The historical Test series between Pakistan and Australia, now named “Benaud-Qadir Trophy,” is starting tomorrow. Both teams have a rich history with each other, involved in some of the best matches that fans and experts alike remember well.

Both sides have played together 66 games, where Pakistan won 15 of them and Australia won 33. The other 18 were ended in a draw. 

So what better time will be to look back at some of the most entertaining matches that these two teams have played. Here are the top memorable red-ball matches in the Benaud-Qadir Trophy. 

Benaud-Qadir Trophy: Top Test matches 

1. PAK vs AUS, Only Test – Karachi, 1956

The first-ever traditional format game for both sides was taken place in Karachi. It was rather a low-scoring game, with the Men in Green coming on top of the Kangaroos. Abdul Kardar’s men bowled out of Ian Johnson’s side for 80 and 187 and were asked to chase just 69. The bowling was led by Fazal Mahmood, who took 6-34 and 7-80 in the match. Abdul Kardar’s team won the match by nine wickets. 

2. AUS vs PAK, 1st Test – Gabba, 2016-’17

One of the most exciting matches of all time, Pakistan fell just 39 short of what would have been a world record of the highest successful run-chase in Test cricket’s history. 

Misbah ul-Haq and his side were coming in the series as the number one side. They had a strong belief to end their nine-winless match streak in Australia. Steven Smith’s side set up a huge total of 429 before bowling out the tourists for 142. The hosts piled up another 202 before declaring and asking PAK to chase 490 in a mere one and half days. 

It was Asad Shafiq’s 137 that kept the Green Team in the match and was supported by Azhar Ali’s 71 and Younis Khan’s 63. Not forget to mention the lower order contributing 135 runs. However, just into the hour of the fifth day, Mitchell Starc forcefully bounced out Shafiq to wrap up the game, ending a dream. 

3. AUS vs PAK, 2nd Test – Hobart, 1999

These two teams were the strongest team in the year 1999. They met each other in the 1999 Cricket World Cup final, where Steve Waugh’s invincibles claimed the title comprehensively. The Australia tour was followed soon afterward. Wasim Akram’s side was 1-0 down in the red-ball series and had to win the game to level the series. This match was mostly remembered as biased umpiring, giving Australians an escape from dismissals. 

Strong second-innings performance from Inzamam ul-Haq (118), Ijaz Ahmed (82), and Saeed Anwer (78) sets the Australian team a target of 369. Wasim Akram’s bowlers had them limping at 126-5 before Justin Langer and a young Adam Gilchrist walked out on a mission. 

The incident happened when AUS were 234-5 and Akram nicked Langer through keeper Moin Khan, but the umpire Peter Parker did not move. There was indeed a sound, but Langer denied this for years. Eventually, the batter revealed the truth in 2016 that he indeed nicked it off. Langer (127) and Gilchrist (149*) helped the hosts win the match by four wickets. 

Also read: Pakistan Test Cricket in 2021

4. PAK vs AUS, 3rd Test – Karachi, 1994

One of the most famous wins for the Men in Green and it was the seventh 1-wicket win in the longest format’s history. 

The three-match series was 0-0 before coming in the third game. During the match, the Kangaroos were led by Mark Taylor and had dominated the first half of the game. They had a lead of 81 runs and they were on the verge of putting up a huge total when they were 171-2. What was followed was an iconic collapse by the Wasim-Waqar duo. Taylor’s boys lost 8 wickets for 61 runs and Saleem Malik’s boys were asked to chase 315. 

It was a seesaw kind of a chase before PAK lost their 9th wicket at 258, still needed 56. Inzamam (58*), along with Mushtaq Ahmed (20*), shared a brave vital stand and knocked off the remaining runs to record a famous 1-wicket win. 

5. PAK vs AUS, the UAE series, 2014

It was perhaps the most important series for Misbah ul-Haq and his players as they had not won a test series against Australia in 20 years. They even won only one game against them in this time frame. On top of that, Men in Green were coming off a 4-0 loss in white-ball games where they received heavy criticism. 

In the first game, Younis Khan’s twin scores of 106 and 103* set up the side’s platform. He was supported by Sarfaraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad with their maiden tons against Aussies to put on totals of 454 and 286-2 (d). In the bowling, newbie Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar spun their web around the Aussie batters by sharing 14 wickets in the match. The home side won by 221 runs. 

In the final match of the series, once again Misbah and his men once again had Michale Clarke’s men under trouble. In batting, again Younis Khan was unstoppable, scoring 213. He, Misbah (101), and Azhar (109) put on 570-6 (dec) before bowling out Aussies for 261.

With the massive lead of 311, Azhar once again scored his ton, remaining not out on 100. But in this innings, it was the captain Misbah, who scored the then joint-fastest hundred in 56 balls. His rapid-firing innings helped stretch the lead to 602. 

The tourists had no answer despite fighting hard to draw. They lost their final five wickets for just eight runs as the Green Team won by 356 runs, their now second-largest victory in terms of runs. 

Did you enjoy our list? What is your favorite Test match? Comment below and let us know. 

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