Key events
104th over: Australia 287-5 (Marsh 48, Carey 37) Time for Aamer Jamal again. Time and again in this series, he has been the one to make things happen for Pakistan. Despite being a modest-looking right-arm seamer. Marsh clips through square leg, and Carey hustles to be ready for a third run but Marsh walks the second. Is he tiring already? It’s a cool and overcast day, he shouldn’t be too taxed. Pokes a run to point, Carey steers away with elan for two more. Runs flowing without major risk. Two slips and a gully, as Carey glances one more. Only 26 between the teams.
103rd over: Australia 281-5 (Marsh 45, Carey 35) Having kept strike against Sajid Khan, Carey cuts a couple more runs through cover. Marsh has a rest at the spectator’s end. Australian only 32 behind now, this pair looking comfortable.
102nd over: Australia 279-5 (Marsh 45, Carey 33) Meanwhile Carey is doing that thing he does, ghostlike in ticking over runs at a fast rate while barely being noticed. Two more off the pads behind square. One more to point. He’s faced only 42 balls for his 33.
101th over: Australia 276-5 (Marsh 45, Carey 30) Big Sajid is getting some turn, into the pads of Marsh, inducing an inside edge as the Australian aims through cover again but hits it to midwicket. Ten dots in a row between this pair, eleven as Marsh digs back to the bowler, then he gets two runs off the outside edge past slip. Pakistan so close to a breakthrough.
100th over: Australia 274-5 (Marsh 43, Carey 30) Hasan Ali round the wicket to Carey, who whips a drive gloriously down theground for four! Cracks his wrists through the line of that very full ball and gets it back past the bowler. That after turning two runs through square leg.
99th over: Australia 268-5 (Marsh 43, Carey 24) Back to spin quickly with the new ball. Sajid Khan wheels down an over of off-breaks, met with a defensive blade by Marsh.
98th over: Australia 268-5 (Marsh 43, Carey 24) Another belter from Marsh, through the covers off Hamza once more. Forget the lbw overturn, remember the dropped catch at mid off. Just as in Melbourne, it’s a drop from Marsh’s bat that is defining a Test match. Australia only 46 behind now. Down to 45 as he cuts a single.
97th over: Australia 262-5 (Marsh 38, Carey 24) Working singles comfortably is Carey, as Hasan bowls largely at the stumps.
96th over: Australia 259-5 (Marsh 37, Carey 22) Reprieved, the full power of Marsh is on display. Smites the first ball of Hamza’s over with the most brutal cover drive imaginable. No caressing, all carnage. Follows with one to midwicket, Carey does the same.
95th over: Australia 253-5 (Marsh 32, Carey 21) Thanks Angus. Poor old Hasan Ali, still can’t take a trick. Two wickets first up in Melbourne, wicketless in the second innings there, wicketless so far here. Thinks that he’s broken the drought as Marsh aims a big pull off the front foot, misses, and is smashed on the thigh in front of off stump. Umpire Illingworth gives it out, Hasan falls over and ends up doing a celebratory forward roll. But Marsh reviews and ball-tracking shows it going just over the off bail. Saved by height. Soon afterwards Marsh fishes and misses outside the off stump, another near thing. Square-drives a run to end the over.
94th over: Australia 252-5 (Marsh 31, Carey 21) Marsh middles Hamza’s first delivery and strolls one. Carey flashes a cut at the second and adds two. He stands tall to take the third off his toes and send it to the outer for another two. The ‘keeper looks in good nick here and proves it again with a ripsnorting cover drive that rockets to the fence and draws a huge roar from the pink masses. Time for me to join them and let Geoff Lemon take over. Thanks for your company and enjoy the rest of Day 3.
93rd over: Australia 243-5 (Marsh 30, Carey 13) The new ball! Hasan Ali will bowl it with Mitch Marsh to face it. He flays a wide delivery outside off stump and earns a single. Carey deflects the next past a diving gully fielder to claim a couple more. Hasan beats him with the fourth. But Carey makes amends on the last, driving powerfully and getting enough bat on it to send it skidding to the rope. After a slow start, this partnership is starting to motor.
