Stumps Day 3 - Australia 84-2, leading by 300 runs
In the third innings after three days, that’s our position. Pakistan batted doggedly through much of the first session, losing only the nightwatchman Shahzad as Babar settled in with Imam. But just before lunch a rush of wickets undid that good work – Babar nicking one from Marsh, Imam stumped charging Lyon, and Sarfaraz losing his off stump to a Starc pearler.
That left Pakistan with way too much to do, although Shakeel and Salman chipped in with 28 apiece. They were bowled out 216 behind, Lyon taking three wickets as the Australians shared those around. Then there was some interest as Warner and Labuschagne fell before Australia had more than five runs on the board, but Smith and Khawaja quenched that small tendril of smoke before it became fire.
Australia will resume tomorrow with the game in their hands, looking for a declaration at some point unless Pakistan’s bowlers can do something dramatic. We’ll see you then.
33rd over: Australia 84-2 (Khawaja 34, Smith 43) Shaheen bowls short to Smith, unsurprisingly, who ducks one ball then drops another away to short third for a run, taking the lead to 300. Khawaja ducks a couple more, and that is that.
32nd over: Australia 83-2 (Khawaja 34, Smith 42) We would have got three overs if not for the Smith medical break, but that soaks up a good couple of minutes. Finally he’s ready to go on, but has a long chat to Khawaja first. But Salman Agha comes back, so maybe we’ll get through an over of spin. Khawaja cuts a run. Smith leaves down leg. Slip and short leg waiting. Drives to long on, one. Khawaja blocks three balls quickly enough aaaaand… we will get one more over, with a minute left on the clock as the umpire gets in place.
31st over: Australia 81-2 (Khawaja 33, Smith 41) Into the last few overs of the day, Smith guide a run fro Shaheen, who has had an ineffective Test match. Khawaja glances another. Smith lets a rearing ball hit him on his arm – it’s up above the elbow but maybe hits the forearm on the way through. He’s wearing one of those mini arm guards that always seem pointless, compared to wearing the full thing. Getting some physio attention at the end of the over, he’s not comfortable.
30th over: Australia 79-2 (Khawaja 32, Smith 40) Jamal gets wided to start his over, the bouncer too high outside Khawaja’s off stump. Anticipating the mode of attack, Khawaja plays a delicate pull that goes straight of mid on, tapping the ball away. Two runs.
29th over: Australia 76-2 (Khawaja 30, Smith 40) Heart in mouth for Smith! Goes back and hooks Shaheen over fine leg, top edge from an instinctive shot, and there’s a man down there on the fence but it just clears him. Six runs. Smith wasn’t in position to play that, just threw hands at it as Shaheen bounced him from over the wicket.
28th over: Australia 69-2 (Khawaja 29, Smith 34) It’s been tidy but largely unthreatening from Salman, six overs for 13 runs.
27th over: Australia 67-2 (Khawaja 28, Smith 33) Shaheen comes back. Smith isn’t bothered, driving him down the ground and then through cover, two runs each time. Slip and leg slip for Smith, the left-armer coming around the wicket. Fields well off his own bowling at cover and throws down the striker’s stumps, but Smith hasn’t left home. That’s a no ball too.
26th over: Australia 61-2 (Khawaja 28, Smith 28) Agha Salman burns through another quick and quiet over.
25th over: Australia 60-2 (Khawaja 28, Smith 27) Shahzad with the short ball, Smith steps inside the line and tugs a single behind square. Round the wicket for Khawaja, who continues to leave with discipline… but edges the one he has to play! Angling in slightly, holds its line off the pitch, Khawaja has to cover off stump and he nicks it just past second slip for four. Frustration for the bowler, who won that contest. Another edge – fatter and safer – follows, two runs through backward point.
24th over: Australia 53-2 (Khawaja 22, Smith 26) Almost something for Salman! Leading edge from Khawaja, it heads back towards the bowler but drops short as he takes a few steps wide of the crease to try reaching it. That comes after Khawaja drives three through the covers and gets the strike back from Smith. 40 minutes of play left with added time.
23rd over: Australia 49-2 (Khawaja 19, Smith 25) Eight overs down for Shahzad now, 2 for 12 his figures as this over gives a single to Khawaja and nothing more.
22nd over: Australia 48-2 (Khawaja 18, Smith 25) Smith happy to defend most of the over of spin from Salman, cutting one ball for a couple of runs.
