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Key events
32nd over: Pakistan 113-1 (Shafique 56, Masood 39) Another streak to the boundary! Shan Masood batting like Travis Head, but taller and more stylish. Slices Lyon away off the diagonal edge to pick up four past slip.
31st over: Pakistan 108-1 (Shafique 56, Masood 34) Cummins is back. Might slow the scoring. Masood clips two, then a leg bye.
“Wilson and Gough; has there been a Test match where the extremes of the on-field umpires has been larger?” writes Keith Johnson from New York. What is the accuracy difference between the two? Does Wilson still catch flak from the Aussie supporters? (Can’t blame them). Rock on!”
And rock on to you, fellow dude. Be excellent to each other. And to Joel Wilson, who cops a lot of flack but must still have a good enough record to stay on the elite panel. The ICC do keep stats on all the umpires, and every decision, not just the reviewed ones. They don’t release the detail though, far as I know.
30th over: Pakistan 105-1 (Shafique 56, Masood 32) Short from Lyon, Masood cuts but finds the field. Down the leg side and the batter almost lifts his back foot as Carey takes well. Dabs a single behind square from the third ball. Shafique gets a couple of runs past the lid around the corner, then Labuschagne there is appealing for a catch but it’s not out. Snared cleanly but no edge.
Half century! Abdullah Shafique 51 from 90 balls
29th over: Pakistan 102-1 (Shafique 54, Masood 31) Fifty partnership up for this pair. This is the danger zone for Shan Masood though – he averages 28, and tends to get out for these sort of bright little scores. Pulls three here and goes into the 30s. Still four in the cordon for Starc, and rightly so as Abdullah drives square… but beats Lyon at backward point! Four! And a fifty!
Third slip goes to cover. First and second shuffle wider. A small victory for the batter. And it doesn’t bother him, following a no-ball, as he sees a full length and drives square of that cover fielder for three more, after a long chase for Labuschagne still wearing the shinpads from short leg.
The over costs 13 runs. Pakistan down by 216.
28th over: Pakistan 89-1 (Shafique 46, Masood 28) Shot! There was a clear strategy in Perth to go after Lyon, brief as it was before Pakistan wickets started falling, and Masood does the same here. Gets on strike via a leg bye, and dances to his Lyon way over long on. A six at the MCG, that’s no small feat.
27th over: Pakistan 82-1 (Shafique 46, Masood 22) Again, Shafique goes through point with a square push, he’s played there a lot. Hits this one well and gets three runs for it, might have been four if not for Lyon getting fingers to it initially.
26th over: Pakistan 79-1 (Shafique 43, Masood 22) Bright stuff against Lyon! Masood comes skipping down first ball and drives it for four. Nudges a single, then Lyon drops short and Shafique goes back to middle his cut shot for three. A couple more singles mean ten from the over.
25th over: Pakistan 69-1 (Shafique 39, Masood 15) Back after tea. Quiet start, one run from Starc’s over.
Tea – Pakistan 68 for 1, trailing by 250 on the first innings
That’s a handy start for Pakistan. Finished off Australia this morning for a good but not great score, and they’ve made early inroads for the loss of one.
24th over: Pakistan 68-1 (Shafique 39, Masood 15) Annoyed face from Hazlewood as he gets too straight and concedes two to Shafique, through midwicket. High standards. That’s just after a rare overstep too, no ball. And that’s tea!
23rd over: Pakistan 64-1 (Shafique 37, Masood 14) Starc takes his long walk back to the top of his long run. Travis Head is making friends with the Bay 13 crew, who were involved in a very enthused “you are a wanker” chant to someone in the crowd not long ago. Ah, the classics. So too from Starc: yorker, bouncer, single. Pakistan are 254 behind.
22nd over: Pakistan 63-1 (Shafique 37, Masood 13) Shafique keeps finding ones in that area around point, waiting and deflecting, but Hazlewood nearly gets Masood just afterwards, a genuine nick that falls just short of Khawaja at third slip. Scooped up on the half volley. Then there’s a medical break as Masood gets clipped on the scone by a Hazlewood bouncer, but no harm done and an extra for the deflection.
21st over: Pakistan 61-1 (Shafique 36, Masood 13) Starc to join Hazlewood. Abdullah falls over tucking one through midwicket, after having one go past his outside edge. Recalibrate for a left-hander… who drives two through cover, then misses a leg glance. Marsh at gully and Lyon at point keep meeting to chat between deliveries, it has happened a few times now. Two more for Shan through midwicket, a fuller ball. This is good accumulation from Pakistan, though we saw in Perth their brittleness can come into effect at any moment.
