Rizwan reveals special drills to counter Australian attack in Karachi Test

Pakistan's star wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan has revealed the special drills he did before the match-saving hundred in the fourth innings of the Karachi Test against Australia

The 29-year old scored a fighting knock of 104* at a crucial stage of the Test match. The home side was chasing 506 in the fourth innings and had to survive two days to save the match on a deteriorating track against a commendable bowling attack of the mighty Aussies.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a video after the match where Rizwan spoke about the scenario-based drills he practiced to prepare for the wicket, which assisted both pacers and spinners.

"I tried different drills to prepare," he said. "I asked Iftikhar [Ahmed] in the nets to use tape-ball and bowl from angles like Pat Cummins did. Then I asked Zahid [Mahmood, the legspinner] to bowl to me in the rough area around the crease where we'd made marks from our spikes. I asked him to bowl in the flatter areas as well so to pick up where the ball was skidding. This is the kind of prep and work you have to do for match situations."

Babar Azam's deputy Rizwan walked in at number six to accompany his skipper with around 50 overs remaining in the day.

The duo added 115 runs for the fifth wicket and, more importantly, batted more than 40 overs to secure the match to an extent when Babar lost his wicket on 196, opening doors for the Kangaroos once again.

The Aussies got a double strike as they dismissed Faheem Ashraf on a golden duck after the priceless wicket of Babar. Pakistan was six down with 12 overs remaining in the day, with a fierce Australian attack sensing victory.

Rizwan stood strong for the Shaheens, but the visitors kept fighting. They managed to dismiss Sajid Khan with seven overs remaining in the day.

Australia required three more wickets to pull off one of the most historic victories, but Rizwan and Nauman had other plans. The pair batted out the remaining seven overs, Where Nauman Ali was unbeaten on 0*, surviving 18 crucial deliveries and Rizwan scoring his second Test hundred.

According to Rizwan, the contribution of Nauman Ali was as crucial as his century as it helped Pakistan to save the match. 

"In victory, the value of a hundred or a zero is the same because at that time, for us, the 18 balls Nauman faced were more important for us," Rizwan said in a PCB video. "If I had scored a hundred and we had lost the game, it would've had no value. So his 0 and my hundred were [of] the same value.

"He was really compact at the crease, which gave me a lot of confidence. At stages like this, you think of getting singles on the 4th or 5th ball, but when you have a compact player at the other end, you don't need to try anything different. You don't need to look for that single or boundary."

The Aussies cornered Pakistan from the start of the match, but how the hosts saved the game will give a tremendous boost to their spirits in the Test series decider.

"Just imagine it's an international Test match, the last session of the fifth day, and the way we pulled out a draw that was historic," he said. "Surviving the last two days isn't a small thing, and that too against the world's top-ranked team."

Pakistan will now face Australia in the series decider starting from March 21 at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.