play and a miss from Butt. I'm shaking my head as I type this. How we're none down I will never know. 75/0.

7:12 p.m. And now Butt trying an over ambitious pull against Siddle. I see a wicket or two before lunch.

7:11 p.m. God we're living dangerously.

7:10 p.m. Wow. That was an easy run made to look suicidal by Imran Farhat. Butt knocks it into the offside, sets off, and because Farhat is so slow and lazy, was halfway down by the time Johnson threw it in.

7:08 p.m. A Shoaib Malim sighting. "You need a big hall for those gatherings of former Pakistani captains," Chappell says dryly.

7:06 p.m. Yeah, Ian Chappell is on the same point: that these guys don't maneuver the ball at all.

7:05 p.m. That graphic confirms the strangle: 23 runs in the last 15 overs. They've bowled well, but not that well. You need to be able to knock it around for singles.

7:04 p.m. Anyway, after all that drama, it's 73/0. I just wish someone would tell these guys that you can actually score off singles as well. They still count, you know.

7:03 p.m. And now Butt losing it, going for the big booming drive. These guys need to calm down. There's half an hour to lunch. The way to release the pressure is to knock it around and get singles. They haven't been nearly aggressive enough in their running and placement of the ball. That's why they end up trying crazy shots.

7:00 p.m. That's weird. After Watson had Farhat losing his shit, Ponting takes him off for Siddle.

6:58 p.m. I'm still shocked at those two balls last over. How this guy is still batting is completely beyond me.

6:54 p.m. Hahahahah. And now he charges and tries a cross-bat slog. Unbelievable. What's more, he could've been "stumped" because Haddin threw the ball back at the stumps, and he never bothered getting back in the crease. "How bad was that?" asks Bill Lawry. Very bad. Imran Farhat bad.

6:53 p.m. Hahaha. With his luck, Farhat should really take up residence in Vegas. He drives Watson, nicks it, but it falls just short of a diving Ponting at second slip. Everyone else's edges carry and get caught. Not Farhat.

6:51 p.m. Ooh, good finish from Bollinger, as Salman inside edges an attempted drive on to his pads. Good over. 70/0 still.

6:50 p.m. That's better. I'd like to see some more singles here. Our openers really struggle to score unless they get the ball through the field. I can recall only one tap and run all morning.

6:50 p.m. Argh, that's loose. Butt's cover drive somehow ends up to mid on. Feet not going anywhere.

6:47 p.m. One left arm quick replaces another. Bollinger in for Johnson.

6:46 p.m. Farhat's luck continues, though to be fair, that was soft hands. He edges it all along the ground for four through the slips. 70/0.

6:43 p.m. Watson switching to round the wicket for Farhat.

6:42 p.m. Ooooh, just as I say that, Butt drives uppishly. Gets to point on the bounce. Safe enough though, it's 66/0.

6:39 p.m. Butt pushes Johnson down the ground for two. Again, not trying to hit it hard. He's looked much better than Farhat, despite having fewer runs (36 vs. 23).

6:37 p.m. Watson keeping it in the channel, just outside off. I feel something giving here soon. Farhat does not have that much patience. Anyway, it's 64/0. Deficit is 63.

6:34 p.m. Oooh, it's all happening. Butt tries to turn a shortish ball from Johnson, gets a leading edge, and it goes past short leg. Have to say, luck is favoring us this morning. But then again, they had plenty of near misses yesterday too, we just don't remember them because ten wickets fell around those near-misses. But no doubt about it, things have tightened up here with Watson and Johnson settling in. We need to get through this period.

6:33 p.m. Oooh, smart. As soon as I type that, the leg gully goes to mid on, allowing a fuller length, which Johnson duly delivers, draws Butt into a drive away from his body, and he's beaten. Very nice thinking from the Aussies, just keeping them on their toes.

6:32 p.m. Johnson changing it up here, with short bowling to Butt. There's a short leg and a leg gully, and no one saving runs in front of square except for mid-off.

6:30 p.m. How does Jackie Chan always conveniently find something to throw at people chasing after him? Can someone please figure this out for me?

