Stumps on day two - Pakistan 123-2 trail by 355 runs
The deficit is exactly one Dennis Lillee, being 355. But Pakistan did alright today! They could have been mashed after Marsh and Carey put on 90, but they got through those two, wrapped up the tail economically, and kept Australia under 500. Small mercies, but some mercy nonetheless. Then Adbullah Shafique and Imam frustrated the Australian bowlers for 37 overs before that stand was broken at 74, and Shan Masood added a breezy 30 that tallies with his career average.
Imam can resume tomorrow and try to grind on, while the quality of Babar, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman and the keeper Sarfaraz is yet to come. Dare to dream, star lovers.
Collectively the teams managed 85 overs today, after 84 yesterday. So another 11 overs of Test cricket vanish into the ether.
We’ll see you tomorrow.
53rd over: Pakistan 132-2 (Imam-ul-Haq 38, Shahzad 7) Travis Head for a bowl, and why not? The man with the magic touch. Doesn’t get a wicket here though, Imam taking a single, Shahzad gliding a couple, and the nightwatch will become morning watch tomorrow.
52nd over: Pakistan 129-2 (Imam-ul-Haq 37, Shahzad 5) Unbelievable from Starc. Starts down the line of the left-hander’s stumps, swings back, seams away from the edge, and bounces over the off bail. Imam clueless. Manages to nudge a run next ball though, and Shahzad while trying to duck a short ball gloves it past Carey for four. Just past Carey. Keeps out the full ones at the stumps though, and that’s all that matters. They’re into the final over now and he’ s done his job.
51st over: Pakistan 124-2 (Imam-ul-Haq 36, Shahzad 1) Not bad from Shahzad. Gets through the Lyon over, misses a couple that bounce away off the thigh or the pad while turning into him, but he survives. One or two overs to come.
50th over: Pakistan 124-2 (Imam-ul-Haq 36, Shahzad 1) Activate the NightWatch. Khurram Shahzad will complement his bowling exploits by doing a job with the bat. Dismissed Marsh and Smith in Australia’s innings, no small thing. And he gets a run from Starc to pinch the strike, a push drive. Good play.
WICKET! Masood c Carey b Starc 30, Pakistan 123-2
Good review! Far more confident this time, the whole cordon goes up as one. Masood drives hard at Starc’s line wide outside off. Umpire says no. Masood stands his ground. Australia review. Can only guess the Pakistan captain didn’t feel that edge, because there’s a fat spike on the graph that can only be leather vs willow.
49th over: Pakistan 123-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 36, Masood 30) Lyon is back, driven down the ground for one right away by Masood. Imam does the tarantula dance, advancing and then having to stab the ball away as it threatens to get past him, nowhere near the pitch as Lyon drags the length back.
48th over: Pakistan 122-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 36, Masood 29) Imam blocks away a ball from Starc. Shan Masood is not happy about something, spreading both arms wide, then comes down to speak to his partner. Strange. Next ball Imam clobbers a cut shot for four! Short wide junk, so I wouldn’t infer that the message was “Smash the next one for four”. But interesting, nonetheless. Even shorter to follow, and Imam just bends at the knees and watches it sail by. Clips a full ball nicely off his toes but can’t score as Head at square leg fields well.
47th over: Pakistan 118-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 32, Masood 29) The captain has caught his opener’s score, tucking Marsh away to midwicket again, but Imam kicks clear once more by gliding three runs past the cordon. Masood tries an uppercut but misses, serious bounce from Marsh.
46th over: Pakistan 114-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 29, Masood 28) Starc to partner Marsh. Over the wicket, back of a length, Masood chases a couple without success before taking a quick single to mid on, making Imam dive for his ground again.
45th over: Pakistan 113-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 29, Masood 27) Mitch Marsh back for a late volley, to the delight of the crowd, though Masood handles him with ease, pulling a couple of runs before flicking another through midwicket. But then, what’s that? An albatross, a Dreamliner? It’s Cameron Green, sub fielding in the gully! Dives away to stop a perfectly timed cut shot from Imam, four for all money except that the best gully in the world is very briefly there. Saves the boundary, then goes back off the field to the applause of the crowd.
44th over: Pakistan 110-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 29, Masood 24) Short on overs again, we’ve got 14 remaining with 10 minutes to the scheduled stumps and 40 minutes with the extra time to be added. A couple of singles from Hazlewood.