20th over: Pakistan 56-1 (Shafique 35, Masood 9) Hazlewood comes back on… and they poke him off his length well! Shan Masood with a two and a one, Abdullah knocking three through point, Masood prods away two more to the off side. Lucrative over, eight from it.
19th over: Pakistan 48-1 (Shafique 28, Masood 4) Five in the cordon, really, with the four usual spots plus Lyon at backward point really there for a sliced catch if Shan goes extravagant. Cover is open to tempt just that. But he nudges Cummins to midwicket instead for one. Whoops, hit post on that early. Streaky from Abdullah! Reaches for width, flashes at it just wide of the cordon. So many catchers waiting. He did it deliberately.
18th over: Pakistan 43-1 (Shafique 28, Masood 2) Nice little tuck off the pads from Shan for his first runs, very fine past the wicketkeeper. Fast feet to Lyon, who will be a challenge for the left-hander.
17th over: Pakistan 39-1 (Shafique 27, Masood 0) Abdullah Shafique almost follows! Edges along the ground through the cordon for four. The cordon is stackked, five slips really, or four and a gully, an unbroken line. Shafique drives on the up, back to the bowler. More edges coming…
16th over: Pakistan 34-1 (Shafique 22, Masood 0) The captain walks to the middle.
WICKET! Imam c Labuschagne b Lyon 10, Pakistan 34-2
There’s the first one! Lyon gets some drift and turn, Imam can’t resist poking at it, and gets a thick edge flying past second slip. But Labuschagne takes a good one leaning across, very quick hands. The obstinate Imam walks off.
15th over: Pakistan 33-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 10, Shafique 21) Cummins from the Members End, draws a leading edge from Imam and an “oooh” from the crowd, but it ends up safely at cover point. Then an edge with soft hands to the gully, Marsh there complementing three slips. Third ball running, another big appeal! Hits him outside the line maybe? The ball loops up to Khawaja at third slip, so it couldn’t have been an edge that saved him. Probably height. All that after Shafique started the over pulling nicely for three. Yep, over leg bail on the replay.
14th over: Pakistan 29-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 9, Shafique 18) Nice from Lyon for his second over, this one following the drinks break. Shafique pats out a maiden.
13th over: Pakistan 29-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 9, Shafique 18) Thanks Angus. It has become an absolutely glorious day in Melbourne, real beach weather. Park weather. Cricket weather. Low 20s but it feels warmer, slight breeze, fat gold sunshine. The pigeons at the top of Cummins’ mark shift away from the bowler like iron filings scattering before a magnet. He hammers a length to Shafique for a few balls before a straighter ball is pushed for one. Imam sways back from a bouncer. The spectators are very vocal, their noise swaying and receding with each delivery.
12th over: Pakistan 26-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 9, Shafique 16) Lyon on line! After two testers, one of which Shafique chips past midwicket for two, a ball pitches outside off and jags in. A huge appeal and it’s close but no review. Time for me to take a spell in the shadows of fine leg and let Geoff Lemon steam in off the long gallop. Thanks for your company and see you on the morrow!
11th over: Pakistan 23-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 7, Shafique 14) As Pat Cummins rumbles in for a second over at Shafique, Rob Davison has dropped us a kindly line from the Apple Isle under Down Under:
“G’day Angus love the Guardian Live, a great way to consume cricket. Keep up the good work! I’m currently walking around Ben Lomond Tasmania at 1595 meters above sea level. Anyone higher catching your coverage?”
Any Kathmandu readers want to put Rob in his place?
After being punched for three wide of mid-off, Cummins appeals on the faster fifth ball. Umpire says NOT OUT. The Australians will review but it looked high on the knee roll… and so it proves. Nathan Lyon looks like he’ll get the next over.
10th over: Pakistan 20-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 7, Shafique 11) Hazlewood to Shafique and a hasty late leave catches a thick bottom edge and bounces it in front of Australia’s four-man slip cordon. Hazlewood resumes drilling on and outside off-stump but dangles the last a little wider and Shafique has a swish, mistiming it behind square to steal an unconvincing single.
9th over: Pakistan 19-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 7, Shafique 10) Starc gets a rest and Captain Pat takes the pill while there’s still plenty of shine on it. Shafique slices into the covers for a single on the first to leave Pakistan 299 to chase. Cummins bangs his fourth ball in at 138kph and Imam-ul_Haq leans away as it whizzes past at eye-height. A nod from the batter to acknowledge the gauntlet thrown down and the challenge accepted.