21st over: Australia 46-2 (Khawaja 18, Smith 23) Shahzad is around the wicket now to Khawaja, hitting a decent length outside the off stump. At one stage Khawaja shuffles forward at him, then drops his gloves out of the way of a rearing ball. Bouncer over the front shoulder follows, good one at about helmet height that Khawaja ducks. Another to follow, Khawaja kneels beneath it. Shan and Shaheen chat with the bowler as he walks back, one to come in the over. Two slips, gully. Pitched up, driven square, they take on the arm to the sweeper and Smith makes it back to the far end for two.
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20th over: Australia 44-2 (Khawaja 16, Smith 23) Khawaja pushing off breaks back to the bowler, until he’s able to drive the final ball of the over down the ground for one.
19th over: Australia 43-2 (Khawaja 15, Smith 23) Shahzad comes back. A shuffle, a glance, four more for Smith.
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18th over: Australia 37-2 (Khawaja 15, Smith 18) Bit of spin. Why not. Agha Salman bowled a lot in the first innings. Cruisy start here, three singles.
17th over: Australia 34-2 (Khawaja 14, Smith 16) Good yorker from Jamal, gets the radar up to 136 which is quick for him. Tails in a bit, I fancy. Khawaja keeps it out. Picks up a one and a brace in the over.
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“Even as an England fan, it’s great to see Nathan Lyon back on the park,” writes Guy Hornsby. “He’s such a class operator, and I hope he reaches 500 in this game. I’m also really excited about seeing him up in Manchester at Old Trafford next summer. That’s some signing.”
Yes, he’s got the whole season at Lancs in all formats, unless he’s an unlikely call-up for the T20 World Cup in June. Not a great deal happening for Australia overseas next year – NZ Tests in Feb and some white-ball stuff around September.
16th over: Australia 30-2 (Khawaja 11, Smith 15) Faheem dials down the runs in this over, just a single to Khawaja and a no-ball. There’s the occasional irregularity happening from this surface though, he gets one to bounce sharply at Khawaja. We’ve seen a couple of those, the Warner one that kept low, the one that Cummins got to jag sideways to miss leg stump on the ball-tracking. Bodes poorly for Pakistan batting last.
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15th over: Australia 28-2 (Khawaja 10, Smith 15) Just keeps a ball out of his pads, Khawaja, sending it to fine leg for one. Has the Pakistan cordon hopping at the proximity to lbw. Jamal digs one in to Smith, who misses his pull to a ball down the leg side, the keeper collects.
14th over: Australia 27-2 (Khawaja 9, Smith 15) Smith is coming right across his stumps in the style of old, then leaving Faheem when the ball is wide of him, driving to mid on when it’s straighter. Two slips and a gully still. Eventually Smith gets something that he likes, not overpitched by much but enough to let him scorch the extra-cover drive.
13th over: Australia 23-2 (Khawaja 9, Smith 11) Khawaja happy to keep playing the pull against Jamal, another couple.
12th over: Australia 20-2 (Khawaja 7, Smith 10) Double change, Faheem Ashraf on from the Langer End. Suddenly the runs start to flow. Khawaja drives two, pulls one. Smith drives two down the ground, then clobbers a short wide ball behind point for four. Adds a single in the same direction. Five scoring shots in the over! Ten runs!
11th over: Australia 10-2 (Khawaja 4, Smith 3) Aamer Jamal on for his first over of the day, and Khawaja is slowly rousing from his slumber, tapping a quick single to cover. Smith clips a couple of runs square.
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10th over: Australia 7-2 (Khawaja 3, Smith 1) First ball of the over single for Smith, in true Smith style off the pads wandering across. That leaves Khawaja to absorb more Shahzad bowling, before glancing a run himself to end the over.
9th over: Australia 5-2 (Khawaja 2, Smith 0) Khawaja has looked at Imam’s innings and decided he likes it. Faces out another six dots from Shaheen.
8th over: Australia 5-2 (Khawaja 2, Smith 0) So where’s this game at? Australia led the first innings by 216. So, they really only need to make 150 in this third innings to have the game on their terms. I wouldn’t say that Pakistan are in it – somebody will make runs. But it’s an ideal start considering the position they are in. Steve Smith to the middle, leaves the rest of the Shahzad over.
WICKET! Labuschagne c Sarfaraz b Shahzad 2, Australia 5-2
There goes another! Unconvincing pull shot does the job again, to a ball that isn’t that high. This one is more angled in at the sternum of Labuschagne, who flaps across the line at it. Looping top edge to short fine leg that has enough hang time for the wicketkeeper to get back under it.
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7th over: Australia 5-1 (Khawaja 2, Labuschagne 2) A glanced single from Shaheen’s over.
