A Pakistani fortress

A lowdown on Karachi, the venue of the third Test between Pakistan and India

28-Jan-2006

Inzamam-ul-Haq: 646 runs at 71.77 in seven Tests at Karachi © Getty Images

After two drab draws at Lahore and Faisalabad, word is that the pitch at Karachi will have more grass, will assist the bowlers amply, and will provide a decisive result. Only time will tell if all this finally happens, but a look at history suggests that we might well have our first real battle of the series between bat and ball on Sunday, and the four subsequent days. Though 17 of Karachi's 37 Tests have ended in draws, the recent record here is far more encouraging: eight results in the last nine Tests, starting from 1990-91. Moreover, Pakistan have a thoroughly imposing record here, with 19 wins and just the one loss - against England in 2000-01.

India, on the other hand, have lost twice and drawn three matches here. The last time they played a Test at the National Stadium was in 1989-90, when Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis both made their Test debuts. India collapsed to 85 for 6 in their innings and had to bat out more than a day to save the game, which they eventually managed thanks to an outstanding unbeaten 113 by Sanjay Manjrekar.

The captain winning the toss has chosen to bat 30 times in 37 games, but interestingly, only three times have they gone on to win the match. On the other hand, the team batting second has won 17 times - clearly an indication that fielding first might not be such a bad option here. Of the seven times teams have bowled first, they've won five matches and lost just once.

Here are more stats to suggest that fast bowlers will find conditions to their liking: since 1990, they have taken 175 wickets at 28.91, compared to the spinners' 117 at 34.81. But it isn't as if the spinners haven't had anything to gloat about here: of the eight ten-fors at Karachi, six have been taken by slow bowlers. The last to do it was Danish Kaneria, who claimed 10 for 190 in a Man-of-the-Match-winning performance against the Sri Lankans in 2004-05. Kaneria has had a good time in the three Tests he has played here, taking 18 wickets at 23.94.

The runs-per-wicket stat offers more proof of the merits of putting the opposition in to bat: since 1990, in the first innings, teams average 27.1 runs per wicket, while in the other three innings, the corresponding numbers are 36.5, 27.4, and 39.1. (Click here for other Test match records at the ground.)

Pakistan have been sweating over Inzamam-ul-Haq's fitness over the last few days, and with good reason: apart from being in splendid form this season, his record at Karachi is quite awesome too - three centuries in seven Tests, and an average of 71.77. Younis Khan has done well here too, but for Mohammad Yousuf, it's been a bit of a struggle at the National Stadium: just one fifty-plus score in ten innings, and an average of only 32.

Pakistan's bowling spearhead, Shoaib Akhtar, has a point to prove too. A bagful of wickets here will not only help improve his series stats, but also his average at the ground: currently, he only has nine wickets in three Tests at a rather modest 34.11 apiece.

Younis Khan Mohammad Yousuf Shoaib Akhtar Inzamam-ul-Haq Danish Kaneria Pakistan India India tour of Pakistan National Stadium

S Rajesh is stats editor of Cricinfo