Key events
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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!
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 …
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.