43rd over: Pakistan 108-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 28, Masood 23) Ouch! Imam clobbers his captain. Booms a drive at Lyon, and Masood can’t get out of the way. Can only turn his back and he wears the contact on the back of his ribs. They get a run on the deflection. I wonder if that would have carried to mid off had it not hit the non-striker. It was airborne. Masood gets the magic spray from the physio, will have a bruise. Then there’s nearly a run out as Masood sends back Imam, who is out of frame as Warner releases the ball from point, but it’s a bit wide of the stumps and Imam dives into his ground as Carey takes the bails. Nobody celebrates except for Marnus, who carries on as usual. Imam’s bat was angled into the air off the ground for a time, so on the replay the call was closer than it first looked.
42nd over: Pakistan 107-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 27, Masood 23) Flashed away by the skipper! Two slips and a gully in place but he goes between them with a drive. Hazlewood grinds his teeth. Masood has almost caught Imam in the space of a few minutes.
41st over: Pakistan 103-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 27, Masood 19) Imam gets into the action, leaning back and placing a dab from Lyon wide of slip and away for four. Pakistan into triple figures at last.
40th over: Pakistan 99-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 23, Masood 19) Another four for the skipper! Hazlewood around the wicket onto the pads, and the left-hander flicks behind square. Quality shot. Gets his gloves up and over a short ball that gets wild bounce towards the leg side. Fifth ball of the over, his best shot of the day, a lovely straight drive down the ground for four. And Hazlewood follows up with one for the donation box, a bouncer that clears the keeper for four byes. A dozen from the over!
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39th over: Pakistan 87-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 23, Masood 6) Advances again, does Masood! This time it’s four from Lyon via a straight drive. Follows with a single, Australia already have long off back. Masood to take advantage of the work done by his openers.
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38th over: Pakistan 82-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 23, Masood 6) Hazlewood back. Shan Masood glances a single first ball. Imam resumes his mode of scoreless occupation.
37th over: Pakistan 81-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 23, Masood 5) Lyon moves to 497 Test wickets. The Pakistan skipper comes to the middle. Tall and lean and lithe, left-handed, he skips down and drives his second ball wide of mid on for four! Why not? Change the mood. Adds a single wide of mid off. Then, as if woken from a slumber, Imam lofts a drive! Wide of long off for a couple. Looks for a moment like Cummins might get there for a catch, but no.
WICKET! Abdullah Shafique c Warner b Lyon 42, Pakistan 74-1
At last, one for Australia! The leg slip pays off. Shafique comes down the pitch looking to attack. Gets a sliver on it, finer than his intention of hitting over square leg. The ball is travelling at a comfortable enough speed for Warner, wearing a baggy green on top of his broad-brimmed white hat, to take it low. Double chapeau.
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36th over: Pakistan 74-0 (Shafique 42, Imam-ul-Haq 21) Cummins is hunting. Has his collar up against the sun, sweat through his hair, and he’s zeroing in on Imam. An lbw shout that is too high. A seaming delivery that beats the outside edge, then an even better one that buzzsaws off the surface, Imam groping down the line in front of his pads, trying to protect himself from lbw, but the ball skews away and beats him again.
35th over: Pakistan 72-0 (Shafique 41, Imam-ul-Haq 20) Warner and Khawaja reached 70 in Australia’s 15th over yesterday. Imam and Shafique have taken 34 overs today. But so far it’s working. Lyon is round the wicket to the right-hander as well as the lefty now, and Shafique is working across his pad with a short midwicket, short leg and leg slip in place. He places the ball between the latter two and runs a couple. Has found that midwicket fielder several times.
34th over: Pakistan 70-0 (Shafique 39, Imam-ul-Haq 20) Umpires have been calling wides for high bouncers in this match, and I like it. Often they let that slide in Test cricket. Cummins gets pinged to start his over, then concedes a single to Shafique knocking the ball to leg.
33rd over: Pakistan 68-0 (Shafique 38, Imam-ul-Haq 20) Another boundary for Shafique from Lyon, his third from the spinner. Cuts a shorter ball with panache, moving his feet to get into position, and Starc slides his own feet into the rope while trying to tap the ball back.
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32nd over: Pakistan 63-0 (Shafique 33, Imam-ul-Haq 20) A boundary for Imam! The only place where he’s looked likely to find one, via a leg glance. Cummins goes back to a wider line, and Imam leaves everything he can.
31st over: Pakistan 59-0 (Shafique 33, Imam-ul-Haq 16) That’s a bad review from Australia, and Carey is responsible. Lyon turns one down leg side, Shafique plays at it and misses. Brushes the thigh perhaps. Carey takes the ball well and celebrates. Nobody else was fully convinced. But before Cummins can arrive to ask about a review, Carey runs down and low-fives Lyon. I think that might have influenced the review, made it seem like a formality. Cummins does make the signal to the umpire. And the replays show no edge. No run from the over.
