Marnus Labuschagne, a tenacious individual, assisted Australia in reaching 187-3 on the rain-affected opening day of the second Test in Melbourne on Tuesday. Australia was up against a persistent and penetrating Pakistani attack.
At ends, he was unbeaten on a meager 44 off 120 deliveries, while Travis Head remained unbeaten on nine after rain halted play for nearly three hours.
The overcast conditions provided ample opportunity for the bowlers of Pakistan to exploit the situation, which paid off with the dismissals of Usman Khawaja (42) and Steve Smith (26).
However, a patient Labuschagne remained unmoved as the hosts attempted to clinch the three-Test series in Perth by defeating the visitors by 360 runs.
Shan Masood, captain of Pakistan, elected to bowl first on a pitch that was conducive to seamers after winning the toss.
Under the leadership of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan bowled well in the early stages with swing; Warner was dismissed for two by Abdullah Shafique, who made a standard catch at second slip.
Warner, whose retirement Test series began in Perth with 164 runs scored in the first innings, was also fortunate to escape with a 17-run boundary that sailed over the slips.
His good fortune ran out in the final over before noon with a reckless shot off part-time spinner Agha Salman; Babar Azam caught the ball at slip off a thick outside edge.
Khawaja, a longtime opening partner of Warner’s, is embroiled in a dispute with the International Cricket Council regarding the most effective means of drawing attention to the Gaza humanitarian crisis.
Instead of displaying a decal depicting a black dove grasping an olive branch on his bat, which was rejected, he experimented with the names of his daughters printed on his shoes.
It appeared that the 37-year-old was destined for a large score after hitting a boundary off the second ball he faced. However, speedster Hasan Ali, who had been omitted for Perth and was back in the squad, drew an edge that Salman took well in the slips to leave Australia on 108-2.
Midway through the afternoon, as dark clouds descended, the lights were illuminated; Labuschagne and Smith were in survival mode as the bowlers adjusted the adjustments in anticipation of the approaching rain.
Eventually, the conditions improved, and proceedings recommenced to a sparse audience; a considerable number of the 62,000 spectators abandoned ship and returned home.
Smith and Labuschagne maintained their defensive stance, preventing many rushes.
Labuschagne ultimately alleviated some strain with the introduction of Aamer Jamal, who struck his first boundary in seventy-five deliveries while grinning and relating a story.
A review revealed that the ball had traveled high when Smith was dismissed LBW on 19 after a loud protest from Afridi, despite the fact that the going was similarly sluggish.
His fortunes soon turned against him in the face of Jamal. The umpire disregarded wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan’s appeal for a catch; however, upon review, Pakistan obtained a marginal advantage, thereby terminating the 147-ball partnership.
The mp/aha
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