Tag: Pakistan vs Australia

MELBOURNE: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi came out in support of Babar Azam during the latter’s rough patch with the bat in 2023.

Ace Pakistan batter Babar Azam has been out of form, especially in Test cricket since the start of the year 2023.

The right-handed batter played five matches in the ongoing year and could only yield 204 runs at a dismal average of 22.66 with the highest score of 41.

He also could not score a single half-century in the longest format in 2023.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi was unfazed by Babar Azam’s dismal Test stats this year and asserted that he is one of the most consistent batters ever produced by the country.

I rate Babar Azam very highly and so does the world,” stated Afridi.

“He is the backbone of Pakistan’s batting lineup. The best batters lose form, but I have seen such consistent batters very rarely in Pakistan cricket,” he added.

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Shahid Afridi also refuted concerns regarding Shaheen Afridi carrying an injury despite a significant pace drop in the left-arm pacer’s bowling while also highlighting the need to invest in the team’s bench strength rather than in individuals.

“I’ve never got the impression that Shaheen has an injury. If you’re injured you can’t play as a fast bowler. He knows his responsibility and how important he is to the team. The fast bowlers, we are expecting a lot from them because they’ve done well in the past.

“Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen etc. have performed so well we expect them to perform in every match. Relentless consistency is challenging in cricket.

“I have always said that unless our bench is strong we won’t be able to take the best decisions.

“The A team should be as strong as the main team, so if Shaheen or Babar or Rizwan aren’t strong, we shouldn’t have the excuses of players being unavailable, like we do with Naseem now. When our bench is strong, we will no longer have excuses.”

The former all-rounder also commented on Haris Rauf’s self-imposed absence from the Australia tour and stated that he should have been a part of this Pakistan team.

“I think Haris [Rauf] should be part of this side instead rather than [the BBL],” Afridi, speaking to media at the MCG, said.

“In these conditions, the kind of pace he has, he would have performed well and enjoyed himself on the kinds of pitches Australia prepared in Perth and here.”

READ: Babar Azam, Steve Smith share a funny interaction in Boxing Day Test

MELBOURNE: A video of Pakistan batter Babar Azam joking with his Australia counterpart Steve Smith on Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test is making rounds on social media. 
The viral video showed Babar Azam taking guard to face off-spinner Nathan Lyon just after the tea break. Steve Smith, who was fielding in the slips, told something to the former Pakistan captain while pointing at the wickets. 

Babar Azam reacted to Steve Smith’s banter by sarcastically offering him his bat. The latter refused the offer by folding his hands at the Pakistan batter.

Incredible banter!

Look at how Babar asks Smith only to bat, when he is getting ready to take guard and Smith goes 🙏

😂 😂 😂#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/SYnsDFP7ao

— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) December 29, 2023

 

The right-handed batter added just six more runs to his tally after the moment as he was clean bowled off pacer Josh Hazlewood’s bowling.

Australia captain Pat Cummins took 10 wickets in a masterclass of clutch bowling to end stout Pakistan resistance and lead his side to a 79-run victory on the fourth day of the second Test on Friday, locking up the three-match series 2-0.

Just when it looked like the Boxing Day test would go down to the wire on the final day, the paceman stepped in to remove Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s last recognised batter, and claim his 250th Test wicket.

Pat Cummins (5-49) followed that up with the wicket of Aamer Jamal for a duck to trigger an extra half an hour of play, during which he claimed his fifth wicket of the innings and 10th of the match to help mop up the tail.

It was his second 10-wicket match haul in 57 tests and concluded a glorious year in which he led Australia to the World Test Championship, a 50-overs World Cup triumph and the retention of the Ashes in England.

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Set an imposing victory target of 317 runs after bowling Australia out for 262 before lunch, the tourists had put together a series of partnerships that frustrated the potent Australian attack.

There were some home nerves when the last substantial stand of 57 between Mohammad Rizwan (35) and Agha Salman (50) got the target under 100 runs but the match turned for good when Pat Cummins separated the pair.

Pakistan had threatened to take control of the match on several occasions over the first four days only to let the Australians off the hook.

Fired by an innings of 96 from Mitchell Marsh, Australia had dragged themselves back from 16-4 after lunch on Thursday and resumed on 187-6 on a sunny morning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey scored 52 to help extend the lead before he was trapped leg before by seamer Mir Hamza (4-32) to bring an end to the innings.