30th over: Pakistan 59-0 (Shafique 33, Imam-ul-Haq 16) More patience from Imam as he leaves a Cummins over well alone, not even a thought of scoring among the leaves and ducking one bouncer.
29th over: Pakistan 59-0 (Shafique 33, Imam-ul-Haq 16) Nathan Lyon is back, doing the Lyon thing of coming around the wicket and straightening the ball down the line of the left-hander’s stumps. Imam stays in behind it, defending away until he turns a run from the sixth ball.
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28th over: Pakistan 58-0 (Shafique 33, Imam-ul-Haq 15) Starc continues, and keeps swinging the ball away from the left-hander, but well outside the line of the stumps. One ball is called wide. It may not be a thrill a minute, but Pakistan’s openers are winning this patience battle, squashing thre freshness out of Australia’s bowlers. Still have to take advantage of that work when they up the scoring though. Phase three is profit.
As I type, Imam reaches for a bottom-handed square drive, slapping it through point for a three.
27th over: Pakistan 54-0 (Shafique 33, Imam-ul-Haq 12) Another one zips past the outside edge from Hazlewood, then another. That is lovely bowling. Shafique can’t get close enough to nick them. But he is still there, and his patience is rewarded when he gets an overpitched offering, driving it straight of mid on for four.
26th over: Pakistan 50-0 (Shafique 29, Imam-ul-Haq 12) Starc swinging the ball down the leg side, when he’s not pushing it across the right-hander. Shafique chases a couple of those and misses out. Ends the over with a single off his pads. Pakistan going at 1.9 runs an over. This is (sound the alarm) Proper Test Cricket™.
25th over: Pakistan 49-0 (Shafique 28, Imam-ul-Haq 12) That gives Hazlewood a full over at Imam, and he looks dangerous, beating the outside edge so narrowly from a lovely length.
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24th over: Pakistan 49-0 (Shafique 28, Imam-ul-Haq 12) The slow gathering of runs for Imam continues, glancing a single after Starc brings in his line from outside the left-hander’s off stump. A dozen runs from 60 balls for the opener.
23rd over: Pakistan 48-0 (Shafique 28, Imam-ul-Haq 11) Hazlewood mixing up his angle of attack between going in at the body and going past the off stump. Patient bowler, waiting for mistakes. No run for Shafique from the over.
22nd over: Pakistan 48-0 (Shafique 28, Imam-ul-Haq 11) Starc from the other end, Imam pushes a single. Inswing that takes Shafique’s inside ede into pad, then angle across that the right-hander leaves alone. Shafique keeps getting little victories though, ending the over with a slice behind point for three.
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21st over: Pakistan 43-0 (Shafique 25, Imam-ul-Haq 10) Hazlewood beginning after tea, very Hazlewood styles, on a length outside off, slips in a bouncer, gives away one run.
Tea - Pakistan 43 for 0
A good mini-session for Pakistan! Australia bowled pretty well but couldn’t get through either of these two. Some close calls but no genuine chances. They get 20 minutes to sit in the shade, have a drink, then get back into it.
20th over: Pakistan 43-0 (Shafique 25, Imam-ul-Haq 9) This is quite the spell from Cummins, seaming the ball into the right hander and clearing his bails by a small distance. Six dot balls before tea.
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19th over: Pakistan 43-0 (Shafique 25, Imam-ul-Haq 9) Attacking shot from Iman, lays into a cut against Marsh and strikes it well in front of point. Those square boundaries are so long that the ball pulls up short of the rope, but they run four as Australia did several times.
18th over: Pakistan 39-0 (Shafique 25, Imam-ul-Haq 5) Four leg byes a nice bonus for Pakistan as Cummins angles towards leg again, flicking the left-hander’s thigh pad. Then another solitary leg bye from a more solid deflection.
17th over: Pakistan 34-0 (Shafique 25, Imam-ul-Haq 5) Hometown vibes? Time for a bit of Mitchell Marsh with the ball. Not express like his teammates, but can do a bit. And he starts with a bouncer! That is very WA of him. He’s got the moustache, got the mullet, and he bangs in a short ball on a bouncy track on a sunny Perth afternoon. Perfect. Then some good bounce third ball of his over too, squaring up the left-handed Imam with the angle across. In at the pads, Imam takes a run to mid on. The only score from a good first over.
