Pakistan crawl to 60/2 at lunch, Day 1 of Boxing Day Test vs Australia

The curator at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) had warned about bowlers getting a lot of assistance in the first hour’s play of the first day in the Boxing Day Test of 2016-17, but Pakistan continued to be extra cautious, reaching 60 for 2 after 26 overs that were bowled in the first session of the second Test. Sami Aslam faced as many as 41 balls, but failed to convert his start and fell to Nathan Lyon in the 12th over of the day. Azhar Ali dropped anchor, survived a few tough chances and crawled to 26 not out off 73 balls. At the other end, Pakistan’s latest sensation Babar Azam showed better intent to score runs, but he fell to an angry Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood at the stroke of lunch for 43-ball 23.

At lunch, Pakistan were steady, but the amount of bounce that Lyon generated in the first session itself would have had Yasir Shah licking his lips in the dressing room. There has been minimal turn for the Australian spinner so far in the day, but he has created a lot of worries for the Pakistani batsmen. On the other hand, the Australian fast bowlers made a terrific start, but did not do much apart from beating the edges on the odd occasion. Josh Hazlewood remained the pick among the Australian fast bowlers.

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

It was a session which would raise Pakistan’s hopes of a strong start to this Test at Melbourne. Pakistan won the toss, and it was a brave decision to bat first. Pakistani openers started off well, and their only priority was to put a heavy price on their wickets. The result of such kind of ‘safety-first’ approach was Pakistan reaching 19 for 1 in the first 13 overs of the day, which in a way doused all excitement for the crowd gathered for the Boxing Day Test, anticipating a strong Australian start.

Live cricket scorecard: Australia vs Pakistan, 2nd Test at Melbourne

It was Lyon who got the only wicket which fell in the day. The off-spinner was introduced in the 12th over of the day, and he produced a wicket on the third ball itself. Against the left-handed Sami Aslam, the spinner came around the wicket and bowled a delivery which pretty much straightened up in the line of the off-stump. The ball, however, bounced far more than what the batsman would have anticipated, and it shot up straight to Steven Smith in the first slip. Australia were certainly jubilant at that wicket.

While Mitchell Starc worked up a lot of pace, bowling consistently over 140 kmph in his two spells, Hazlewood created more trouble for the Pakistani batsmen. With the new ball, Hazlewood bowled a probing line which Shane Warne in the commentary box described as ideal for this venue. The bowler pitched it fuller and got the ball to move away from the right-handed Azhar. The Pakistani batsman did face some troubles early on.

Azhar also survived a few close chances during his innings of 26 not out. On one occasion, he came down the wicket but flicked a Lyon delivery straight towards the man at short leg. Luckily for him, the ball went in between the fielder’s leg as there was no way he could have taken that catch. A mistimed pull shot also remained in the air for quite some time, but landed safely even though David Warner dashed in the direction to convert the half-chance.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and decided to bat. Misbah had already hinted in the mandatory press conference that Pakistan are likely to play Sohail Khan, and the same was confirmed by the veteran captain during the toss. The right-arm pacer came into the side to replace Rahat Ali, which marked a change in the bowling variations for Pakistan as they had played three left-arm pacers in the first Test at The Gabba in Brisbane. Australia lead the three-Test series 1-0 after their win in the opening Test by 39 runs.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 60 for 2 (Azhar Ali 26*, Babar Azam 23, Sami Aslam 9; Josh Hazlewood 1 for 8, Nathan Lyon 1 for 21) vs Australia