8th over: Pakistan 18-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 7, Shafique 9) Cameron Green has galumphed off the field after filling in on the field while David Warner cleaned up the Christmas ham everyone left on their plates. Did you dare dine on the swine again at lunch? Personally I balked at the pork and went with white bread lightly toasted and slathered in kewpie mayo and tabasco sauce and then piled with leftover tiger prawns aka the wee pigs of the sea. Hazlewood allows a leg bye and a single but there’s a huge shout on the last but close-in fielder Lyon gets final say and it’s a… YEAH BUT NAH.
7th over: Pakistan 16-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 7, Shafique 8) Starc returns his fourth over seeking his 339th Test wicket. The skies overhead are blue, the day is warm and we’re seeing some hiss and spit from this second day pitch. Starc is scrambling the seam and trying the inswinger but he’s still delivering too wide.
6th over: Pakistan 16-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 7, Shafique 8) The Hoff gets biffed! Imam-ul-Haq drove lavishly and didn’t middle it but the ball flew through backyard point for a boundary. An appeal for LBW on the second but no review. Almost an edge to the third as Imam-ul-Haq left it late and the ball caught the edge on the way through. The last snarls past the batter’s naval. Four from the over but plenty of threat too. Honours even.
5th over: Pakistan 12-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 3, Shafique 8) Starc takes on Shafique but the batter wins out, square driving the first ball for four. Starc responds with a flurry of juicy tempters and Shafique strangles one for two. Smith wants to review the last delivery for an edge but no one else is interested and rightly so.
4th over: Pakistan 6-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 3, Shafique 2) Like a metronomic monster, The Hoff Returns (for a second over). Josh Reginald Hazlewood has 242 wickets from his 64 Tests at the wonderful average of 26, not a bad return for a tall quiet lad from Tamworth, Australia’s country music capital. He’s 33 this year but there’s life in the old dog yet.
3rd over: Pakistan 6-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 3, Shafique 2) Almost an edge! Starc delivered it full and Imam-ul-Haq’s eyes lit up but the ball bit and swung and a loose stroke turned into a handsome leave. It spooks the batter and he leaves the next four before getting some pad on the fifth for a single. No need to play at Starc’s last delivery as it’s aimed at second slip’s ankles.
2nd over: Pakistan 5-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 3, Shafique 2) Here comes Josh Hazlewood. As usual, he’s on the money, targeting Shafique’s off stump and letting the seam do the work. Six dots on the trot. That’s The Hoff.
1st over: Pakistan 5-0 (Imam-ul-Haq 3, Shafique 2) And we’re back! Mitchell Starc has the new ball and Abdullah Shafique has the strike. A single from the first as Starc, wearing thermals to his wrists, tails one in on middle stump. The second ball is outside off and Imam-ul-Haq steps out and greets it with a crunching cover drive that goes just short of the rope for three. A yorker on the fourth as Starc curls it in at Shafique’s shoelaces. A wide lifter down leg to finish. Lively start to the second session!
Geoff Lemon has some lunchtime reading for you, on Usman Khawaja and the ICC.
Really, the International Cricket Council could not have done Usman Khawaja more of a favour. Had Australia’s opener been allowed to take the field for the Perth Test wearing shoes with two blandly general phrases about human rights written in pen on the sidewall, a few photos would have been published and that would have been that.
By making his nine runs today Starc has joined an elite club of Australian bowlers.
Lunch: Australia all out for 318
What a brilliant first session day two of the Second Test delivered!
Australia came out swinging through Travis Head and then Mitchell Marsh but neither dangerman got away with their lusty hitting for long. Even sheet anchor Marnus Labuschagne couldn’t cash in, falling for a slow, solid but ultimately disappointing 63.
Pakistan’s bowlers were great – tight, aggressive, unyielding – but their fielders were better. Behind the wicket and in the outfield they took every chance to keep Australia on the back foot all morning. Seven wickets were their reward and now they have an achievable target of 319 to chase down on a wicket providing plenty of bounce and swing for Australia’s bowlers but also ample reward for Pakistan batters prepared to take the game on.
That’s lunch on day two – to ham or not to ham? Let’s find out where you landed in a hot half hour shall we?
WICKET! Lyon c Hamza b Hasan Ali 8 (Australia 318-10)
Lyon swipes at the fourth ball and got lucky but not so on the fifth. It flew straight to Hamza on the boundary who made good ground to take the catch. Another great catch by the visitors to complement good bowling.
