Key events
83rd over: Australia 262-6 (Marsh 32, Starc 1) Fantastic fightback by Pakistan this morning and they will smell fresh blood in the water with Mitchell Starc at the crease with his reputation for good time-not-long time innings. He and Marsh both sneak singles to keep things ticking over.
WICKET! Carey c Rizwan b Shaheen 4 (Australia 260-6)
What a catch from the Pakistan wicketkeeper! Carey got a big snick to an inswinger from Shaheen and Rizwan dived full length to his right to haul it in one-handed. Carey’s troubles with the bat continue and Pakistan officially move into the ascendency in the second Test!
82nd over: Australia 256-5 (Marsh 31, Carey 4) Following the peculiar AFL practice of subbing off a goalscorer, Pakistan have again opted to spell the man who just took a wicket. This time Aamer is given a rest and Hamza is reintroduced. He finds big swing with his second ball and despite it landing at just 122kph Carey is bewildered and can only squirt it into the onside. Carey responds with a big swing of his own to a ball flying short and wide, flaying it to the square leg boundary but only for three runs.
81st over: Australia 253-5 (Marsh 31, Carey 1) Here’s the new ball! Great time for Pakistan and Shaheen to have it in hand too, having dismissed the dangerous Head and now the well set Labuschagne for another 63. If it’s possible I think Marnus walked off even slower than usual, Sloth Speed shifting down into Snail Mode. This shiny orb is proving tough to control as Pakistan spray it around and leak a (very wide) wide and a legbye.
80th over: Australia 251-5 (Marsh 30, Carey 1) Pakistan hit back! They have continued their excellent bowling from yesterday and claimed the big wickets of the overnight batters Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne. That gets rid of the Australian top five and brings in wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey who desperately needs a big score. He’s off the mark though.
WICKET! Labuschagne c Shafique b Aamer 63 (Australia 250-5)
Final over before Pakistan take the new ball and they’ve struck with the old! Aamer dug it in hard and straight and it squared Labuschagne up and he got a healthy edge to Shafiqque at first slip. Big breakthrough!
79th over: Australia 249-4 (Labuschagne 63, Marsh 30) Salman is back with the handy part-time spin that drew the “lazy” shot dismissal of David Warner yesterday. Maarsh takes a single and then Labuschagne threads one through the infield for three. Pakistan are trying to slow this partnership down to stay in the game but it’s not working. Five from the over.
78th over: Australia 244-4 (Labuschagne 60, Marsh 28) After that 12-run over, Pakistan have introduced Aamer Jamal who picked up the scalp of Steve Smith yesterday. But it doesn’t change the result as Marsh leans back on his back hooves and heaves it hard over square for another powerful four. He’s now rattling along at a run-a-ball. The field is well spread but the big Western Australian continues to split or clear them. Looks like the home side are going to batter all life out of this old ball before the ripe cherry arrives in two overs time.
77th over: Australia 238-4 (Labuschagne 59, Marsh 24) Come in spinner! Here comes Salman, fresh from the catch of the Test so far. That puts Salman back in the black, having take one and dropped one yesterday. Thanks to a mid-pitch dolly he’s also in the grandstand, Marsh stepping down to launch him out of the screws and down the ground for SIX. The next ball is better, skipping back to square cut for another boundary. Batten down the hatches, folks – The Bison is starting to charge!
76th over: Australia 226-4 (Labuschagne 59, Marsh 12) Mauled by Marsh! It was faster and shorter from Hasan but it was also just a fraction wide and Marsh swung the axe and cut it square to the boundary rope. Great shot from a man in form. He’s content with a single down legside from the fourth to retain strike.
75th over: Australia 221-4 (Labuschagne 59, Marsh 7) Almost a run-out! Marnus Labuschagne, famed for his speed between the creases, tucked the second ball from Hamza square but slipped turning for the second. He made it but only just. After the errant butterfly, the dropped bat and the two overruled dismissals in the last over and that near-miss the crowd have certainly woken up! Another two to Labuschagne makes it four from the over. Second new ball is due in five overs.
74th over: Australia 217-4 (Labuschagne 55, Marsh 7) Big shout for LBW on the second ball from Hasan Ali to Marsh…and he’s OUT! Marsh will review though and rightly so as replays show the tiniest inside edge on HotSpot. Pakistan don’t like it though and there’s some debate onfield between the players and the umpire as to why Snicko hasn’t been used to make this decision. Controversy here… but it doesn’t matter because Marsh has inside edged the fourth ball to the wicketkeeper. Onfield decision is OUT but Australia will review again. Tensions rising… but again the hot air deflates when Joel Wilson is forced to overturned his decision. A Bronx cheer for the man in the white hat as the fifth delivery yields only a dot. An eventful maiden for Hasan!
73rd over: Australia 217-4 (Labuschagne 55, Marsh 7) Strange bowling change here as Pakistan replaces the wicket-taker Shaheen with new inclusion Mir Hamza. Maybe they’re saving him for the new ball but he looked to be in very good rhythm. However, as he watches Mitchell Marsh cover drive Hamza down thr ground for four, fielding at fine leg doesn’t look so bad. Marsh cocks-up the sequel though, pulling wild and fast and missing it completely, the ball hitting the back of the blade and scuttling into the infield. Labuschagne adds to the comedy errors by dropping his bat as the ball leaves the bowler’s hands.