16th over: Pakistan 33-0 (Shafique 25, Imam-ul-Haq 4) Drops one short, Cummins, and Shafique is determined to go: has a hook at it but misses through to Carey. Yorker next ball, as per tradition, and Cummins smashes him on the ankle on the half volley but tailing down the leg side. Watchfully, Shafique tracks the next full ball in at his pads and deflects it square for two runs.
15th over: Pakistan 25-0 (Shafique 23, Imam-ul-Haq 3) Decisive from Shafique. Shuffles to make some space, then strikes Lyon back over the bowler’s head for a flat four. Looks like a plan to put pressure back on Australia’s spinner.
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14th over: Pakistan 25-0 (Shafique 18, Imam-ul-Haq 3) This time Imam gets a run early, dropping the ball away to cover to get off strike. Abdullah Shaifque faces out the rest from Cummins, both batters happy to absorb these overs.
13th over: Pakistan 24-0 (Shafique 18, Imam-ul-Haq 2) That’s more convincing from Shafique! Dips at the knees and wrists a square drive away from Lyon, slashing it square for four. Then nails a cover drive but straight at the field. Defends the next couple on the front foot, the ball striking high on the bat. That could get interesting given the bounce in this surface.
12th over: Pakistan 20-0 (Shafique 14, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Very Test match bowling from Cummins, belting a hard length outside the off stump that is met by Imam’s resistance and nothing more.
11th over: Pakistan 20-0 (Shafique 14, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Nathan Lyon comes on for his first over, to the expected cheer, and he’s on the spot right away. Some drift, some turn, and second ball of his comeback draws a big edge just wide of Smith at slip! Shafique survives and moves on by four.
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10th over: Pakistan 16-0 (Shafique 10, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Hazlewood resumes and he cannons another one into Shafique’s mid-riff, a sign there’s plenty of spark in this Perth wicket yet. The sequel balls are sublime, both sailing a bee’s wing from the batter’s forward defensive stroke. Finally Shafique middles one but it’s straight back down the wicket. Pressure is building on Pakistan. Their scoring is sluggish, their running between wickets is haphazard at best… but they’ve survived. And so have I. Hereafter I’ll handover to Geoff Lemon. See you on the morrow!
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9th over: Pakistan 15-0 (Shafique 9, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Here comes Captain Pat Cummins for his first spell of the home summer. He is replacing a wayward Mitchell Starc at the Justin Langer end of the Perth Stadium. Cummins has 20 wickets at 26.4 from his Tests against Pakistan but Shafique works him away for a single. Imam-ul-Haq faces the music and it’s of the chin variety, a fast bouncer whistling over his helmet at 140kph.
8th over: Pakistan 14-0 (Shafique 8, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Pat Cummins is warming up but it will be Hazlewood rumbling in for his fourth over to Shafique, the 24-year-old from Lahore playing in his 13th Test. He has an average of 50, helped no end by a highest score of 201 but he can only work a single from the fourth ball and Imam-ul-Haq plays out the over.
7th over: Pakistan 13-0 (Shafique 7, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Starc has his speed oveer 140kph but is still looking for precision to go with the power. His first ball is a beauty, rising sharply on Imam-ul-Haq and striking him on the bottom hand. This is Imam-ul-Haq’s 22nd Test and he has three centuries, two of them in that Test against the Aussies in 2022. He averages 39, along way behind his uncle’s 49.6 and he’s rattled by Starc, hopping around without scoring. It’s a maiden for Starc.
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6th over: Pakistan 13-0 (Shafique 7, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Almost an edge! Beautiful shape through the air from Hazlewood and Shafique leaned across the line to meet it with almost fatal results. Third ball is straighter with a hint of inswing and Shafique misses it again, inside-edging onto his pads. That excites The Hoff and he digs too deep on the fifth ball, sending it flying over wicketkeeper Alex Carey for four byes.
5th over: Pakistan 9-0 (Shafique 7, Imam-ul-Haq 2) As if having 120 Test legend and former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq as your uncle wasn’t impressive enough, Australians will remember Imam-ul-Haq from his 157 and 111 at Rawalapindi in 2022. He is facing Starc now and his bespectacled gaze doesn’t pick up the third ball which thunders into his beltline and balloons just short of silly mid-off. Starc can’t make him play for the rest of the over, his radar staying well wide off stump line.
4th over: Pakistan 9-0 (Shafique 7, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Shafique faces up to Hazlewood and the tall lad from Tamworth is right on the money… until he strays just a little on the fourth ball, dragging it wider and Shafique carves it backward of point for Pakistan’s first boundary of the innings.