Pakistan were always going to be up against it given the fact that only one team had successfully chased more than 300 runs in the fourth innings in 146 years of test matches at the MCG.

The tourists were dismissed for 89 in the fourth innings when Australia won the first test by 360 runs in Perth and the early indications were that Melbourne would witness something similar.

READ: Abdullah Shafique backs Babar Azam amidst struggles on Australia tour

MELBOURNE: Pakistan Cricket Team Director Mohammad Hafeez revealed his conversation with wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan, following the latter’s debated dismissal in the second Test against Australia.

Australian captain Pat Cummins bowled a sharp-rising delivery to Mohammad Rizwan, followed by an appeal for a caught behind.

The on-field umpire turned down Australia’s appeal but their captain Cummins opted to challenge the decision as he believed that Mohammad Rizwan may have gloved the ball.

TV Umpire Richard Illingworth thoroughly analyzed the appeal from different camera angles and was later convinced by the spike that appeared when the ball passed by Rizwan’s wristband and asked the on-field umpire to revert his decision.

The HotSpot showed no mark of contact as Rizwan looked away from the ball at the last second.

Mohammad Rizwan, however, appeared confident that he did not glove the ball and expressed his frustration with the TV Umpire’s decision before walking back to the pavilion in disappointment.

Wicket 250 for Pat Cummins! 🎉

The third umpire decided the ball flicked Mohammad Rizwan's sweatband on the way through. #MilestoneMoment | @nrmainsurance | #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/vTuDL5DmNB

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 29, 2023

 

Pakistan’s hopes of pulling off a record victory were all lying on Rizwan’s shoulder, who was unbeaten on 35 with the touring side needing a further 98 runs.

Meanwhile, Pakistan team’s Director Mohammad Hafeez at the post-match conference brought his conversation with Mohammad Rizwan to the limelight and echoed the latter’s stance.

“I spoke to Rizwan, and I believe he is a very honest person. He told me that the ball did not touch anywhere near the gloves, and there should be conclusive evidence to overturn the decision of the on-field umpire,” stated Hafeez.

“Based on what I know, the umpire gave it not out, and there was no conclusive evidence for the decision to be overturned. I don’t know what more to say. In this instance, the technology turned out to be a curse rather than something helpful,” he added.

It is worth mentioning here that Rizwan’s dismissal sparked a match-defining collapse as Pakistan slipped from 219/5 to 237 all out and thus lost the match by 70 runs against Australia, who now lead the three-match series 2-0.

READ: Shan Masood opens up about positives amid Boxing Day Test loss

MELBOURNE: Pakistan’s captain Shan Masood opened up about the positive aspects of his side’s performance during the 79-run loss against Australia in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.

Australia attained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after defeating Pakistan in the second Test.

Shan Masood during the post-match press conference asserted that Pakistan played the way they want Test cricket to be played going forward, however, giving chances to Australia cost the match.

“We have to look at the bigger picture. The smiles are there because of a lot of positives. There were plenty of positives but if you give a quality side like Australia a sniff which we gave, we didn’t stand a chance,” said Shan Masood.

“Maybe with the ball, maybe with the bat, maybe in the field. Dropping the in-form Marsh was a big moment but in the bigger picture this is the way we want to play Test cricket,” he further added.

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Shan Masood also appreciated the ‘exceptional’ bowling by Australian skipper Pat Cummins, who led from the front with a ten-wicket haul.

“The outcome is a reflection of four days of play. Winning the toss and bowling in favourable conditions worked in our favour initially. However, Pat Cummins displayed exceptional bowling, showcasing why he is the number one bowler,” Masood said.

“In the 2nd innings, Smith and Marsh built a crucial partnership. Nevertheless, this match serves as a blueprint for how we aim to approach Test cricket, and we will learn from the mistakes made,” he concluded.

Notably, Shan Masood played a 54-run knock in the first innings, followed by a well-fought 60 off 71 in the second innings to achieve the rare feat of scoring 50 or more as captain in both innings of a Test match in Australia.

READ: Sahibzada Farhan ‘ready to play at any position’ for Pakistan

MELBOURNE: Pakistan captain Shan Masood achieved the rare feat of scoring 50 or more as captain in both innings of a Test match in Australia during the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.

