BBC SPORT | Cricket | Pakistan plunge to new depths

2nd Test, Sharjah, day one. Pakistan 59; Australia 191-4

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Pakistan's cricketers were dismissed for just 59 on day one, recording their lowest ever score in Test match history.

Each nation's lowest Test score

New Zealand 26 - v England, Auckland 1954/55

South Africa 30
v England, Port Elizabeth 1895/96
v England, Edgbaston 1924

Australia 36 - v England, Edgbaston 1902

India 42 - v England, Lord's 1974

England 45 - v Australia, Sydney 1886/87

West Indies 51 - v Australia, Port of Spain 1998/99

Pakistan 53 - v Australia, Sharjah 2002/03

Zimbabwe 63 - v West Indies, Port of Spain 1999/00

Sri Lanka 71 - v Pakistan, Kandy 1994/95

Bangladesh 90 - v Sri Lanka, Colombo (SSC) 2001/02

Shane Warne was the chief destroyer, taking four for 10, including three wickets in 10 balls, as Pakistan collapsed from 41 for four to 50 for nine at lunch.

And just nine runs were added by the last wicket pair before Brett Lee bowled number 11 Danish Kaneria to complete the job.

Pakistan's total was three runs fewer than they managed against the same opposition in Perth in the 1981/82 season.

Photo gallery: Pakistan's record collapse

Skipper Waqar Younis won the toss and elected to bat but saw Lee and Glenn McGrath remove his top three batsmen in the first eight overs.

Openers Imran Nazir and Taufeeq Umar both fell for ducks in the first two overs of play.

McGrath then claimed his second wicket when Younis Khan edged into the slips for Andy Bichel to take the catch and the score was eight for three.

Last man Kaneria is clean bowled by Lee

Misbah-ul-Haq compounded the misery for Pakistan, falling to Bichel by edging him meekly to Mark Waugh in the slips.

Bichel was playing in place of the injured Jason Gillespie.

Misbah's wicket made it 23 for four. And Warne got in on the act by taking the fifth wicket to fall, trapping Faisal Iqbal lbw for four.

What went wrong for Pakistan? Have your say

The only man to reach double figures, Abdur Razzaq, became Warne's second victim when he fell to the leg-spinner for 21.

Waqar was out in the final over before lunch, lbw to Warne - this time for a duck - in a session in which Australia's bowlers could do no wrong.

Waughs struggle

Australia gave a much more convincing performance when they batted, Matthew Hayden finishing on 74 not out at stumps.

Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting added valuable support, though the Waugh brothers managed just two runs between them.

There must be some doubt now as to whether they will still be in situ for the Ashes series.

Australia: Steve Waugh (capt), Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Bichel.

Pakistan: Waqar Younis (capt), Taufiq Umar, Imran Nazir, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Abdul Razzaq, Rashid Latif, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Danish Kaneria.

Umpires: Steve Bucknor (WI), Srinivas Venkataraghavan (Ind)

Match referee: Clive Lloyd (WI).


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