Javed saved again

Press, 29 September 1988, Page 38

Javed saved again

NZPA-AAP Faisalabad The Pakistani umpire, Mahboob Shah, has once again earned Australia’s nomination for the man-of-the-match award hands down — literally. He showed on the fourth day of the second cricket test on Tuesday he still would not lift a finger to help the Australians. Consequently, the match is doomed to a draw, which would maintain Pakistan’s 1-0 lead in the series with one to play. Mahboob’s rejection of a seemingly obvious lbw against Javed Miandad confirmed in many minds the Pakistan skipper is virtually immune to that mode of dismissal in his own country.

In a test career spanning 12 years, Pakistani umpires have given him out lbw on only three occasions. Javed had made only five runs at the Iqbal stadium when he played back and across the line to Western Australian paceman Bruce Reid and was caught plumb in front. But Mahboob once more assumed his corpse-like composure of the first test in Karachi which Pakistan won by an innings and 188 runs. Javed went on to score his nineteenth century in 94 tests and at stumps Pakistan was 3-264 in its second innings after trailing by five runs on the first. Australia, anchored by

skipper Allan Border’s twenty-third century in 97 tests, scored 321 in its first innings in reply to Pakistan’s 316. Javed, unbeaten on 107, was expected to declare at lunch yesterday to ensure victory was well, out of Australia’s reach. The wicket — in contrast to the Karachi strip that began to break up on the first day — has held up remarkably well and the Australians should have no difficulty surviving until stumps. The question then will be whether the Pakistan Cricket Board will once again ignore Australia’s objections and appoint Mahboob for the third test in Lahore.