Shan Masood top-scored for Pakistan in the fourth innings with a well-fought 60 off 71, laced with seven boundaries while chasing 317, which the Greenshirts failed to chase as they lost by 79 runs.

Shan Masood’s second-innings performance was followed by a 54-run knock in the first innings, which made him the first Pakistan captain since Imran Khan in 1983 to score more than 50 runs in both innings of a Test match in Australia.

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Legendary Imran Khan registered scores of scores of 83 and an unbeaten 72 in the drawn Boxing Day Test at MCG during Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 1983.

Prior to Imran Khan, Hanif Mohammad also achieved this feat back in 1964 in a drawn Test match at the same ground, when he scored 104 and 93 as captain.

Shan Masood also became the first visiting batter to score half-centuries in both innings at MCG since Virat Kohli scored 169 and 54 during the Boxing Day Test.

For the unversed, Australia attained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after defeating Pakistan, courtesy of their skipper Pat Cummins’ ten-wicket haul.

READ: Pat Cummins-led Australia sink Pakistan to win Test series

MELBOURNE: Australia’s captain Pat Cummins picked his second ten-wicket haul in Test cricket and helped his side register a 79-run victory against Pakistan in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.

Australia bowled out Pakistan for 237 in the fourth innings in the pursuit of 317 to win the three-match Test series 2-0.

While chasing 317, Pakistan lost opening batter Abdullah Shafique (4) in the fifth over as he edged to Usman Khawaja in slips off Mitchell Starc.

Skipper Shan Masood joined Imam-ul-Haq and they knitted a formidable 41-run stand for the second wicket, which was dominated by the former.

However, Australian skipper Pat Cummins got Imam-ul-Haq out LBW in front of the stumps early in the second session, which was reviewed by the batter but the third umpire upheld the on-field decision, breaking the partnership.

Masood was joined by Babar Azam and together they formed a dominant partnership of 61 runs to push the team’s total past the 100-run mark.

Cummins once again broke the partnership as he dismissed his Pakistani counterpart with a brilliant catch by Steve Smith in the slips.

Masood departed after a well-fought 60 off 71, laced with seven boundaries.

Azam then shared a brief 36-run partnership with Saud Shakeel before Josh Hazlewood produced a gem to hit the stumps going through the batters’ defence.

Azam scored 41 runs from 79 balls, with the help of four boundaries.

Mitchell Starc got Saud Shakeel (24) caught behind to send him back to the pavilion and reduce Pakistan to 162-5.

Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman produced a fighting partnership of 57 runs to give Pakistan hope to chase the daunting total.

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However, a controversial caught-behind decision off Cummins saw Rizwan depart after a gutsy 35 with 219 runs on the board.

Cummins appealed for a caught behind but the umpire refused the appeal, prompting Cummins to review.

The review showed that the ball went past very closely to Rizwan’s wrist band and the hotspot showed no mark as Rizwan looked away from the ball in the last second.

However, the third umpire decided to overturn the decision after viewing the ball from different angles as there was a spike as the ball passed Rizwan’s wristband much to the batter’s disbelief.

Australian bowlers dominated from there as they did not allow any incoming batter to open their account, while Agha Salman completed his fighting half-century.

Starc dismissed Salman as Mitchell Marsh took a sharp running catch at third man, followed by a stunning catch by Smith to dismiss Mir Hamza and wrap up Pakistan’s innings at 237.

Cummins led the Australian bowling charts with 5-49, while Starc picked four wickets for 55 runs.

Earlier in the day, Australia resumed their innings with 187 runs on the board at a loss of six wickets and Alex Carey standing firm at 16.

Carey led the charge amid Pakistan’s brilliant pace bowling as he was involved in two brief partnerships of 22 and 28 with Mitchell Starc (9) and Pat Cummins (16) respectively to drag the team’s total to 237.

Carey was the last man to fall as he was out lbw off an inswinging ball by Mir Hamza, which he asked to review but to no avail and the Australian innings was wrapped up at 262, setting Pakistan a 317-run target.

Hamza returned with impressive bowling figures of 4-32 for Pakistan, while Shaheen Afridi picked up four wickets and conceded 76 runs.

Meanwhile, Aamir Jamal contributed with two wickets and gave away 74 runs.

Notably, Australia defeated Pakistan in the first Test by 360 runs in Perth after bowling the visitors for 89 in the fourth innings in Perth.