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3rd over: Pakistan 5-0 (Shafique 3, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Starc has issues with his run-up here. He sprayed the first ball of his second over wide and his toes are landing on the crease not his heel as is customary. Pakistan have issues with their running too, Shafique calling for a single before faltering when Imam-ul-Haq stopped mid-wicket. Finally, Shafique (and sense) prevailed and they ran the only run of the over.
2nd over: Pakistan 4-0 (Shafique 2, Imam-ul-Haq 2) Josh Reginald Hazlewood, in his 64th Test, is taking the new ball and Imam-ul-Haq works his third delivery around the corner for a couple. Good shot and Starc has to dive on the fine leg boundary to save the four. Both openers are away.
1st over: Pakistan 2-0 (Shafique 2, Imam-ul-Haq 0) Here we go. Pakistan have a settled top order. Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq walk out as the opening pair to face Mitchell Starc for the first over. New captain Shan Masood, fresh from his 200 in the Prime Minister’s XI game last week, is at No 3 with the brilliant former captain Babar Azam to follow. That’ll do for now, unless Starc pulls out one of his first-ball fireballs… which he doesn’t, bowling wide outside off on the first but already over 140kph. Starc has 18 wickets at 18 from his Tests at Perth Stadium and he will relish these conditions. Shafique opens Pakistan’s account on the last ball, stroking two through covers.
WICKET! Lyon c Salman b Aamer 5 (Australia all out 487)
A sixth wicket for the debutant Aamer as Lyon snicks off to Salman at first slip. That’s the Australian innings wrapped up and for Pakistan to have kept them to a score under 500 is a good achievement. Don’t get me wrong, a total of 487 is still massive but Pakistan have a strong top five and, even against the world’s best bowling attack, the visitors will have high hopes of saving the Test from here.
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112th over: Australia 486-8 (Lyon 5, Hazlewood 4) Josh Hazlewood is at the crease but for now it’s Shahzad in his 22nd over steaming in to Lyon who works him for a single into the offside. Whatever Pakistan dined on in the break, it’s put pep in their step and fire in their belly. But nothin turns the stomach more than being whacked to the boundary by the No 11 and that’s exactly what Josh Hazlewood serves up with a lovely square cut to get off the mark.
WICKET! Cummins c Salman v Aamer 9 (Australia 481-9)
Aamer gets five on debut! Cummins had been softened up with a bouncer and the next one dug into his ribs and the Australian skipper parried it meekly to Salman at first slip with a thick edge.
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111th over: Australia 479-8 (Cummins 9, Lyon 3) By bowling straight and attacking the stumps Pakistan have broken through. Shame the tactic came so late. Of the 107 balls Marsh faced for his 90 runs, only five deliveries were hitting the stumps (including the one that skittled him). Whatever Australia had for lunch hasn’t done them any favours as Cummins swishes at a few and then ducks a bouncer from Aamer…
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110th over: Australia 479-8 (Cummins 9, Lyon 3) That Marsh dismissal is a bizarre start to the second session and a massive blow to the spectators. For 40 minutes they’ve broiled in the Perth sun waiting and wishing for 10 more runs to get their local hero to a century. And one ball later the dream is over! But it brings Nathan Lyon to the crease for his first Test innings since limping to the middle in that famous Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Can he and Cummins knuckle down again and get Australia to a total over 500? Lyon whacks three off Shahzad’s last ball to get off the mark.
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WICKET! Marsh b Shahzad 90 (Australia 476-8)
Marsh gone first ball after lunch! He stepped down and swung hard and never got near it. The ball went between bat and pad and rocketed into middle stump. Well that deflated the crowd!
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LUNCH – Australia 476 for 7 (Marsh 90 not out, Aamer 4 for 108)
Pakistan took two wickets but Australia hammered 130 runs, so it’s another winning session for the home side. With typical brawn, Mitchell Marsh has muscled his way to 90 not out and a famous century on his home ground is now in the offing, with former Tests stars, father Geoff and brother Shaun, willing it from the stands. Debutant Aamer Jamal has been the pick of the Pakistan bowler with four wickets including the two to fall today – Alex Carey for 34 and Mitchell Starc for 12. But the road is long and the gradient is steep for the visitors. Can they wrap up the tail before Australia hit 500? Or will the men in the baggy greens continue to pour on the runs and turn the screws? We’ll find out after the break …
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110th over: Australia 476-7 (Marsh 90, Cummins 9) This will be the final over before the break and Marsh needs just 10 runs for his fourth Test century. If anyone can do it, Mitch Marsh can…. unfortunately he also needs the strike and he can’t get it as Cummins faces up to Shaheen, wafting at one and leaving the other five. A maiden ensues and that will be lunch.