97th over: Australia 318-9 (Lyon 8, Hazlewood 5) With the umpires still uncertain on the Christmas ham question, we’ll have one more over to decide. Hazlewood takes a single and Lyon swipes at the fourth to send it sailing over the slip cordon and into the rope for four. He tries it again on the next ball but doesn’t time it so sweetly…
96th over: Australia 312-9 (Lyon 3, Hazlewood 4) Josh Hazlewood walks out… but a fourth ball edge might have him walking off. The slips fielder has claimed the catch but the batter hasn’t walked and the onfield officials are not sure. It will be left to the third umpire to decide. Replays show the ball sticking into the pinkies with fingers under the ball but the ball then finding equilibrium with the turf. The call is NOT OUT. And Hazlewood then salts the wound by uncoiling a silken cover drive to the boundary. There’s a sprawling effort to deny it but it’s not successful.
WICKET! Cummins c Hasan Ali b Jamal 13 (Australia 308-9)
Cummins goes heave-ho at the first ball from Aamer Jamal and this one skews high and heavy and eventually lands safely in the sticky fingers of Hamza. The Australian captain, rattled by the short stuff earlier, has holed out and a sixth wicket falls in the session. Great fightback by Pakistan… but they have to bat on this fizzer of a wicket yet.
95th over: Australia 308-8 (Cummins 13, Lyon 3) Australia are in survival mode now. Cummins scampers a single to start contemplating the Christmas ham at lunch while Nathan Lyon tries to save his own bacon by fending off Hasan’s 23rd over. He does, running one and leaving Cummins to strike lustily at another nothing ball from Hasan. It flies straight and bounces twicer between reaching the rope. The Australian skipper tries to duplicate the shot on the next ball but Hasan sees him coming and it hits high on the bat and baloons safely short of Shaheen on the fence for a run.
94th over: Australia 301-8 (Cummins 7, Lyon 2) Wild, wide and FOUR! That crazy legside zinger from Jamal runs to the fine leg boundary for a boundary. It takes Australia’s total past 300 and Pakistan’s sundries tally over 50. Lyon bats back the next five deliveries. One more over until lunch and yep, it’s time to ask your belly whether it can handle one more slice of Christmas ham…
93rd over: Australia 295-8 (Cummins 7, Lyon 1) Lyon runs a single off the first Hasan delivery and it’s a good one because Hassan has got the new ball spitting off this MCG pitch. Cummins fends another chin-grazer off his gloves but it lands just short of slips. Good fight happening here. They want to attack but Pakistan are too busy making them defend.
92nd over: Australia 295-8 (Cummins 7, Lyon 1) As has been the case all day from Pakistan, Hamza’s reward for his wicket is to be immediately replaced in the attack. Instead it will be Aamer Jamal returning for a 17th over. Lyon taps him into the covers for single to get off his duck and Cummins wafts at a couple before falling away backwards to a bouncer that chases him. He’s been struck a nasty blow on the right collarbone but waves sympathy away. The ball, not the blow, was his greater fear – it landed on middle stump but spat spinning just past the leg peg. Aamer’s next ball is even fiercer – it skythes off the pitch and goes over Cummins, over the wicketkeeper and runs away for four byes.
91st over: Australia 290-8 (Cummins 7, Lyon 0) Skied but safe! Cummins had a big swing at Hasan’s first ball and it went up but plopped between the infield and outfielders for two nervous runs. He takes another swing at the fourth but misses. Clearly Captain Pat likes what he’s seeing for the quicks in this MCG wicket and wants to get into the field before lunch.
90th over: Australia 286-8 (Cummins 3, Lyon 0) Hamza has two wickets for 51 from 22 overs this innings, a fine return and a just reward for some excellent aggressive bowling this morning. Pakistan are fielding at five-from-five in the field today too with no dropped catches cruelling their quest as was the case yesterday. Nathan Lyon has wandered out for a bat and Hamza turns the screws another notch, forcing the GOAT to play out a wicket-maiden.
WICKET! Marsh c Jamal b Hamza 41 (Australia 286-8)
Marsh opened his shoulders to the first ball of Hamza’s 22nd over, aiming it in front of square but it was faster and wider and instead he sliced it straight to Aamer Jamal for a simple jumping catch. Pakistan strike again – that’s five wickets for the session… and they’re not done yet.
89th over: Australia 286-7 (Marsh 41, Cummins 3) Hasan is whizzing them down the corridor of uncertainty and Cummins is fishing, then leaving. Plenty of seam movement this morning which bodes well for Australia’s bowlers this afternoon. But for now Pakistan have the new ball swinging and the Australians missing. A maiden.
88th over: Australia 286-7 (Marsh 41, Cummins 3) The run rate today is 4.5 compared with the first day’s 2.8. As Cummins gets off his duck by clipping Hamza off his hip for three, it means Australia have bashed 99 runs from the 22 overs so far. But Pakistan have claimed four key wickets. Great session of cricket, no?
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