Last week will be remembered for the gallantry shown by two teenagers in the Brisbane and Dunedin Tests. Both were unrewarded as the West Indies lost to Australia by an innings at the Gabba, and Pakistan lost by 32 runs to New Zealand in the Dunedin thriller.
I am referring to the West Indian Adrian Barath, born on 14 April 1990 and the Pakistan prodigy Umar Amal, born a month later on 26 May 1990.
Barath, who Brian Lara ranks very highly, scored 15 and 104 in a lost cause as his country was thumped by Ricky Ponting’s men by an innings within three days at the Gabba.
Incidentally, only India’s Sachin Tendulkar had previously scored a Test century against Australia as a teenager.
Barath showed his skipper Chris Gayle and Test veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul how Test cricket should be played.
Pakistan’s Umar Akmal almost single-handedly brought his country to a near win by scoring 129 and 75, top-scoring in both innings. He is one of the few cricketers to register a century and a fifty on Test debut.
Pakistan was struggling at 5 for 81 facing New Zealand’s total of 429 when Umar was joined by his eight years older brother Kamran Akmal, playing his 44th Test. They added 176 for the sixth wicket. Umar’s 129 included 21 fours and two sixes.
In the second innings, needing 251 to win, Pakistan was well on the way with Umar Akmal playing confidently (75 runs with five fours and a six) and the score at 5 for 195.
At one point only 56 runs were needed for a win with five wickets intact. But they lost their last five batsmen for a meager 23 runs after Umar Akmal’s exit.
As poet John Whittier had said:
“For all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: ‘It might have been.’ ”
Only seven batsmen have scored more runs in their Test debut than Umar’s 204 (129 and 75). They are:
Lawrence Rowe, 314 (214 and 100 not out), WI v. NZ, Kingston, February 1972.
RE Foster, 306 (287 and 19), England v.Australia, Sydney, December 1903.
Yasir Hameed 275 (170 and 105), Pakistan v. Bangladesh, Karachi, August 2003.
Jacobus Rudolph, 222 (222 not out), South Africa v. Bangladesh, Chittagong, April 2003.
KS Ranjitsinhji, 216 (62 and 154 not out), England v. Australia, Manchester, July 1896.
Matthew Sinclair, 214 (214), NZ v. WI, Wellington, December 1999 and
Kepler Wessels, 208 (162 and 46), Australia v. England, Brisbane, November, 1982.
Big names, indeed!
Australia should not take the next two Tests against the West Indies and the 3-Test series against Pakistan lightly.
The teenagers Barath and Umar Akmal could turn the game around. Their performances should encourage Australian selectors to show faith in Phil Hughes, who will be 21 today.
It was as a 20-year-old that he became the youngest to score centuries in both innings (115 and 160) of a Test against South Africa at Durban this March. It was his second Test.
Happy birthday, Phil, and many happy returns to the Test fold!
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