Khayyam emails in. “Hi Geoff, I’m in the office in Switzerland, having my last day at work before I finish for xmas, and so just killing time before the day is up, eating croissants and drinking tea! A question for you, with regards to this test series, what is the narrative? Australia at home, so should win comfortably? Pakistan with a decent side could do something in Australia? I suppose the real question is, what is the point of this Test series? Thanks for the OBO today – don’t know how I will fill my day once the cricket is done!”
You’re very welcome. I guess you can argue there’s no specific point to any Test series, or any tournament for that matter. The point is for people who are really good at something to try something difficult, and for the rest of us to enjoy watching what they can do. As far as the story goes, Australia winning comfortably at home is very much the way of the world, aside from the occasional visits from teams with top-class bowling attacks: this century that has been three South African tours, two Indian and one English.
6th over: Australia 4-1 (Khawaja 2, Labuschagne 1) Trouble for Labuschagne here. Smashed on the glove by Shahzad, a ball rising sharply to squash his bottom hand, and that deep short leg is almost in the game with a catch. The physio is tending to Marnus. The little finger on his right hand is the problem, he’s grimacing as the hand is manipulated. He’s going to continue, luckily he got a run there so he gets a moment at the non-striker’s end. Shahzad has been a tricky customer consdiering that in this over the speedo has registered between 127 and 130 kph.
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5th over: Australia 3-1 (Khawaja 2, Labuschagne 0) Ropey stuff from Shaheen, strays down leg twice. Not much use for the three slips and a gully in place for the left-hander versus the left-armer. There’s a square leg set very close, almost a short leg about a dozen paces from the bat. Indeed, he’s wearing a helmet. Fine leg, mid on, mid off and point complete the set. No run from the over.
4th over: Australia 3-1 (Khawaja 2, Labuschagne 0) I suspect that Warner’s departure means we’re in for a slow start here. Only a no-ball from this over, though Labuschagne does play a cover drive that is stopped by Shan Masood at cover.
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3rd over: Australia 2-1 (Khawaja 2, Labuschagne 0) First runs for Australia as Khawaja clips a couple square from Shaheen.
2nd over: Australia 0-1 (Khawaja 0, Labuschagne 0) Khurram Shahzad had his moments in the first innings and gets an early one here.
WICKET! Warner c Imam b Shahzad 0, Australia 0-1
Ton and none for Warner! Gets a ball that keeps very low outside off stump, which maybe gets in his head. Next ball is in at the hip, and Warner gets out playing a shot that he tried to stamp out of his game: that short-arm pull shot from that sort of height, top edged to midwicket, who takes the catch backpedalling. A dismissal Warner has endured many times in his career.
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1st over: Australia 0-0 (Khawaja 0, Warner 0) Usman Khawaja takes strike. Warner watches on. Shaheen gets a bit of lift from a good length, swings a ball down the leg side, and generally bowls a Shaheen Shah Afridi over.
Pakistan all out 271, trailing by 216 runs
No follow on, as predicted. “Absolutely,” Pat Cummins answers when Adam Gilchrist states, “I assume you’ll bat again.” No point cooking your bowlers when you have two and a half days left in the match. Which means, get ready for some Junk Time Runs™!
David Warner twin tons would be a good laugh.
WICKET! Shaheen Afridi c Khawaja b Head 4, Pakistan 271-10
Double off spin now. Travis Head with the ball. Salman tucks a run off his hip. Half the over available to Shaheen. Might only face one ball though. No, he steps across and defends respectfully, both pads facing back down the pitch. Meaning the he faces two balls. The second one he tries to slog over long on, and only hits it half the desired distance with a long journey up in the air and back down again. Khawaja is under it, Head salutes with a finger raised, and Lyon heads back to the dressing room still on 499.
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101st over: Pakistan 270-9 (Salman 27, Shaheen 4) There goes Agha Salman! Skips down, punts Lyon over mid off for four. Doesn’t clear the fielder by much. Edges another run behind point, then Shaheen clears the front leg and smears four out through midwicket. That’s his style.
17 from the follow-on. Not that Australia would enforce it even if they have the option.
100th over: Pakistan 261-9 (Salman 22, Shaheen 0) Well, they’ve faced a hundred overs. That’s something. Australia faced only 13 more overs than this and made an extra 226 runs. Salman gets a single late in the over from Starc.
99th over: Pakistan 260-9 (Salman 21, Shaheen 0) Lyon hunts 500. Agha Salman plays a reverse! Gets a single, just past Smith at slip who was interested in the catch. Leaves Shaheen with five to survive, and Shaheen does it by leaving most of them. Close on the last ball! It straightens from around the wicket, narrowly past his off stump.