READ: South Africa skittle India to claim innings win in first Test

MELBOURNE: Right-arm pacer Hasan Ali, known for his fun-loving nature, once again amused the cricket fans as he engaged in a funny interaction with the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) crowd during the second Test between Pakistan and Australia.

Three overs after Mitchell Marsh’s dismissal, right-arm pacer Hasan Ali was seen orchestrating the lively MCG crowd near the boundary line with stretches and dance moves.

The crowd followed Hasan’s moves in sync, as the fast bowler appeared to be enjoying himself and even gave the crowd a round of applause.

Later, Hasan Ali also gave an autograph to a fan on his forehead.

Get your body moving with Hasan Ali! #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/8Y0ltpInXx

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 28, 2023

 

Australia were 187/6 in their second innings at the Stumps on Day 3 with a notable 241-run lead over Pakistan in the second Test.

Wicketkeeper batter Alex Carey (16*) and Mitchell Starc will now resume Australia’s innings on Day 4.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan resumed their innings at 194-6 with Mohammad Rizwan (29) and Aamir Jamal (2) on the crease.

The pair could add 21 runs to their overnight partnership as Pakistan’s batting mainstay Mohammad Rizwan fell victim to Pat Cummins in the eighth over of the day.

He scored an important 42 in 51 deliveries with the help of one boundary and a six.

Aamir Jamal was then joined by Shaheen Afridi at the crease and the duo stitched a vital 25-run partnership, majorly dominated by the latter.

Shaheen scored a brisk 21 off 28 balls and hit four boundaries before Nathan Lyon put an end to his enthralling cameo by trapping him lbw.

Jamal then put together brief partnerships with Hasan Ali (2) and Mir Hamza (2) as Pakistan’s first innings yielded 264 runs in response to Australia’s 318.

He remained unbeaten on 33 off 80 deliveries, featuring four boundaries and a six.

Pat Cummins led the bowling charge for Australia with a five-wicket haul, followed by Nathan Lyon, who picked four.

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Despite a crucial 54-run lead in their arsenal, Australia failed to inflict their dominance over Pakistan and instead got off to a disastrous start to their second innings.

Shaheen Afridi opened the floodgates for Australia with a first-over wicket as he got Usman Khawaja (0) caught behind on the second delivery.

The ace pacer struck again in his next over and got rid of Marnus Labuschagne (4) to dent Australia’s start further.

Mir Hamza soon followed the footsteps of his fellow pacer and he too, struck in quick succession to leave Australia reeling at 16/4.

He castled David Warner (6) and Travis Head (0) on consecutive deliveries when Australia had a narrow 70-run lead.

Smith was then joined by Mitchell Marsh and the pair got Australia going with a massive 154-run partnership which got a lifeline from Abdullah Shafique.

Australia were 46/4 when Aamir Jamal produced a thick edge off Marsh’s bat that went straight to Shafique at the first slip but was put down.

Pakistan had to wait around 35 overs to get a breakthrough as Mir Hamza got Marsh caught in the slips in the 90s.

He remained the top-scorer for Australia with 96 in 130 balls, laced up with 13 boundaries.

Steve Smith shared a brief 18-run partnership with Alex Carey before a sharp-rising delivery by Shaheen Afridi outclassed him soon after his half-century.

He scored 50 in 176 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza picked three wickets each.

READ: Third umpire stuck in lift, delays start of second session of Pakistan-Australia Test

MELBOURNE: The second session of Day 3 of the ongoing second Test between Pakistan and Australia got off to a delayed start as third umpire Richard Illingworth got stuck in a lift.

After an eventful first session, things got even more interesting when the commencement of the second session got delayed by six minutes due to a mishap with third umpire Illingworth.

On-field umpires Joel Wilson and Michael Gough were all set to resume the action after lunch but they were informed that their colleague was not present upstairs.

Richard Illingworth got trapped in one of the lifts of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and could not return to his seat in time.

The game is delayed because the third umpire … is stuck in the lift #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/eSuKyPQp56

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 28, 2023

 

Reserve umpire Phillip Gillespie had to rush into the third umpire’s box to fill in for the unavailable third umpire.

Despite being in a tense situation as Australia was 6/2 in their first innings, opening batter David Warner found it amusing and could not hold his laughter.

On the other hand, Steve Smith was heard asking Wilson if he could sit down until his colleague arrived.