6:27 p.m. Well, there's definitely less chirp from the Aussies in this game. There's not a sweeter sound in cricket than silence from the Aussies.

6:27 p.m. On the move, Farhat, and is beaten. Watson keeping it steady here.

6:26 p.m. Farhat's wrist is still clearly bothering him, as the physio is out giving him another tape job.

6:25 p.m. Well played, Salman. Just a really solid defensive stroke. Bat and pad right next to each other, head over the ball, front knee bent, full face of the bat. No run, but does it matter? 62/0.

6:22 p.m. We're scoring at about two and a half in this session, which is just fine. Remember, today is an extra long day with lots of time to be added. If we bat solidly, the runs will come. If we somehow bat into the third session, my guess is runs will come a lot easier. We just have to bat and bat and bat.

6:20 p.m. Seem to have pictures back, touch wood. Watson bowling to Butt.

6:17 p.m. Well, I can tell you that we're 59/0. Deficit is 68.

6:16 p.m. This is really pissing off. What am I paying 14 dollars for 3 tests, 5 ODIs and a T20 for?

6:13 p.m. Sorry guys, streaming issues.

6:10 p.m. He got hit on the finger yesterday too, Farhat. Ended the day's play, if I recall correctly.

6:08 p.m. Oooh, that must've hurt. Watson gets one to bounce off a length to Farhat, and it hits him on the wrist and forearm. Some medical attention to Farhat here, and he looks like he might've lost feeling a little bit. A good time for a drinks break.

6:06 p.m. Nice, very nice from Butt. Tucked a good length ball from Watson on middle behind square for three. Shot of the day for me. Very well controlled. I don't want to jinx us, but we're doing well here, just ticking it over solidly and taking advantage of anything off line. Like I said, they need to not worry about anything like the score or the pitch or anything else -- just keep batting.

6:04 p.m. 55/0 then. Deficit is down to 72.

6:03 p.m. And another drive down the ground for four from Farhat, this time from a Johnson full toss.

6:01 p.m. "Pakistan with a huge opportunity." Shut up, Slats. Stop trying to jinx us.

5:59 p.m. And that's Farhat's first boundary of the day, as he drives solidly down the ground. Again, the key was that he didn't try to hit it hard. And the fifty is up, 50/0. Despite a few hairy moments, this first hour has been ours. How will OZ respond?

5:57 p.m. Farhat tries to glance Watson, it hits the thigh pad, and the Aussies go up. Ashoka shakes his head, but you never know with him.

5:56 p.m. Hahaha. This Johnson guy is so hard to figure out. To Farhat, he sprays it well down the leg side, missing leg stump by three feet, Haddin can't get to it, and they scamper a bye. The next ball to Butt is pitched back of a length just outside off, nips away, and Butt is lucky to still be there. Anyway, Watson is replacing Siddle, who had an excellent spell this morning.

5:51 p.m.The commies have a bemused tone talking about Younis' absence. Slats in particular can't figure it out. You're not the only one, Slats. 45/0. Deficit is 82.

5:49 p.m. Nice shot from Farhat, as Siddle gets too straight, and he flicks it through midwicket for three. Walked across his stumps though.

5:47 p.m. Just as the commies are talking about how Johnson's loose deliveries facilitate his wicket-taking, he drops one wide and Butt chases it. Come on, guys. Sensible. It's 42/0. Deficit is 85.

5:44 p.m. Johnson into the attack. His first over on the fifth day completely killed us. What'll he do here?

5:43 p.m. Steaming issues. Shit.

5:39 p.m. Nice shot from Farhat for two through the covers off Siddle. Big difference there was that he didn't try to smack it, he just lent into it.

5:38 p.m. We've inched to 38/0.

5:37 p.m. Farhat sets off for an absolutely suicidal run. He hits it straight to cover and starts running. Butt was gone by yards if it had hit.

5:34 p.m. Another over survived. And isn't it wonderful that batsmen have to really work to survive. Isn't this what test cricket is meant to be like?

5:33 p.m. Siddle's bowling beautifully here. He's beating Farhat and Butt for fun.

5:30 p.m. Ah, that's good to see. Butt just drops and runs. We don't do that nearly enough. The Pakistani who's the best at that is sitting in Karachi right now, playing for Habib Bank.