109th over: Australia 476-7 (Marsh 90, Cummins 9) In the quest for his “Michelle Five-for” Aamer sends his first ball of his 18th over way down leg side, gifting the home side four byes. Cummins has seen enough. He takes a single and gives Marsh a chance to go into the nineties which he does by driving for a four from the last.
Rowan Sweeney has pulled me up on some loose astronomy earlier in the day: “If you’ll forgive my pedantry, the farthest rings of Saturn are, or at least can be, closer than Saturn’s nearest rings. Given the distance between the two is roughly 70,000 kms; it could be said that tonking to the farthest rings (known as the A-rings) of Saturn is a relatively mundane stroke for Mitch Marsh, while hitting to the closest rings (C-Rings), or into Saturn itself, would be more of a full-on, agricultural, slog.”
Fair enough too Rowan. I was staring at the stars but doing so from the gutter.
108th over: Australia 466-7 (Marsh 86, Cummins 8) Shaheen has been recalled for the final overs before lunch. Good captaincy by Masood to show faith in his spearhead… but it backfires as Cummins spanks it square past Imam. It trickles into the rope to give the captain his first boundary. His revenge is a rearing delivery that Cumins makes a hot mess of, turning his eyes away and raising his elbow to be struck a heavy blow under the arm. Marsh crashes a single before Cummins scampers one too.
107th over: Australia 459-7 (Marsh 85, Cummins 2) Aamer is really bending his back here. He’s found top speed in the high 130s and is desperate for a fifth wicket. His fifth ball finds huge bounce and sends the wicketkeeper soaring and then sprawling to save four byes. It was a fine over until Marsh got bored and decided to thump him down the ground for another four.
106th over: Australia 453-7 (Marsh 81, Cummins 2) Salman maintains his frugality yielding three singles, as Cummins gets off the mark. Having silenced critics of his captaincy, Captain Pat will doubtless like to continue his handy work with the bat. His winning partnership with nathan Lyon in EWngland went a long way to retaining the Ashes and his non-scoring, all-running role in getting Glenn Maxwell to his World Cup double-century was extraordinary. He averages only 16 from his 55 Tests with only two fifties to his name and a highest score of 63.
105th over: Australia 449-7 (Marsh 79, Cummins 0) Just reward for Aamer as he bags his fourth wicket by bowling Mitchell Starc. Australia’s captain Pat Cummins will join Mitchell Marsh in the centre and try to see his allrounder through to a century before lunch.
WICKET! Starc b Aamer 12 (Australia 449-7)
Aamer had three wickets in this innings and was back in his 17th over seeking a fourth. Art first he looked to have it lbw, yorking Starc on the third ball and Pakistan thought it was all-pad. They reviewed … and although replays showed no bat and a line shaving leg stump, we stayed with the umpire’s decision of NOT OUT. Aamer got his revenge on the next ball though! Straight through Starc and bowled!
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104th over: Australia 449-6 (Marsh 79, Starc 12) Salman puts a halftracker down and Marsh gives it the treatment, plonking it just inside the rope on the midwicket fence to move to the cusp of the eighties. Australia have scored over a hundred in this session so far and Marsh will be eyeing his own century before he goes to lunch.
103rd over: Australia 445-6 (Marsh 75, Starc 12) Marsh goes big! Aamer plonked it on middle stump and Marsh launched it over the midwicket fence. Great shot! And now Starc has arrived at the buffet, banging consecutive fours. Eleven from the over and Pakistan are crumbling here.
102nd over: Australia 428-6 (Marsh 68, Starc 1) Australia have unleashed a twin-Mitch assault on pakistan with Starc and Marsh at the crease. Both are formidable hitters but neither averages above 30 – Starc has a Test average of 21.5 from his 82 Tests and with 20 more runs will pass 2000 runs for his country. Marsh averages 27.5 from his 35 Tests but if he keeps flaying Aamer for fours like he’s doing today that will rise quickly.
101st over: Australia 425-6 (Marsh 66, Starc 1) Aamer is slowly getting toward his top speed of 137kph. Starc is taking a good look but he scores from his tenth ball, squeaking it past the man in close for a single. Marsh is squared up on the third but father Geoff and brother Shaun are too busy smashing cans in the corporate boxes to notice. He takes a single.