92nd over: Australia 236-5 (Marsh 29, Carey 7) Are Australia pinned down? Murray Henman emails in to disagree. “We saw what Pakistan was able to do with their last wicket, so surely Australia should be getting 400 from here.” You could be right, Murray. Perhaps Australia are in a hole of their own invention, Smith and Labuschagne having batted slowly in the first session only to lose their wickets before the break. Lately, Travis Head has been able to swagger out and smash Australia back to ascendancy but the vice captain hasn’t fired this series. Instead Mitch Marsh has become The Man. He bangs Hamza to the boundary to make it three fours in three overs.
91st over: Australia 229-5 (Marsh 25, Carey 6) Carey claims a single from the first drifter of Salman’s 20th over. Although they broke the boundary drought last over, it was with a shot more arse than class. Australia remain pinned down. Still, that chancy four last over put enough confidence into Marsh for him to slam a rare wide ball from Salman down the ground and into the fence.
90th over: Australia 224-5 (Marsh 21, Carey 5) Mitch Marsh is like a buffalo on a tightrope. He knows it’s prudent to tippy-toe but his instinct tells him to charge and charge hard. Just 17 from 56 deliveries with a strike rate of 30 – those are far from typical stats for him. A sign of maturity perhaps? Or simply delayed gratification? A touch of both in the educated edge he sends through slips. It goes for four – Australia’s first in 80 minutes.
89th over: Australia 220-5 (Marsh 17, Carey 5) Salman continues with spin but paceman Mir Hamza is warming up in the outfield so we might see the new ball soon after all. Just a single for Marsh from this over. We’ve only had 15 runs from the last six overs and the run-rate has dropped to 2.5
88th over: Australia 219-5 (Marsh 16, Carey 5) Australia bring up a century but it’s one that will please Pakistan most – 100 balls without a boundary. Australia trail by 96 now but all thoughts of a lead have been put aside as these two work hard to survive. Marsh leans back to uncoil a hard late cut but again it only yields a single. Carey taps a run from the fourth as Aamer enters his 17th over, just 48 from them and the wickets of Usman Khawaja and Travis Head against his name. Marsh runs the final ball to fine leg for another single.
87th over: Australia 216-5 (Marsh 14, Carey 4) No second new ball yet. Pakistan persist with Salman, sending flat fizzers down to Marsh. The Bison rumbles out of his crease to snuff the spin but, tied down and frustrated with 13 from 41, he sweeps rashly on the third delivery and misses, sending the ball skewing off his arm and into the grill. Babar Azam rushes in for a quick comedic concussion test but Marsh swats him away with a laugh. Salman throws in some comic relief with a legside delivery on a 44th stump line that not even the wicketkeeper at full strength can haul in. They run a bye. Was that a trap? Carey doesn’t care. He sweeps another legside looper past the ‘keeper and cordon to run three.
86th over: Australia 211-5 (Marsh 13, Carey 1) Aamer switches to around the wicket for the left-hander Carey. A slower ball gets the batter swiping across the line but it’s a big swing and a narrow miss. Bowler licks his lips, puts the next one full on middle peg. Carey steps out to clip it fine but no run. He’s flashing wide but Aamer is bowling straight and on a length, baiting Carey to miscue a slapshot. It’s a maiden.
85th over: Australia 211-5 (Marsh 13, Carey 1) The Salman and The Bison. It sounds like an Aesop acid trip but it’s the duel now playing out at the SCG. Marsh squirts the fourth delivery behind point for two but can’t collar any of the others as Salman turns the screws on Australia. It’s tense out there.
84th over: Australia 209-5 (Marsh 11, Carey 1) Head’s departure brings Alex Carey to the crease. He got his mojo back in Melbourne with a fine half-century that proved crucial in an Australian victory by 79 runs. Now the wicketkeeper has another rescue job on his hands. Aamer Jamal is bowling beautifully, pinging them down at 138kph and finding movement in the air and off the pitch. With Marsh not settled yet, Carey will be challenged here. And yowzer! He French cuts his first one to get off the mark. Marsh carts one through covers for three from the final delivery.
WICKET! Head LBW Aamer 10 (Australia 205-5)
Head is gone! Aamer beat him for pace and the ball thumped into his kneeroll. Onfield decision was OUT but it looked for a moment as if Head’s stance on leg stump and his hop into the air might save him. But no. Replays show it hitting leg stump. Head departs. Australia in trouble!
83rd over: Australia 205-4 (Head 10, Marsh 8) Almost a catch! Marsh chipped one down the ground and the fielder went into a crouch when he should’ve taken a stride forward. The ball falls just short and the fielder earns a hard glare from Salman. Definitely a chance blown for Pakistan. Head bottom edges a rare leg-side delivery from Salman and scampers two.