5:29 p.m. 35/0. Deficit is 92.

5:28 p.m. Farhat works Bollinger for two behind point. With an open face. Sigh. Even his runs make me nervous, Farhat.

5:26 p.m. What the fuck is Farhat doing? He's flashing outside off stump like this is Sharjah circa 1998.

5:25 p.m. Which is pushed into the covers for none. Nice batting there. If a guy is bowling well, you can't do anything but give him the respect he deserves, and tighten up. 33/0.

5:24 p.m. Siddle gets it too straight, and Butt taps him for two into the leg side. Just one more ball, come on.

5:23 p.m. Beats him again, as Butt is stuck on the crease. He needs to get through this over, Butt.

5:22 p.m. And now a hint of movement in. He's suddenly zeroed in, Siddle.

5:22 p.m. Peach. Siddle beats Salman outside off with one that just carries on with the angle. Can't do anything against those, except hope to miss 'em.

5:20 p.m. Bollinger, looking for that LBW, gets it too straight, and Farhat flicks him to midwicket for four. Uppish but safe. 31/0. The deficit is now under 100.

5:19 p.m. Farhat's looking very iffy here, moving well across his stumps and nudging it. How many times can a guy get LBW in the same series? I think we're about to find out.

5:18 p.m. You know, the Aussies have almost dropped as many as Pakistan in this series. I think it's about 6-3 or something, give or take a drop here or there. Anyway, the lead is exactly 100 right now, 27/0.

5:16 p.m. Dropped! Unbelievable! Siddle gets Farhat driving, it's a big nick to first slip where North puts it down. He dropped one at Melbourne too, didn't he? Haddin moved a little bit to his left, and he might've put North off, but you've got to take those. It was a nice height, and nice pace. "Pakistan-like" says Tony Greig, and he's right. Fortunately for them, Farhat is not good enough to make them pay, and will be getting out shortly.

5:15 p.m. The Aussies haven't found their lines and lenghts yet. How long before Johnson is brought into the attack?

5:12 p.m. Rush Hour 2 is on TV. God, Chris Tucker is unfunny.

5:09 p.m. Bollinger is getting some nip here, but the direction is currently lacking. Butt is leaving whatever he can.

5:08 p.m. And Salman works into the legside for a single. That's the over bowled, it's 24/0. OZ lead by 103.

5:06 p.m. Bang! Siddle drops it short, and Salman smacks it over the covers. Two keys today. One, will the Aussies try too hard, and thus bowl bad balls? And two, will our players be aggressive to punish those bad balls? On this pitch, you can get an unplayable ball at any time. You have to cash in while you're in.

5:05 p.m. Butt solidly forward.

5:05 p.m. And Butt leaves one outside the off stump, that swung more when it passed him than before.

5:03 p.m. It'll be Siddle from the other end.

5:03 p.m. Ok, I have no idea how, but somehow we've quickly moved on to 19/0. Did someone hit a boundary? Who knows? Farhat's on strike now.

5:01 p.m. God damn, my stream is already giving me issues. I do know there was a no ball there though.

4:59 p.m. And it's a good ball on the stumps that Butt taps into short leg. And the sun has made an appearance.

4:58 p.m. Anyway, it's Butt to face Bollinger first up. Alright, here we go.

4:57 p.m. I've got to say, Channel 9's production -- the intro music, the commentary, the replays, the set-up -- is all bloody awesome.

4:55 p.m. If you haven't read it already, check out Osman's excellent column on Asif.

4:54 p.m. I've disabled word verification for the comments today, to make it easier for the people following.

4:51 p.m. They say it's supposed to be sunnier today, but the pictures show a fair cloud cover. Our batting will be challenged. And think about this: if we couldn't cross 300 at Melbourne, which was about 14 times flatter than this, what are they going to do here? We can only hope for the best.

4:47 p.m. We're scheduled to get underway in about twelve minutes; it's an early start to make up for lost time yesterday due to rain. Pakistan's job today is to just bat. Don't worry about anything else -- the conditions, the score, the bowlers, the lead, the anything. Just bat.