98th over: Pakistan 259-9 (Salman 20, Shaheen 0) Starc to Salman Agha, who strikes a nice drive at a deep-set mid off but doesn’t take the run. Ducks under a bouncer. Halfway field, two slips for the edge but others giving up a single – deep third, deep point, deep square leg, fine leg. He takes a run from the fourth ball. Then changes his bat at the non-striker’s end. Wanting to tee off against Lyon? Shaheen has to survive two balls first. Nearly feathers the first, reaching very wide outside off. Survives.
WICKET! Jamal st Carey b Lyon 10, Pakistan 258-9
97th over: Pakistan 258-9 (Salman 19) Nathan Lyon comes back on. Two wickets remaining, so he’s still a chance for 500 today. And there goes 499! A couple of singles from the over, then from the last ball he draws Jamal into a forward defensive lunge, spins the ball past the edge, and after much third umpire deliberation with Jamal’s grasping back toe right on the line and yearning for safety, the decision goes with Australia. On the line but nothing quite over it.
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96th over: Pakistan 256-8 (Salman 18, Jamal 9) Not bad from Jamal, who gets on top of a Starc delivery and rides the bounce away behind point for three runs. He has a decent enough first-class batting record, averaging 20 from his 28 matches. Salman pushes a single.
95th over: Pakistan 251-8 (Salman 17, Jamal 5) Thanks Angus. Some nice work from Marsh in this over, snaking the ball past the bat on pitching it up to Salman, but the all-rounder gets something back his way as he lifts a cut shot over gully for four.
94th over: Pakistan 247-8 (Salman 13, Jamal 5) What can Postman Pat deliver in his 20th over? He spears it in over and over to Aamer’s shoes. The debutant digs out the slightly wider third delivery to long leg and takes two runs. That’s it for this over and enough from me. Over to Geoff Lemon.
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93rd over: Pakistan 245-8 (Salman 12, Jamal 33) Marsh continues to Salman, an allrounder with the impressive batting average of 47.7 from his nine Tests so far. He takes a single and leaves new batter, debutant Aamer Jamal to whip three of his pads and get off the mark in his Test debut. That shot should’ve instilled confidence in Salman that his partner is up to the challenge but instead he takes two wild slogs and misses twice.
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92nd over: Pakistan 241-8 (Salman 12, Jamal 0) This has been a wonderful spell by Cummins. Inswingers, outswingers, yorkers, bouncers – each one delivered with pinpoint accuracy and strategic guile. He now has 2-33 from 19 overs with seven maidens in the mix, including this one.
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WICKET! Ashraf c Khawaja b Cummins 9 (Pakistan 241-8)
Cummins gets the breakthough! It was a faster ball that reared on Ashraf. He tried to ride it as he had before but it had a sharper trajectory and he could only half-pull it square where Usman Khawaja took a fine catch leaping forward.
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91st over: Pakistan 241-7 (Salman 12, Ashraf 9) Here comes Mitchell Marsh for another spell. He snagged the vital wicket of Babar Azam in the first over of his last spell so Cummins will hoping he can winkle another wicket and get Australia batting before tea. Ashraf is up to the challenge though, riding a short ball all the way onto the bat and pulling it to the boundary where Travis Head makes good ground to keep it to three. Salman steals two off the last.
90th over: Pakistan 236-7 (Salman 10, Ashraf 6) Captain Pat switches to around the wicket for his 18th over. He continues targeting Ashraf’s ribs, meaning the batter has to hop and hunch to counter the bounce. The tactic is working as Ashraf pops another ball up, this time a yard short of substitute fielder Cameron Green. They run a single. Cummins has his pace up to 140kph now.
89th over: Pakistan 235-7 (Salman 10, Ashraf 5) With a first scalp of the summer tucked into his waistband, Hazlewood returns to the new batter Faheem Ashraf. He doesn’t play at the first two but plays big to the third, swiping across the line and top-edging over slips for a boundary. A wry smile from the bowler. Ashraf tries to repeat the dose but Hazlewood sees him coming and digs it under his ribs and Ashraf’s pull shot barely clears the infield but they run a single.
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88th over: Pakistan 230-7 (Salman 10, Ashraf 0) Big shout for LBW! Cummins went to his inswinger again for Salman and the batter was beaten and the decision was OUT! Pakistan reviewed though and replays showed it missing the leg stump by a couple of inches so it was overturned.
87th over: Pakistan 230-7 (Salman 10, Ashraf 0) Hazlewood got his reward for some fine bowling there. But perhaps Nathan Lyon deserves some credit. He raced across from his fielding spot to speak to Hazlewood, gesturing to his chin for some short stuff. And the big quick delivered.