100th over: Australia 423-6 (Marsh 65, Starc 0) Salman is wicketless but for a part-time spinner he was pretty tidy yesterday, going for under three an over and contributing 23 of them. Just a leg bye from his 24th.
99th over: Australia 422-6 (Marsh 65, Starc 0) The Marsh family have contributed 13 Test centuries for Australia – Mitch’s father Geoff notched four from 50 Tests, older brother Shaun scored six from his 35 Tests – and now Mitchell is chasing his fourth ton and the family’s 14th. He bangs another four to bring that glorious achievement a little closer as Australia charge into the 400s and the 100th over looms.
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98th over: Australia 416-6 (Marsh 59, Starc 0) After using brute force in the previous overs, Marsh gaily tiptoes down to Salman’s spin and dispatches it for his 11th four. Mitchell Starc has joined him at the crease and he’s not famous for restraint either so we’ll see fast runs or fast wickets in this hour.
WICKET! Carey b Aamer 34 (Australia 411-6)
97th over: Australia 411-5 (Marsh 54, Carey 34) Just as their partnership looked to be blooming Carey has been bowled by Aamer. Lovely ball, faster and fizzing past the batter’s blade and pad to find the timber. A much-needed breakthrough for Pakistan given the flood of recent runs. Mitch Marsh had just brought up his fifth Test fifty by crunching the first ball of Aamer’s over for another four and things looked ominous. But they have first blood and are now into the Australian tail.
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96th over: Australia 406-5 (Marsh 49, Carey 34) Standing tall, hitting big! Marsh greets Ashraf’s first ball on the rise and cleaves it to the boundary. Alex Carey gets in on the game now, punching on the up past mid-off for four. And he goes again – same delivery, same gap, same result. Carey has clicked into gear. 14 runs from the over and Australia now past 400.
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95th over: Australia 392-5 (Marsh 44, Carey 26) After a quiet start Mitchell Marsh put the crowd on notice last over, thundering three fours and lighting the fuse on what could be a pyrotechnic first session of the day. But it’s Carey v Shaheen for now, neither firing as they’d like. A maiden.
94th over: Australia 392-5 (Marsh 44, Carey 26) Mitch Marsh’s patience has run out. On the first ball of the over he commits to tonking Ashraf into the farthest rings of Saturn. Even though he doesn’t middle it, the connection is hearty enough to fly over stumps and run to the rope. He goes hard at the next one too and it runs low to the deep but only a couple come from it. The radar is right on the next though – one step and BANG he swipes it over the infield for four. Last ball draws Marsh’s best shot yet, a drive that worm-burns to the fence in the blink of an eye. Watch out Pakistan, the Bison is on the charge!
93rd over: Australia 378-5 (Marsh 30, Carey 26) Shaheen returns but his best hasn’t arrived yet. His second ball is a wide full toss and Marsh gets plenty of it but can’t find the gap. Shaheen is the leader of this attack but the big quick was disappointing yesterday and he has been off again today – too short, too wide, too expensive, too rarely attacking the stumps. Pakistan are lucky neither of the Australian batters has his eye in yet or 400 would be on the board already and they’d be on their heels again. Marsh takes a single from the last – a paltry return given how poor an over it was.
92nd over: Australia 377-5 (Marsh 29, Carey 26) First bowling change of the day as Faheem Ashraf is thrown the ball. His first two balls to Carey are rusty and ragged, both wide but neither punished as it should be. Ashraf won the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne LBW yesterday but he copped some welly from Warner and his 14 runs cost 65 runs. This one’s a maiden.
91st over: Australia 377-5 (Marsh 29, Carey 26) Shaheen resumes to Marsh and the Australian allrounder takes an easy single. Carey gets a full toss on the third but again he can’t put it away and instead they run a single … but after some shoddy communication in the field they take a couple of overthrows. Bad fielding is followed by bad bowling as Shaheen’s attempted yorker goes awry and Marsh gets a bit of pad onto it before it runs to the fine leg rope. Shaheen ices an abysmal over with another full bunger on the last but Marsh miscues his rocket-launch and no runs result.
90th over: Australia 369-5 (Marsh 28, Carey 23) The 90th over arrives – roughly 18 hours too late for the umpires but that’s modern over rates for you. Australia have added 22 runs so far with the only close shave an LBW appeal in the day’s first over. Carey continues to grope outside off stump, tempting fate. But Shahzad can’t catch the edge.
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89th over: Australia 368-5 (Marsh 27, Carey 23) Shaheen helps Carey find form by plopping a big half volley on a platter for him first ball. The batter nods his thanks and drives it for four. Shaheen’s response is a good one, faster and wider and Carey steps out and swishes. Good duel here. A batter battling for his spot in the side, a bowler sharpening his role as a spearhead.
