On January 29, 2006, Irfan Pathan etched his name in the record books and left an indelible mark on the hearts of cricket aficionados in India with a resplendent hat-trick against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Those were the days when politics/diplomatic stand-offs left the game and India-Pakistan matches became regular affairs. However, the intensity and hype surrounding the games meant that expectations shot through the roof as usual. In our flashback segment, we revisit the events of one such unforgettable clash between the two Asian giants at the National Stadium in Karachi.
#5 A perfect set-up to Salman Butt
India, under Rahul Dravid‘s captaincy, had drawn the first two Tests of the series on lifeless pitches in Lahore and Faisalabad with the latter one featuring MS Dhoni’s maiden century. In the winner-takes-all clash at the bastion of Pakistan cricket, they won a handy toss on a surface possessing a semblance of grass cover.
The foggy and humid weather conditions provided an apt setting for swinging the new-ball. Irfan kept opener Salman Butt on his toes by moving the ball away from him. In the fourth delivery of the over, he squared-up the left-hander with one closer to the stumps and took his outside edge. Dravid, India’s greatest ever slip fielder, completed a smart catch.
#4 Younis Khan’s nervousness gets the better of him
In walked Younis Khan who was by then an established Test batsman for Pakistan. As we would often see throughout his stellar career, the best time to get him out is at the start of his innings. Despite being a nervous starter, the right-hander is extremely hard to dismiss once he gets his eye in.
This time, Irfan was waiting for him. Buoyed by the early scalp, he steamed in and produced a booming in-swinger to Younis. It was one of those deliveries that would trouble any batsman, let alone someone who was just starting his innings. The feet went nowhere and the batsman was trapped right in front. Umpire Simon Taufel had no hesitation in lifting his finger.
#3 Irfan’s mastery over Mohammad Yousuf
The in-form Mohammad Yousuf strode out to the crease even as the tension in the atmosphere reached feverish levels. 2006 would eventually turn out to be a breakthrough year for him with a record 1788 runs flowing from his blade.
But, the elegant stroke-maker struggled to decipher the left-armer’s late swing. For all the talk of Dravid being a cautious batsman, his captaincy was particularly aggressive on this occasion. Five slip fielders and three close catchers greeted the batsman.
Full of confidence and operating from his trademark high-elbow action, Irfan breached Yousuf’s defence with another big in-swinger. At 21, he became only the second Indian bowler to take a Test hat-trick. Pakistan found themselves reeling at 0/3. However, there was plenty more drama left in the game.
#2 Kamran Akmal launches a daring counter-attack
Pakistan soon went from bad to worse when Zaheer Khan and RP Singh tore through their middle-order. At 39/6, with the last recognised batting pair at the crease, they were in danger of being shot out for an embarrassing total.
But, wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal had other ideas. He launched an audacious counter-attack and hauled his team back into the contest. With all-rounder Abdul Razzaq for company, he replicated his heroics from the 2005 Mohali Test. On the back of his 148-ball 113, Pakistan managed to reach a more-than-decent 245.
Before he would turn himself into a drop machine, Kamran used to be a pugnacious customer with the bat.
#1 Pakistan complete an astonishing turnaround
Upon regaining a part of the momentum from India’s hands, Pakistan never looked back. An excellent collective display of seam bowling helped them eke out a 7-run lead. Their batsmen performed much better in the second innings and amassed close to 600 runs on a pitch that was easing up with time.
Despite Yuvraj Singh’s valiant century, the Indians succumbed to scoreboard pressure and slipped to a massive 341-run defeat. Though the result in itself remains a forgettable one for them, Irfan’s spectacular opening over gave the visitors a memory to cherish.
Brief Scores: Pakistan – 245 (Kamran Akmal 113, Irfan Pathan 5/61) & 599/7 declared (Faisal Iqbal 139, Mohammad Yousuf 97); India – 238 (Yuvraj Singh 45, Mohammad Asif 4/78) & 265 (Yuvraj Singh 122, Abdul Razzaq 4/88)
Result – Pakistan won by 341 runs
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