Australia mourned the loss of a cricket legend before they endured a frustrating time in the field against Pakistan on the opening day of the first Test.
Rod Marsh, a great of the Australian game, passed away at the age of 74 on Friday. The former wicketkeeper played 96 Tests for his country and famously teamed up for 95 dismissals with paceman Dennis Lillee.
Both teams observed a minute's silence in tribute to Marsh before the start of play in Rawalpindi, but Pakistan went on to impress in their first home Test against Australia in 24 years, with Imam-ul-Haq's unbeaten 132 from 271 balls leading the way.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam promised the tourists – who top the ICC Test Championship rankings after their Ashes thrashing of England – a stern challenge and so it turned out, with the hosts, who won the toss and elected to bat, reaching 245-1 at stumps.
Openers Abdullah Shafique (44) and Imam put on a 100 partnership in the first session, though Australia got a timely wicket when the former clipped to visiting skipper Pat Cummins off Nathan Lyon's bowling just before lunch.
Yet any Australian confidence was chipped away as the day wore on and Imam's maiden Test century arrived when the 26-year-old sent a Mitchell Starc delivery through the covers for four, with Azhar (64) moving to a 35th half-century in the longest format soon after.
Australia took the new ball with Pakistan on 235-1 from 82 overs, yet there was no late slip-up from the batsmen.
Imam marks his comeback in style
Imam had not featured in a Test for Pakistan since doing so against Australia in December 2019, when he scored two and then got out for a duck in a heavy defeat in Adelaide.
Yet the opener was sensational this time out, with his tally including 15 fours and two sixes, and he will go into day two looking to build on a fantastic first Test ton.
To make matters worse for Australia, Pakistan have Babar to come in next. He has scored two centuries and a half-century in his four Tests at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where he averages 110 in the longest format.
Reliance on Lyon backfires
The onus was on Lyon to make the difference for Australia, given he was the sole full-time spinner selected for this Test, and that decision might prove a costly one.
Lyon was hit for 87 for his one wicket, and though Marnus Labuschagne (17-0), Steve Smith (5-0) and even Travis Head (13-0) were given a go, none could make the desired impact.
Alcaraz's pursuit for third straight Madrid Open crown continues
Carlos Alcaraz boosted his hopes of a third straight Madrid Open title as he comfortably beat Thiago Seyboth Wild to reach the fourth round on Sunday.
Back in his home country of Spain, Alcaraz eased to a 6-3 6-3 triumph to set up a fourth-round clash with Jan-Lennard Struff, whom he beat in last year's final.
The first six games of the opening set went to serve, but Alcaraz found a crucial break in the seventh and ninth games of the set to put him in pole position for victory, a lead he would not relinquish as he overcame being broken in the seventh game of the second set to seal his safe progression.
Holger Rune was a surprise casualty as the world number 12 was defeated 6-4 4-6 6-3 by Tallon Griekspoor, though world number eight Andrey Rublev eased through with a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Data Debrief
With his triumph over Seyboth Wild at the Madrid Open, Alcaraz has now won 93.3 per cent of his games at the tournament. That is the highest win percentage of any player with at least 10 games played in a single ATP-1000 event since the format was introduced in 1990.
Against Seyboth Wild, Alcaraz won 27 of his 31 first-serve points, also recording 19 winners to his opponent's 10 as he dominated the contest on his way to victory.
IPL: Gaikwad inspires CSK to emphatic victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad
Ruturaj Gaikwad inspired Chennai Super Kings to a 78-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
CSK lost by six wickets to Lucknow Super Giants in their last outing, but they bounced back in emphatic fashion on Sunday.
Captain Gaikwad was in rampant form, plundering 98 runs from 54 balls, a knock that included 10 fours and three sixes, while Daryl Mitchell added a useful 52.
Tushar Deshpande subsequently picked up the mantle with the ball, taking 4-27, including dismissing Hyderabad's top three - Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Anmolpreet Singh.
Aiden Markram offered some resistance with a 26-ball 32, but once skipper Pat Cummins also fell to Deshpande, the game was all but up.
Jaydev Unadkat was the final one to tumble, as Hyderabad were bowled out for 134 and saw CSK move above them into third in the standings.
Data Debrief: Gaikwad on Kohli's heels
With 447 runs across nine innings, Gaikwad is now second on the list of leading run scorers in the IPL this season, behind only the great Virat Kohli (500).
Gaikward, though, has the better strike-rate at 149.49, while he is averaging 63.86.
Hayley Matthews leads from the front as West Indies Women take 2-0 lead over Pakistan Women with seven-wicket victory at Karachi
In yet another stunning performance, West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews led her team to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Pakistan Women, securing a 2-0 lead in their five-match T20 series in Karachi on Sunday.
Matthews showcased her all-round prowess by first starring with the ball, taking an impressive 3 wickets for just 25 runs to restrict Pakistan Women to 121-7 in their allotted 20 overs. Despite a resilient 55 from Muneeba Ali, the hosts struggled against the visitors’ bowling attack, with Matthews leading the charge. She received support from Chinelle Henry, Karishma Ramharack, and Afy Fletcher, each claiming a wicket to stifle Pakistan’s batting efforts. Matthews also contributed to a crucial run-out that ended Pakistan’s innings.
With a manageable target of 122 for victory, Matthews continued her dominance, opening the batting for West Indies Women. She began her innings aggressively, smashing 10 boundaries on her way to a match-high 58 runs off just 43 balls. Her attacking display laid a solid foundation for the run chase.
Supported by contributions from Shemaine Campbelle (21) and Chedean Nation (unbeaten 17), Matthews guided her team to victory in emphatic fashion, sealing the win with 10 balls to spare.
Matthews’ outstanding performance with both bat and ball underscores her invaluable role as a leader and key player for the West Indies Women’s team. Her contributions have been instrumental in securing consecutive victories against Pakistan Women, setting a strong foundation for the remainder of the series.
The West Indies Women will look to build on this momentum as they aim to maintain their winning streak and clinch the series against Pakistan Women in the upcoming matches.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