82nd over: Australia 201-4 (Head 7, Marsh 7) Head cracks Aamer Jamal’s first delivery square but it’s straight to the fielder and going so fast they only get one. That single brings up Australia’s 200. Marsh defends well against a volley of inswingers, off-stump curlers and yorkers. Marsh works the wider final delivery away for another run.
81st over: Australia 199-4 (Head 6, Marsh 6) And we’re back. Pakistan have opted not to take the new ball due to them and will continue with Salman’s spin, little wonder when he and Sajid are finding the footmarks as they are. Head and Marsh are biffers and they’d prefer the ball coming onto the bat at pace. Instead they have to decrypt mystery balls from the spinners. A maiden to start the second session. Australia now trail by 114 runs.
LUNCH: Australia 199 for 4 chasing Pakistan’s first innings 313
What a fascinating session! Australia dug in early, grinding their way through a tense five-maiden spell to progress in ones and twos with the occasional liberating boundary. Even as they got going, the run rate never exceeded three-per-over as Smith and Labuschagne were kept in check by accurate bowling and spirited fielding in the outer. Pakistan’s pressure finally paid dividends when Smith fell into a fielding trap set by Masood and Labuschagne was undone by a vicious in-spinner from Salman. That 1-2 punch put Pakistan back in the game and Australia on their heels.
This Test is on a knife’s edge. Australia have two new batters at the crease in Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, neither backward in coming forward with attacking cricket. And Pakistan attack have their tails up and teeth bared for the new ball that is due immediately after lunch.
Another thrilling session awaits. Grab a bite then batten ‘em down and buckle ‘em up – we’ll be back shortly with the second session of Day 3.
80th over: Australia 199-4 (Head 6, Marsh 6) Last over before lunch and Sajid Khan is brought back to tempt a big shot from these new batters. Marsh clips fine for two from the first and takes a single from the third whereupon Masood cinches the field to amp the pressure and induce something loose. Head sees it out though. And that’ll be the break.
79th over: Australia 196-4 (Head 6, Marsh 3) Head edges! But it falls just short of first slip. Very close shave there. Salman found a little detonation out of the rough and Head’s prod almost ended his innings before it really began. He then clips one just shy of silly mid-off for a quickly-run two.
78th over: Australia 194-4 (Head 4, Marsh 3) Marsh takes a single from Hamza’s first ball, tapping it to deep point. Head finally gets off the mark, swatting his 13th ball wide of mid-off. Hamza is varying his pace shifting gears between 130kph shooters and 113kph slower balls. Head doesn’t mind blocking a few before he unleashes the beast but he’ll be tested here. He whips Hamza’s final delivery square for three where there’s a fielding mixup between Jamal and Shafique that almost ends in calamity.
77th over: Australia 189-4 (Head 0, Marsh 3) Salman the part-time offie has become Pakistan’s strike weapon. He got rid of David Warner yesterday with a ripsnorter that reared off a crack and now he’s dispatched Marnus Labuschagne with a fizzer from the footmarks today. Head defends stoutly to all six, getting his eye in and carefully surveying a fielding ring where Masood has traps everywhere.
76th over: Australia 188-4 (Head 0, Marsh 1) Australia’s new batters now have an interesting challenge on their hands. Do Head and Marsh, both famously powerful counter-punchers, play their natural game and attack? Or withdraw into their shell and survive until lunch? Marsh lashes at the fifth to give us an answer of sorts, but it doesn’t get through the field.
75th over: Australia 188-4 (Head 0, Marsh 1) This Test has been turned on its head again! Australia were cruising to lunch with Smith and Labuschagne plucking singles at will and flaying the occasional four. Then Shan Masood’s cunning fielding trap lured Smith into a loose shot and Salman found the SCG footmarks to bamboozle Labuschagne. Now there are two new batters at the crease and a dangerous little period for them to negotiate before lunch.
WICKET! Labuschagne b Salman 60 (Australia 187-4)
Bowled through the gate! What a great ball from Salman. It drifted wide of off stump and Labuschagne sensed he had to play. The instinct was correct but nothing could’ve prepared him for the spin that shot it past the blade and into the pegs. Double breakthrough for Pakistan and again they have wrestled back momentum when Australia seemed well on top.
