{"id":5120,"date":"2022-03-19T08:22:35","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T22:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sams-blog.com\/?p=5120"},"modified":"2023-06-20T13:27:42","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T03:27:42","slug":"rawalpindi-draw-indicates-australia-still-fears-enforcing-the-follow-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sams-blog.com\/?p=5120","title":{"rendered":"Rawalpindi draw indicates Australia still fears enforcing the follow-on"},"content":{"rendered":"

The second Test<\/a><\/strong> between Pakistan and Australia, which ended in a thrilling draw in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, brought to the fore one, rather puzzling question: why is Australia so afraid to enforce the follow-on?<\/p>\n

It looks like the decision made by Steve Waugh in Calcutta in 2001 still haunts the Australian team.<\/p>\n

On that occasion<\/a><\/strong>, Australia, 274 ahead on the first innings, asked India to follow on. Thereafter, what happened is well known: Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman put on 376 for the fifth wicket and India finally waltzed out winners by 171 runs (coincidentally their own first innings score).<\/p>\n

After that loss, Australian captains have enforced the follow-on 14 times (13 wins, one draw).<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t look like Pat Cummins will go down the route of enforcing the follow-on.<\/p>\n

In Rawalpindi, Australia had a lead of 408 on the first innings, but still opted to go in for a second knock. One could, of course, argue that a team would like to have a rest after bowling out its opponent, but in this case, Australia wasn’t in the field for too long as it took only 53 overs to send Pakistan packing.<\/p>\n

And Rawalpindi is far from being at its most oppressive, weather-wise, in early March.<\/p>\n

Arguably, putting Pakistan in again, in the shell-shocked state they were in, could well have produced better results than the massive fightback they eventually produced.<\/p>\n

In Pakistan’s second innings, after Australia had batted for just 22.3 overs, neither Mitchell Starc nor Pat Cummins looked half as threatening as they had in the first.<\/p>\n

On the spin front, Mitch Swepson is too green to have a major impact; remember, even the late Shane Warne, a maestro, was massacred by the Indians when he appeared against them in 1992.<\/p>\n

The final Test will be all the more tough as a result of Pakistan’s great escape. But whatever the outcome, the first series in that country for Australia, after 24 years, has already been a great success – for the game.
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