88th over: Australia 364-5 (Marsh 27, Carey 19) Shahzad rumbles in for his 19th over. He dismissed Steve Smith on Day 1, a handsome scalp indeed to call your first Test wicket, but he’s 10kph short of his fastest ball yesterday (137kph). Marsh is respectful so far but he always is until he gives you the heave-ho into the upper levels of the grandstand. And sure enough after tapping back the first five he tonks the last, swiping it to the rope.
87th over: Australia 359-5 (Marsh 23, Carey 19) Carey looks every inch a man under pressure at the moment. His strike-rate has slipped under 40, not the norm for so crisp and silky a strokemaker as we’ve seen in the past. There’s talk the Bairstow stumping saga still haunts him. Now, desperate for rhythm (and runs) he reaches out to Shaheen’s fourth ball and clobbers it past mid-on but the timing is off and he only gets three.
86th over: Australia 356-5 (Marsh 23, Carey 16) Khurram Shahzad will resume at the other end. He was probably the pick of the Pakistan bowlers yesterday, particularly late when he had Marsh and Carey playing and missing. That showed heart and stamina and gave his side hope, something Warner’s innings sapped them of for most of the day. Marsh is wary early as Shahzad whips a few down the corridor trying to lure the big allrounder into planting a hoof down the wicket and driving straight. On the fifth ball Shahzad gets the edge he wanted but it’s from Marsh in retreat and it splits the slips and runs away for four. Marsh gets a fat cherry on middle and leg to close and whips it away for another boundary.
85th over: Australia 348-5 (Marsh 15, Carey 16) Alex Carey will face the first nut from Shaheen Afridi and he’s bang on target from the get-go. Carey looked non-plussed by the first ball and utterly befuddled by the second. In fact there’s a big shout for that and it looked worthy too. Pakistan decide not to review and replays show Carey was hit inline but the ball missed kissing the top of middle peg. A fast yorker to follow but Carey keeps it out. He squirts the next one behind square and grabs two, the first runs of the day. He wanted three but Marsh sent him back. A good start by Shaheen.
Players and umpires are in the field and the first ball of day two is imminent. Batten down the hatches and buckle up for action!
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West Australians roared local boy Mitchell Marsh to the wicket yesterday and will be hoping he goes big today, but there were plenty of plaudits off the field for the Western Australian allrounder he replaced too...
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After a few lean seasons and some criticism from ex-quick Mitchell Johnson in the lead-up, David Warner was back in Raging Bull mode yesterday. His 164 was both brutal and beautiful, coming from 211 deliveries and featuring 16 fours and four sixes, two of them extraordinary scoop shots over fine leg performed from a virtual seated position. There was a customary celebratory leap on reaching three figures and a loaded gesture thrown in presumably aimed at Johnson in the commentary box.
And yet at his press conference last night Warner remains committed to retiring after a farewell Test on his home turf the Sydney Cricket Ground next month. The big question in the coming weeks is who will replace Warner at the top of the order? Does Australia give tried and untrusted openers Matt Renshaw, Cameron Bancroft or Marcus Harris again? Or do they take a wildcard approach and replace The Bull with The Bison, slotting Mitchell Marsh in as opening bat, like his father, Geoff, before him.
Who do you reckon should get the gig? Drop me a line with nominees …
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Preamble
Greetings cricket fans and welcome to day two of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at Perth Stadium. Angus Fontaine here to guide you through the first half of the day’s play with Geoff Lemon to bring it home.
Day one belonged to the home team. Led by David Warner’s barnstorming innings of 164, Australia charged to 346-5 at close of play, rattling off 117-0 in the first session, 93-2 in the second and 136-3 in the third. Although Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Travis Head got starts, none went on. Mitchell Marsh (15*) and Alex Carey (14*) will resume the onslaught today.
Pakistan’s bowlers were loose early, better after lunch but broken by stumps. There were bright debuts by Aamer Jamal and Khurram Shahzad who each showed promising signs on a hard, hot day. But overall, the Pakistan attack was plundered, and sloppy fielding, dropped catches and a botched stumping merely salted the wound.
Will home town hero Mitchell Marsh, newly restored to the Test side, cut loose this morning? Can Alex Carey find form and compile an innings that holds off his ‘keeper-batter challenger Josh Inglis? Or will Pakistan spearhead Shaheen Afridi rediscover his spark and rapidly wrap up the tail? We’ll soon find out …
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