4:45 p.m. In my humble opinion, yesterday was the best single day for Pakistan cricket since day 4 of the third test against India in 2006 at Karachi. Some may say the T20 World Cup was great, and I would agree, but test cricket is more important, and to skittle the Aussies out -- in Australia -- for 127 was just awesome. Of course, we could mess it all up today, but that won't take away from yesterday's performance. And yes, Mohammad Sami, I'm sorry for being mean.

Hello and welcome to Rs.5's coverage of the second day's play in the second test between Australia and Pakistan. As always, all times are local (i.e. Chicago).

Sydney Selections Sagas (Updated Below With News Of Aamer's Injury)

On to lighter things. I have a blog post on Dawn's website on our selection issues for Sydney: who comes in for Rauf, whether to play two spinners, and the whole Younis fiasco. Also, make sure to check the comments for the guy who calls me a jerk for being mean to Rauf. Come on, man. The dude looked positively amateurish and completely out of his league. It's not my fault he sucks.

UPDATE: Well, there you go. Aamer is out with a groin injury. The positives:

1. The test will be over quicker, so all of us will be more productive.
2. We were going to lose this test anyway because of our batting, at least Aamer will now be saved from having to endure another loss.
3. A heavy defeat may mean the return of Younis Khan for the third test.
4. We get to watch Sami again which, let's face it, can be a real treat.

Good times.

Liveblogging Pakistan Vs. Australia 1st Test Day 5

7:30 p.m. And that's lunch, as Ajmal edges it between keeper and first slip. At 249/8, we're going to score less than 350 for the 12th time in our last 14 innings. You can't win test matches if you can't make the bare minimum standard score required of test match batting line ups. I hope Younis helps, but honestly, he hasn't played a significant international innings since the Sri Lanka tour in the summer. Anyhow, that's it from me, since there's no point waiting for the last rites. Kudos to Aamer for a great performance and well done to Yousuf for his second innings and finding form. Bye for now.

7:28 p.m. Well, unless something disastrous happens in this over -- and with our morning, why wouldn't it? -- we'll make it through lunch. I'll say it again: if someone had told you at the close of play on the second day that we'll get to lunch on the fifth day, you would've laughed. We've fought hard, we just didn't keep it going for all five days. Hopefully we can improve going forward.

7:27 p.m. Calm down, Mark Nicholas. He's beating Ajmal outside the off stump, not Tendulkar. Keep it in your pants.

7:23 p.m. Ajmal sweeps Hauritz for three. His three wickets in this innings are an absolute abomination. Not one of them was deserved. Well, I guess the Aamer delivery was a good one, getting some bounce. But the Faisal and Akmal dismissals were brought about by how bad a bowler he is, not how good a bowler he is. They took him too lightly and both did something over ambitious. I guess the good thing is he will play at Sydney. I hope we take him apart there.

7:19 p.m. Haha. I love Ajmal. No one in this team has more heart and backbone than him.

7:11 p.m. 229/8. The thing is, other than Kamran, you can't really get mad at anyone. They just bowled well, and we weren't ready. I don't know if a win by two hundred runs is a fair reflection of the difference between the sides -- I think we were closer than that -- but what're you going to do? Keep in mind they declared twice, it could've been worse.

7:05 p.m. You've got to feel for Yousuf here, as Tony Greig says. I mean he's been playing well, he needed one partner to stick with him for a session. Just one. Alas.

7:02 p.m. Rauf is such a waste of space. After being dropped, he gets bowled off his pads of Bollinger. He really has no idea of what to do with the bat in his hand. And our team? Well, we've lost 50/5 this morning.

7:00 p.m. At 5:29 p.m., I said we should first try and get the target below 200 without the loss of a further wicket. We need 201 to win. We've lost four. So I guess that didn't turn out well.

6:58 p.m. My understanding is that most cricket fans in Pakistan generally wake up for the second and third sessions. I'd love to see the expressions on their faces when they get up during lunch time and realize the match is over. So much hope, so little done. I mean people were legitimately hopeful this morning.

6:58 p.m. Tries to smack it again, and gets lucky again. This Rauf is completely useless.