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WICKET! Shakeel c Warner b Hazlewood 28 (Pakistan 230-7)
Hazlewood strikes! That one rushed up on Shakeel. It was fast, it was aimed at Shakeel’s front teeth and the normally elegant batsman melted into a pretzel pose, fending it off into the air where it landed safe in the big mitts of Warner at slip. Great bowling!
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86th over: Pakistan 230-6 (Shakeel 28, Salman 10) Having banished Starc to the sheds to sharpen his spikes and get his head together, Cummins takes the ball for a 16th over. Shakeel works him for a single on the first but the fourth ball is fast and angling in sharply. It hits the pads of Salman and there’s an appeal but not by the skipper who is strolling back to his mark. He works the same line on the last, a late-sipping inswinger, and again there’s a half-shout but no one’s heart is in it.
85th over: Pakistan 229-6 (Shakeel 27, Salman 10) As Starc strolls off the ground with his face in his hat to hide from the hoots of the crowd, Hazlewood jumps back into the channel like Des Renford, sliding them past Salman’s outside edge over and over. Finally, using the pace of the new ball, Salman jumps out and drives for four. Good batting.
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84th over: Pakistan 225-6 (Shakeel 27, Salman 6) Wide again from Starc, this time down the legside and Shakeel flicks it the boundary. The sequel is a shocker, another wide ball, this time outside off. It’s so wide neither batter or slipper can reach it and it rolls away for a five. This is awful by Starc. And it gets worse, a lobbed half-volley driven for another four. Starc’s fourth is another wide one (not called) but his fifth swings sweetly and sizzles past Shakeel’s outside edge. That’s the enigma of Mitchell Starc.
83rd over: Pakistan 212-6 (Shakeel 19, Salman 6) After that over of wides from Starc, Cummins turns to his line-and-length maestro Josh Hazlewood. This is the Hoff’s 19th over, 40 runs from them but no wickets thus far. He nags away outside off but Salman leaves it alone. The final ball is the best of the six, a tally-ho from the edge and a shave so close batter and bowler pause for a moment to contemplate what might have been.
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82nd over: Pakistan 212-6 (Shakeel 19, Salman 6) Here comes the new ball and – surprise, surprise – it’s Starc who gets first bite at the fresh cherry. This will test (and perhaps tempt) Shakeel who has played all his Test career on the subcontinent. Starc doesn’t test him much on the first three deliveries spraying them all wide of off stump, yet none called as sundries. Shakeel seems as frustrated by Starc, swatting at the fifth but missing. The sixth ball is – surprise, surprise – wide and unreachable for the batter. That looked like six wides to me but I’m not wearing the big white hat.
81st over: Pakistan 212-6 (Shakeel 19, Salman 6) The new ball is available to Australia but Lyon has been given the old one for another over. Salman the righthanded allrounder has strike but he must’ve had a hearty lunch as he’s showing very little appetite for runs beyond a single.
80th over: Pakistan 211-6 (Shakeel 18, Salman 6) Starc bends his back for another yard of pace and it almost pays dividends as Shakeel gets to it late and almost chops on. But he survives and his promising innings rolls on. A swat to square leg can’t beat the fielder and nor can the leg glance that follows but it yields a single. Salman cuts the final ball at the ankles of Marsh at second slip and the misfield allows the batters to run two.
79th over: Pakistan 208-6 (Shakeel 17, Salman 4) Nathan Lyon will kick off this second session needing two more dismissals for 500 Test wickets. However a new ball is due in two ovcers as well and surely Pat Cummins will try and blast out Pakistan’s tail rather than prise them out with spin. Shakeel doesn’t care too much either way. He carts Lyon’s first loosener away behind point for a handsome four and then takes a single to retain strike.
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LUNCH: Pakistan are 203 for 6, trailing Australia by 284 runs
A fine session for Australia and a disastrous one for Pakistan. Masterful fast bowling from Pat Cummins early removed nightwatchman Khurrum Shahzad in the first over. However the pace of Mitchell Starc, guile of Josh Hazlewood and spin of Nathan Lyon couldn’t turn the screws as Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam defended stoutly. Then Mitchell Marsh sauntered in for a cameo over and promptly removed dangerman Babar for 21. That heaped all the pressure onto Imam-ul-Haq who held firm for 199 deliveries before a brain explosion prior to lunch sent him lurching after Lyon with a wild heave that gave Alex Carey all the time he needed to remove the bails. Starc twisted the knife by bowling Sarfaraz a few minutes later to put Pakistan on their knees at 203-6, still 284 runs short of Australia’s 487.
