[Watch] Babar Azam's historic knock ends on 196 in thrilling chase; Aussies congratulate him
Babar Azam's marathon vigil in the Karachi Test against Australia came to an end on 196. The Pakistan skipper, however, received a warm ovation from the crowd at the National Stadium. He was also congratulated by the Australian players as he walked off.
Babar lunged forward to a Nathan Lyon delivery that spun off a full length before hitting the inside edge of his pad and popping into the hands of Marnus Labuschagne at short leg.
Take a look at the dismissal below:
And it's the end of a beautiful innings by our captain. Babar spent 607 minutes on the crease, most by any Pakistan batter in the 4th innings.
Gets the loudest cheers from NSK.
#BoysReadyHain l #PAKvAUS https://t.co/apDhYk2Uy3
Babar's 425-ball stay at the crease came to an end and stunned silence followed from the Karachi faithful. The Australian players immediately walked up to shake hands with the Pakistan skipper to acknowledge his performance.
Babar was welcomed with a standing ovation by his teammates in the dressing room and he was given a raucous ovation by the crowd as well.
#SpiritOfCricket ❤️ https://t.co/YXDrZZVhZK
Pakistan in trouble after Babar Azam departs
Soon after Babar Azam's dismissal, however, Pakistan lost Faheem Ashraf off the very next delivery. Nathan Lyon returned to prize out Sajid Khan as well, as the No. 8 batter nicked a delivery to Steve Smith at slip.
While the skipper was out there with Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan were on course to complete the highest successful chase in Test history. Following his departure, though, the 506-run target was all but a far shout.
With a win out of the equation, Pakistan's hopes are hinging on Mohammad Rizwan in a bid to cling on to a draw. At the time of writing, Australia need three wickets to complete a thrilling victory with six overs to be bowled on the final day. Rizwan is batting on 81 with left-arm spinner Nauman Ali for company.