72nd over: Australia 212-4 (Labuschagne 55, Marsh 2) Important fifty for Labuschagne who is averaging in the mid-30s in 2023 after sitting comfortably in the mid-60s in 2021 and mid-50s in 2022. He’s batting a full step out of his crease today, a statement of attacking intent perhaps. Like his glimmer twin Steve Smith, he’s been in survival mode of late, strangely lacking in confidence and the freeflowing strokes that come with it. He taps a single from Hasan and Marsh rushes another to complete the over.
71st over: Australia 210-4 (Labuschagne 54, Marsh 1) Great breakthrough for Pakistan and just reward for Shaheen who has bowled without much luck in the two Tests so far. It came courtesy of a fabulous catch by Salman who dived a body length to his left and took the grab with his left hand, rolling expertly to ensure the ball didn’t jar loose. Head departs and with it a bit of adrenaline seeps from the crowd… but not too much as Mitchell Marsh strides outt. He takes a single from the first and Labuschagne clips a boundary from the fifth to reach his half century.
WICKET! Head c Salman b Shaheen 17 (Australia 204-4)
Faster ball from Shaheen and Head reaches for it, getting a thick edge and sending it to the flying Salman at first slip. Loose shot. Great catch!
70th over: Australia 204-3 (Labuschagne 49, Head 17) Here comes Hasan Ali again. One of the new inclusions for this Test, the 29-year-old Punjabi is looking to get a promising 22 Test career back on track after bursting onto the cricket scene as Player of the Champions League in 2017 where he topped the tournament averages with 13 scalps at 14.69. He holds the line well here, five dot balls and then a weird moment only cricket can deliver. A fat white butterfly – perhaps a stand-in for the dove Usman Khawaja wanted on his shoes? – flutters across the line and Labuschagne withdraws late. A dot ball ensues.
69th over: Australia 204-3 (Labuschagne 49, Head 17) Labuschagne’s single off the first ball brings up the fifty partnership for these two. It comes off just 63 balls, a significant acceleration on the 30-40 strike-rate of yesterday. These two are the only Australians in the XI under the age of 30 (Head hits 30 on Thursday, Marnus in June) so younger legs and youthful intent at the crease. Not so here as Head sees off Shaheen’a final five without scoring.
68th over: Australia 203-3 (Labuschagne 48, Head 17) Head hammers his first ball for four! It wasn’t a bad delivery by Hasan Ali but Head crashed it through covers to the fence. He gives the third ball a biff as well. It was wide and WHACK! He square drove it to the fence to get scoring rattling along.
67th over: Australia 195-3 (Labuschagne 48, Head 9) Shaheen Afridi went wicketless yesterday but he starts on target today, whistling his first two past Labuschagne’s forward defensive prod. The third is over-pitched and Marnus clips it off his toes and sends it to the fence. Lovely stuff Marnie! The fourth is down leg and – bat? pad? – deflects it down legside for three. Umpire indicates leg bye and Labuschagne shakes his head like a laughing clown at Luna Park. I know he needs runs – he averages only 37 from his 13 Tests this year – but not by stealing sundries…
The early clouds have parted and blue skies have arrived. On field the rollers are off and players are on. Here comes the first ball of day two from Shaheen Afridi to Marnus Labuschagne …
On a more serious note, Usman Khawaja took to the MCG with messages of support on his shoes and opening partner David Warner in his corner. Heartfelt as they were, they were very different from what Uzzy intended
Pakistan did their best to brighten a murky Day One for an MCG crowd of over 60k with some of truly vaudevillian fielding. It’s been an ongoing issue for Pakistan cricket over the years it seems…
For those who came in late, here’s what went down (apart from catches) on day one …
Preamble
Greetings cricket fans and welcome to day two of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne. Angus Fontaine here with a bellyful of ham (and a fridge full of dodgier-by-the minute prawns) to guide you through the first half. Geoff Lemon will pad up after lunch.
A big day looms for both teams – and all us spectators. Australia battled through a lost toss, bad weather and good bowling to land at 187 for 3 at stumps from 66 overs with Marnus Labuschagne to resume on 44 and Travis Head on nine. Pakistan bowled beautifully in patches yesterday and must do so again today if they’re to wrestle the series ledger back to 1-1.
Day one lost 20 overs to rain but the bigger deal was that Pakistan lost the chance to scruff this Test by dropping several catches, including Shafique’s early shocker at slip when David Warner was on two. In his penultimate Test, Warner was eventually out for 38 on the last ball before lunch, having reached 18,515 runs across all formats, eclipsing Steve Waugh’s 18,496.
Warner has since described his performance as “lazy” and the same tag could be applied to his opening partner’s dismissal. Having eased to 42, Usman Khawaja played a poor shot off Hasan Ali after lunch. Steve Smith won’t be happy with his typically weird and pernickety innings either, out to Aamer Jamal for 26 after surviving an lbw shout a few minutes prior.
Honours even I reckon. Pakistan have plenty to play for and something to build on, having kept the scoring rate below 40 all day despite fielding sloppier than that displayed by the shickered uncles and cordial-fuelled grommets in my back yard on Christmas Day. The day two forecast looks sunny but with that man Travis Head at the crease, thunder and lightning is always a chance.