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The unusual delay left Wasim Akram, who was commentating on the game, in splits.

“Again? It happened a couple of days ago, somebody got stuck in the lift here.

“I can understand this happening in our part of the world, getting stuck in the lift, but over here? I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Akram quipped.

Fortunately, third umpire Richard Illingworth managed to escape the lift and offered a relieved wave at his fellow umpires.

A wild Richard Illingworth appeared! #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/7Rsqci4whn

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 28, 2023

 

Later in the session, fourth umpire Gillespie had to briefly give a cover for Wilson as an on-field umpire when the latter walked off the field for an over.

READ: Smith’s dismissal opens way for Pakistan’s comeback against Australia

MELBOURNE: Pakistan managed to score 194 runs at the loss of six wickets against Australia after bowling the hosts out for 318 in the first innings on the second day of the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Wednesday.

Pakistan will resume their innings on the third day with Mohammad Rizwan (29) and Aamir Jamal (2) on the crease, while Australia is leading by 124 runs.

Pakistan had a steady start to their innings after the lunch break as they scored 68 runs at a loss of one wicket in the session with Abdullah Shafique (39) and captain Shan Masood (15) on the crease.

Both batters continued their dominant batting in the final session, completing their half-centuries during their 90-run stand for the second wicket.

However, Australian skipper Pat Cummins dismissed Abdullah Shafique with a total of 124 runs to break the partnership.

Shafique scored 62 runs from 109 balls with the help of five boundaries.

Cummins castled Babar Azam in the next over to further dent Pakistan’s innings and reduce them to 131-3.

Australian bowlers dominated from there on as they did not allow Pakistan to settle down and slipped from 131-3 to 170-6.

Shan Masood was dismissed by Nathan Lyon after scoring 54 runs from 76 balls with the help of three boundaries and one six.

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Mohammad Rizwan was the only other notable contributor with an unbeaten 29 at the end of the day’s play.

Cummins led the bowling for his side with three wickets while Lyon picked bagged two wickets.

Earlier in the day, Australia resumed their innings at 187-3 with Marnus Labuschagne (44) and Travis Head (9) on the crease.

Head (17) was the first wicket to fall on the day as he was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi at a total of 204.

Mitchell Marsh then joined Labuschagne and together they knitted a 46-run stand for the fifth wicket before Jamal struck to sent Labuschagne back.

Labuschagne top-scored with 63 runs from 155 balls with the help of five boundaries.

Marsh fought a lone war as Pakistani bowlers kept picking wickets from the other end, wrapping the Australian innings at 318.

Marsh scored 41 off 60 with six boundaries and one six before Mir Hamza dismissed him to get his first wicket in this match.

Jamal topped the wickets chart for Pakistan with figures of 3-64, while Hamza, Afridi and Hasan Ali picked two wickets each.

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MELBOURNE: Marnus Labuschagne remained unbeaten on 44 as Australia scored 187-3 against Pakistan on the first day of the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday.

The second Test was interrupted by rain in the latter half of the day, consequently allowing only 66 overs of play.

Australian batters Marnus Labuschagne (44) and Travis Head (9) will resume the batting against Pakistan on the second day.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan captain Shan Masood opted to bowl first when the coin flipped in his favour, citing the weather and conditions at MCG as the reason for his decision.

Australia managed to score 90-1 in the first session on the first day of Boxing Day Test on the back of a solid opening partnership between Usman Khawaja and David Warner.

The 90-run partnership was broken at the stroke of lunch as Warner was caught by Babar Azam off Salman Ali Agha after being dropped earlier by Abdullah Shafique.

Warned played an innings of 38 off 83 with three boundaries.

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Australia could only add 23 runs from 15 overs in the second session before rain interruption halted the play, while Pakistan removed Usman Khawaja, who was caught by Salman Ali Agha in slips on Hasan Ali’s bowling.

Khawaja scored 42 runs from 101 balls with five boundaries.

The rain prompted umpires to take an early Tea break with the scoreboard reading 114-2.

Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith resumed their innings in the last session as they added 46 runs for the third wicket before the latter was dismissed.

Smith was caught behind off Aamer Jamal after scoring 26 runs.

Travis Head then joined Labuschagne and together they took Australia’s total to 187-3 at the end of the first day’s play during the Boxing Day Test.

Playing XIs

Australia

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Pakistan

Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (capt), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamer Jamal

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