6:56 p.m. Hilarious. Ponting had eight guys around the bat for the hat trick, and Rauf tries to smack a loopy one outside the ground. He edges it, it goes straight up, but there's no one to take the catch because everyone's around the bat! Farcical.

6:54 p.m. And another! Hauritz gets Aamer first ball, launching forward, gets it on the shoulder of the bat, and it goes straight to Katich at short leg. That's the second hat trick chance of the morning. If it's okay with you, this live blog will stop at lunch time (if we can get there, remember it's still 35 minutes away).

6:52 p.m. Hahahaha. That is the worst shot I've ever seen. Kamran dances down at least six feet, swings like a rusty gate, misses by a long way, and Haddin could've had a beer before choosing to take the bails off. His head was not still at all playing that shot, he got too excited, and that's that. Absolutely no chance to save this game now. Aamer in.

6:49 p.m. Well, despite all our trouble, at least the runs are now coming. Akmal gets a no ball from Bollinger squeezed backward of gully for three. The first hour we scored ten runs, the next 20 minutes we've scored 35. It's now 214/5. Hauritz to continue.

6:48 p.m. Just as I say that, Bollinger gifts one down the leg side which Yousuf works away for one. Australia have bowled really well this morning, no doubt about it. Except for Hauritz that is.

6:47 p.m. Stat of the morning: it's been 36 minutes since Yousuf has scored.

6:45 p.m. Heart in mouth stuff. Bollinger appeals for LBW against Yousuf. It looked close first up, but Rudi gives it not out. Ponting asks for a review, and it's an inside edge on to his pad. Phew.

6:43 p.m. Well, Akmal is still playing his shots. Gets a two and a four with little paddle sweeps off Hauritz. The problem is (a) there's no one after this partnership that can score runs, and (b) there are no runs coming from the other end because their pacers are bowling well.

6:39 p.m. One good indicator of how lopsided a game is the extent to which the commentators start cracking jokes and having a go at each other. By that measure, it is safe to say we're barely going to make it to lunch.

6:34 p.m. It's obvious that our players think Hauritz is absolute shite. They give him no respect whatsoever.

6:33 p.m. Haha. So much for chilling out. He dances down and smacks Hauritz's last ball for six. Well, if you're going to attack, do it straight, don't cut and sweep. That was a nice shot. 200 up, 202/5.

6:31 p.m. I don't know what Kamran is doing. First he tries to sweep Hauritz from four feet outside off, misses it, and gets four byes for his troubles. Next ball he cuts one, it goes uppishly, evades the short third man, and gets a boundary. DUDE. Chill out.

6:28 p.m. Kamran flays Bollinger through the covers. First of all, that's a dangerous shot, because there's a catcher in front of square close in. Second, if you're going to get it through the infield, RUN HARD. They could have easily run four there, but only ended up with three. Anyway, it's 188/5. In the first hour of play today, there have been 18 runs scored for the loss of two wickets. So yeah, it was Australia's hour.

6:26 p.m. Double change, with Bollinger replacing Siddle.

6:23 p.m. Uh, Yousuf? You might want to put away the late cut for a while. There's a first slip, there's rough outside the off stump from the three left arm quicks in the test, and we're five down on a fifth day. For fuck's sake.

6:22 p.m. Hauritz replaces Johnson. It is one of my big regrets that Umar Akmal hasn't gotten a real bat against Hauritz. He didn't bat against him at all in the first innings. He had a little spell last night and looked really attacking. Anyway, he'll bowl to a sedate Yousuf and iffy Kamran.

6:17 p.m. Shot. Akmal drives Siddle for four through the covers. First bit of assured strokeplay from him.

6:12 p.m. Yousuf living very dangerously here. To be fair, Siddle's bowling well. The commies are right: they've just come really hard at us. They were ready and pumped, we were asleep.

6:10 p.m. Beats him again. This could get ugly very quickly.

6:10 p.m. Jaffer. Siddle bowls one that comes in and then leaves Yousuf. Can't play those, can only hope to miss 'em.

6:07 p.m. Kamran, after half an hour at the crease and twenty deliveries, gets off the mark finally. With a flashy drive backward of point. I hope that settles him, because he's looked all over the place this morning.