How long can Pakistan hang on? We’ll find out after the break…
78th over: Pakistan 203-6 (Shakeel 12, Salman 4) If Saud Shakeel is rattled by watching the dismissals of his teammates Imam-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed, he’s not showing it. He clips Starc for two, then a single. It inspires new batter Agha Salman to punish a straighter ball from Starc, quickly pouncing to send it to the fine leg boundary. That brings up the 200 for Pakistan but they are still 284 behind.
77th over: Pakistan 196-6 (Shakeel 9, Salman 0) Lyon is licking his lips now with two new batters at the crease and just two wickets to claim before he checks into the 500 Test Wickets Club. Just a single to Shakeel.
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WICKET! Sarfaraz b Starc 3 (Pakistan 193-6)
Starc skittles Sarfaraz’s stumps! That was a loose shot with lunch in sight. He’d only been out there for five balls and he rooted himself inside the crease and was beaten all ends up by sheer speed. The stumps go flying!
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76th over: Pakistan 190-6 (Shakeel 8, Salman 0) That was bad batting by Imam-ul-Haq before lunch and he’s exposed wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz to the Australian attack just a few overs from lunch. This could spell danger. And it does… as Starc shatters the stumps to send Pakistan six down with a new ball due after the break.
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WICKET! Imam-ul-Haq st Carey b Lyon (Pakistan 192-5)
Lyon strikes! Imam-ul-Haq, having stood firm all day, suddenly has a rush of blood to the head and skips down to a shorter ball. But it’s a trap and Lyon zips it past the blade for Carey to collect and whip off the bails. That’s wicket No 498 for the GOAT! Pakistan officially in trouble.
75th over: Pakistan 190-4 (Shakeel 8, Sarfaraz 1) Lyon replaces Marsh and Imam-ul-Haq leans back onto his haunches to late cut for two. He tries it again on the third, backing away to tap it down and Lyon won’t mind this because The Wall is suddenly moving. And so it proves as Lyon strikes, tempting Imam-ul-Haq to lumper out of his crease and take a big swish. Carey is ready with the gloves and sweetly stumps him. New batter Sarfaraz Ahmed takes a single to get off the mark.
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74th over: Pakistan 190-4 (Imam-ul-Haq 60, Shakeel 8) Starc returns and he’s bowling to Shakeel who likely hasn’t faced too much plus-140kph bowling in his one year Test career so far. How will he fare here? Cummins has moved Marnus Labuschagne into silly mid-off so the short stuff seems imminent. Just a single from this over though. Pakistan now trail by 297.
73rd over: Pakistan 189-4 (Imam-ul-Haq 59, Shakeel 8) Marsh returns but his first ball is loose and wide and lefthander Shakeel gets down low, reaches out wide and drives it for a beautiful boundary. Great shot. And so is the next one. It was hip-height and wide and Shakeel cut it to the fence. Excellent batting by Shakeel whose record is immense: seven Tests, 875 runs with a highest score of 208* and an average of 87.5. They are some sweet numbers for a man who only made his debut at age 27.
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71st over: Pakistan 181-4 (Imam-ul-Haq 59, Shakeel 0) Now his bunny Babar has been dismissed Josh Hazlewood sets his sights on prising out the rock of this Pakistan innings, whistling one, then two, past Imam-ul-Haq. A maiden over ensues.
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WICKET! Babar Azam c Carey b Marsh 21 (Pakistan 181-4)
Mitchell Marsh strikes! And it’s the prized wicket of Babar Azam as he feathers an edge to Carey who leaps low to his right to claim the catch. That was great bowling from The Bison. He rumbled in a little faster and Babar, who looked so composed for his 21, was tempted by the juicy length and waved his bat it with fatal results. A thick edge and Carey caught it in the fingertip webbing.
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70th over: Pakistan 181-4 (Imam-ul-Haq 59, Shakeel 0) A roar from the locals as Mitchell Marsh takes the ball. The big allrounder from Attadale got four overs yesterday but as the pitch cracks start to open, his local knowledge could be crucial. And so it proves… as Babar is OUT! Great bowling from Marsh and fine fingertip control from Carey to hold it in the webbing and then extend the elbows and cushion his fall to stop it dislodging. Saud Shakeel comes to crease.
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69th over: Pakistan 180-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 58, Babar 21) Hazlewood, normally so frugal, leaks a couple of twos to Imam-ul-Haq early in the over. Both shots pierced the field at pace and both times Babar turned for the third run only to find his partner plodding halfway down the wicket. Imam-ul-Haq’s dedication to energy-conservation means he only takes a halfstep from the non-striker’s end when he backs up. Clearly he means to bat all day.
