Taylor ignores lure of the marks

At the close of the third day Pakistan were 329 for two in reply to Australia’s first innings 599 for four.

Taylor had equalled Sir Donald Bradman’s highest Test score of 334 by an Australian yesterday but opted to declare rather than push on towards Brian Lara’s record score of 375.

“There are two reasons for that,” he said. “I want to win series in the sub continent and this is the only way I can be bracketed with Bradman.”Pakistan began their reply in belligerent fashion, Anwar and Aamir Sohail putting on 45 by the ninth over before Sohail mishooked Glenn McGrath to long leg and was caught by Damien Fleming for 31.Anwar and Ijaz continued to scorebriskly on a placid wicket and Anwar completed his seventh Test century and second in succession in this series immediately after tea.He eventually fell to off-spinner Colin Miller, caught behind by Ian Healy for 126. He hit 18 fours and three sixes and faced 226 balls.

Ijaz enjoyed a `life’ on 99 when he was put down at backward point by Ricky Ponting before completing his fourth Test century against Australia and ninth in all.

SCOREBOARD

AUSTRALIA (1st innings): MA Taylor not out 334, MJ Slater c Azhar Mahmood b Shoaib Akhtar 2, JL Langer c Moin Khan b Azhar Mahmood 116, ME Waugh c Salim Malik b Aamir Sohail 42, SR Waugh c Moin Khan b Shoaib Akhtar 1, RT Ponting not out 76. Extras (lb 9, w 3, nb 16): 28. Total: (for 4 wickets, decl): 599

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-295, 3-418, 4-431,

Bowling: Akhtar 31-6-107-2, Zahid 16-0-74-0, Ahmed 46-3-153-0, Mahmood 23-2-82-1, Sohail 42-8-111-1, Malik 16-0-63-0.

PAKISTAN (1st Innings): Saeed Anwar c Healy b Miller 126, Aamir Sohail cFleming b McGrath 31, Ijaz Ahmed not out 125, Inzamam-ul-Haq not out 31. Extras (b 4, lb 7, w 1, nb 4): 16. Total (for 2 wickets): 329.

Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-256

Bowling: McGrath 20-4-86-1, Fleming 21-4-67-0, MacGill 20-2-89-0, Miller 23-6-56-1, M Waugh 6-0-20-0.

The 300 Test Cricket Club

Australia

334 — DG Bradman v England, Headingley 1930; 304 DG Bradman v England, Headingley 1934; 311 RB Simpson v England, Old Trafford 1964; 307 RM Cowper v England, Melbourne 1965-66; 334* MA Taylor v Pakistan, Peshawar 1998

England

364 — L Hutton v Australia, The Oval 1938; 336 * WR Hammond v New Zealand, Auckland 1932-33; 333 GA Gooch v India, Lord’s 1990; 310* JH Edrich v New Zealand, Headingley 1965; 325 A Sandham v West Indies, Jamaica 1929-30

West Indies

375 — BC Lara v England, St John’s, Antigua 1993-94; 365* GS Sobers v Pakistan, Jamaica 1957-58; 302 LGRowe v England, Barbados 1973-74

Pakistan

337 — Hanif Mohammad v West Indies, Barbados1957-58

Sri Lanka

340 — ST Jayasuriya v India, Colombo 1997.

* denotes not out