6:04 p.m. And Yousuf brings up his fifty with a dicey single. He's played well, Yousuf. Really well.

5:58 p.m. In hindsight, the day's close yesterday could not have come at a worse time. Both Umar and Yousuf were batting really well and had good momentum going. Having to reset today basically cost us big. Anyway, Siddle continuing.

5:58 p.m. Haha. The betting odds tell their own story. We were $4.40 to win at the beginning of the day. We're above $20 now.

5:57 p.m. As I say that, Yousuf squeezes Johnson for two behind point off the back foot. Reaches 49.

5:56 p.m. I don't think we've scored a run in about four overs.

5:54 p.m. I guess they're going to try to play out for the draw now, which is going to be very hard, because now that Ponting has no fear of us winning, he can pack the field with catchers and close fielders.

5:51 p.m. Kamran looks very jumpy. Can't blame him to be honest. I'm shell shocked, and I'm not even playing. Can you imagine what the dressing room feels like right now?

5:46 p.m. Alright, silver lining time. At the end of day 2, when they had piled on 450 and we were 100/4, having lost Yousuf to the second last ball of the day, who thought we'd take this game into the middle of the fifth day, which is when it will end? We've played well over the last two days, keeping day 3 to a draw and winning day 4. We just had two really bad days first up, and hopefully we've learned our lessons. We will do better in Sydney, I am sure of it.

5:44 p.m. I really can't get over how quickly they killed the game. One over!

5:41 p.m. Siddle to bowl from the other end.

5:39 p.m. Well Kamran survives, but this game is over. Unbelievable. It took five balls, the day's first five balls, for them to kill us. Well done, Aussies. Well done.

5:39 p.m. Wow. Talk about having the stuffing knocked out of you. Johnson's on a hat trick by the way.

5:37 p.m. And Misbah's gone first ball! I think I can stop live blogging now.

5:36 p.m. Well, we've had our hopes, however slight they were, taken from us before the game's really even gotten underway.

5:36 p.m. I have to say, there was some doubt there. He took it clean, but the ball might've touched the grass as he was coming up. I donno.

5:35 p.m. And he's gone. Sigh.

5:33 p.m. Drama here, as Akmal edges it to Haddin. It's gone upstairs since there's some doubt about whether it was clean. If he's gone, the game's over.

5:32 p.m. Solidly behind each of his first two balls.

5:31 p.m. And Yousuf works it off his hips for one. Umar's first ball.

5:29 p.m. Baby steps, kids. Baby steps. Let's get the target to below 200 without further loss. Anyway, it'll be Johnson to start. I feel him and Watson will hold the key for OZ today. Alright, here we go, Yousuf to face.

5:26 p.m. I will say this though: if one of Umar or Yousuf get to lunch, we have a shot. If both get to lunch? Hmmm.

5:18 p.m. I am incredibly proud of this team though. Over the last two days, they've really shown fight and actually gone at the Aussies, which is essential if you want to have a chance. Win or lose, the approach of the batsmen and the intensity of the bowlers over the last two days has really warmed my heart. And it bodes well for the rest of the series, especially with Younis (presumably) and Kaneria (most likely) and Gul (preferably) coming back into the side.

5:14 p.m. On the message boards and so on, there seems to be quite a bit of optimism. I hate to be a wet blanket, but this optimism is misplaced. As I've noted before, we've crossed 350 twice in our last 13 test innings. We are prone to collapses. And who can forget the first test in SL this summer, when at 80-2 needing 90 more, we lost by 50 runs?

5:12 p.m. The situation is simple: we need 250 more runs. Australia need 7 wickets, but given our tail, they only really need four. A minimum of 90 overs. A draw, in other words, is highly unlikely. Not as unlikely as a Pakistan win, but unlikely nonetheless.

Hello and welcome to Rs.5's coverage of the fifth and final day's play of the first test between Australia and Pakistan at the MCG. I normally would not be live blogging two days in the same test (I did day 3) but extenuating circumstances have forced me into my Man Chair, laptop in lap, and fingers ready to do. As always, all times are local (i.e. Chicago).