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68th over: Pakistan 175-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 53, Babar 20) Another maiden over for Lyon. He’s fishing outside a length, varying his pace, but there’s not a lot of turn evident and Gaz is going to have to dig deep within his bag of tricks to extract either of these two. Pakistan trail by 312.
67th over: Pakistan 175-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 53, Babar 21) Hazlewood enters his 16th over and after Babar’s bats a single, Imam-ul-Haq’s bat looks wide as a wobbleboard as. His strike rate has now slid under 30.
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66th over: Pakistan 174-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 53, Babar 20) Babar takes a single from Lyon’s first ball but with the ball landing dangerously in that danger zone, Pakistan won’t chance it and there’s no further scoring.
65th over: Pakistan 173-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 53, Babar 19) Hazlewood runs in to Imam-ul-Haq and he’s forward and slashing. There’s enough bat on it to take three runs down to gully. Babar steps out to the fourth, driving down the ground. Labuschagne stops it inside the rope and then almost steals a runout as Imam-ul-Haq dawdles again and has to stretch to make it.
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64th over: Pakistan 165-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 50, Babar 15) Lyon to Babar. After losing their nightwatchman Shahzad, Pakistan have been steady. Now, with a double bowling change in Lyon and Hazlewood, they must reset. A single to Babar and a legbye from this over.
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63rd over: Pakistan 165-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 50, Babar 15) Here comes The Hoff. With Babar looking evermore comfortable, Cummins has decided it’s high time his nemesis is introduced. Babar and Hazlewood have been facing off since they were teenage tearaways. Hazlewood won their encounter at the Under-19 World Cup and has had the wood on Babar ever since, dismissing him on six occasions with Babar averaging just over 11 against him. Hence the maiden.
62nd over: Pakistan 165-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 50, Babar 15) There’s a roar from the crowd and it’s because Nathan Lyon has been thrown the ball. The offie from Young bagged his 497th Test wicket yesterday and needs three more to become the third Australian into the 500 club after Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Babar won’t be cowed though. He skips out and slides the first ball around the corner for a single. Imam-ul-Haq doesn’t look anywhere near as comfortable. He plays an awkward scissor-legged shot to the third and there’s an apeal for lbw. Hearty enough but not rooted in enough truth for Cummins to review. Imam-ul-Haq brings up his fifty on the next. It’s been slow but solid and survival is success enough today.
62nd over: Pakistan 162-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 49, Babar 14) Cummins to Babar. We’ve had eight overs, 28 runs and one wicket so far. Great cricket it’s been too. Australia’s skipper and Pakistan’s No 1 batter fighting it out. Bat wins out on ball three as Babar finds space through midwicket for two runs. Cummins is into his 15th over and has been miserly as usual with just 31 runs from them so far. But Babar is showing positive intent by batting way out of his crease. He drives the final ball down the ground but Cummins gets a foot to it on his follow-through and it saves a boundary.
61st over: Pakistan 160-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 49, Babar 12) Starc is wide again and Imam-ul-Haq reaches out and swats it away for three. Babar taps an easy single off the next as runs start to flow for Pakistan. Josh Hazlewood can’t be far off here. His record against Babar is magnificent and Australia won’t want to let the No 4 batter in the world, now 20-odd deliveries into his innings, get too settled. Starc digs a short ball at 140kph into Imam-ul-Haq’s ribs but it’s fended away for another run. Babar drives for another single on the fifth and he wants too but those leaden feet of Imam-ul-Haq prevent it. Just as well too as Labuschagne throws down the stumps.
60th over: Pakistan 154-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 44, Babar 10) Cummins to Babar. What a duel this will be. And the first ball is all drama as Babar attacks and Cummins counters. The result is a French cut which runs to the fine leg boundary for four. There’s an appeal to the second as Babar advances and misses, but the ball was running down leg and there’s no review. Cummins is mixing it up alright. He digs too deep on the next ball and it bounces over the batter, over wicketkeeper Alex Carey and down to the rope for four byes. Babar edges the fourth ball short of Steve Smith at slip and that’s enough drama and sufficient runs for Babar as he leaves the last two.
59th over: Pakistan 144-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 44, Babar 6) Starc to Imam-ul-Haq again and he hurls down a bouncer. The batter leans way back, like Muhammad Ali giving the ‘rope a dope’ to George Foreman in Zaire, and lets it whistle through his chest hair. And his comeback is just as striking, stepping down to the next one and whipping it through square for his first boundary of the day. Pakistan have come alive. The fightback is on.
58th over: Pakistan 139-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 39, Babar 6) Finally a boundary! And what a shot it was from Babar, stepping down to Cummins fourth ball and cover-driving it to the boundary. The 29-year-old from Lahore is off the mark in style. He chips another two from the last to take six from the over.
57th over: Pakistan 133-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 39, Babar 0) Starc to Imam-ul-Haq who is happy to imitate a wall, getting his front foot down and eyes over the ball. Although his stoicism has been admirable and the occasional attacking shot has caught the eyes, his abysmal running between wickets has been the most entertaining part of his game so far. Four times he’s been involved in vaudevillian mix-ups in the middle. Each time Pakistan survived but it’s clearly heridatary as his uncle Inzamam was equally woeful on the toe. Maybe that’s why Imam doesn’t trust his legs anymore, hence a maiden to Starc.
56th over: Pakistan 133-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 39, Babar 0) Cummins comes again, this time to Babar Azam a true warrior for Pakistan cricket. His 49 Tests so far have yielded nine centuries and 26 fifties for an excellent average of 47.7. He is watchful to Cumkins though who is whistling them down at 136kph and working the corridor of uncertainty outside offstump. Pakistan trail by 354 and this partnership represents the last of the Big Five. Cummins bowls a maiden.
55th over: Pakistan 133-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 39, Babar 0) What a statement over that was from Pat Cummins – pressure from the get-go (a run-out narrowly missed by Travis Head), power in spades (sowing the seeds of doubt in Shahzad with a magnificent outswinger past the edge) and finally precision (and he obliterates the timberwork). The skipper’s golden season just gets better. It’s Imam-ul-Haq facing up to Starc now. Loose yesterday and struggling with his final stride, Starc will be desperate to have an impact today, with Boxing Day Test hero Scott Boland waiting in the wings.
WICKET! Shahzad b Cummins 9 (Pakistan 133-3)
What a chaotic start for Pakistan – almost a run-out on the first ball, almost an edge on the second and finally, mercifully, Cummins smashes Shazad’s stumps with the third ball of the day. What a three card trick that was!
54th over: Pakistan 133-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 39, Babar 0) Almost a run-out first ball! Cummins whistles the next one past the outside edge of nightwatchman Shahzad. And then he goes one better, destroying Shahzad’s stumps with his third ball! That brings Babar Azam to the crease, a world-class batter who will need to draw on every iota of skill and courage if he’s to save this Test for Pakistan.
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Both Australian openers have harvested plenty of headlines over the course of their long careers – Warner and Khawaja have been playing cricket together since they were six-year-olds in the Sydney suburbs) – and that continued in the lead-up this Test, albeit for very different reasons.
Here’s Daniel Gallan on that most princely (and principled) of opening bats Usman Tariq Khawaja…
And there’s plenty happening off-field too. Here’s the Guardian’s Barney Ronay with a wonderful take on the duality of David ‘The Bull’ Warner
For those who came in late, here’s a wrap of Day Two
Preamble
Hello cricket fans and welcome to Day Three of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at Perth Stadium. Angus Fontaine here with you to rattle through the early hours of play with Geoff Lemon to bring you home.
This series got exactly what it needed on Day 2 as Pakistan fought back with ball and bat. After starting the day at 346-5 courtesy of David Warner’s 164 on Thursday, Pakistan were on their knees at lunch. Hometown hero Mitchell Marsh was 90 not out and flaying the bowlers to all ends of the ground as Australia hurtled to a total beyond 500.
Instead, Pakistan blew Marsh’s stumps to smithereens with the first ball after lunch and rapidly wrapped up the tail, with Aamer Jamal’s six wicket haul marking the first five wicket haul on debut by a visiting bowler in Australia since 1967. Pakistan’s batsman then dug in and withstood an onslaught of fast, aggressive bowling from the world’s best attack, with openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq combining for a slow yet stoic 74-run opening stand.
Shafique fell first, chipping Nathan Lyon to Warner at slip for 42. Pakistan skipper Shan Masood then upped the tempo of the game, breaking the drought of runs with a rapidfire 30 designed to inspire his team and take the game to the home side. It worked beautifuly until Mitchell Starc picked him up 13 minutes before stumps to leave the visitors 132-2.
With the Perth pitch starting to hiss and spit, Day Three shapes as a beauty. Australia’s pace attack will be ripping in, hoping to redeem some wayward bowling yesterday and Nathan Lyon needs just three wickets to join Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath as Australians to have cracked the 500 barrier.
Pakistan will draw strength from their courage yesterday. They have the brilliant Babar Azam to bat next and he has performed against Australia before. Can they do it? Or will they crumble in the Perth heat to let Pat Cummins’ worldbeaters bat (and batter) them into submission?
Batten ‘em down and buckle ‘em up. We’re about to find out…
