Australia make solid start to Boxing Day Test in rainy Melbourne

MELBOURNE (Agencies): Australia made a solid start to the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan on Tuesday but rain washed out a chunk of play and tight bowling restricted them to 187 for three at the end of the opening day. Marnus Labuschagne, who had made 44 not out, and Travis Head, who was unbeaten on 10, will resume on Wednesday as the hosts seek a victory that would seal a series triumph with the third and final Test to spare. After an emphatic 360-run victory in the first Test in Perth two weeks ago, the world Test champions were looking to quickly drive home their advantage when they were put in to bat on a greenish wicket at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Pakistan needed something to restore their morale after a heavy defeat as well as a couple of injuries. Left-arm seamers Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza soon got the ball moving both ways to trouble the Australian openers.

David Warner, playing the penultimate test of his career, should have departed for two in the third over when he edged an Afridi delivery to the slips only for Abdullah Shafique to ground a regulation catch. It was not until just before lunch that Pakistan finally winkled Warner out for 38, the opener loosely reaching for a wide delivery from spinner Agha Salman and edging it to Babar Azam in the slips. “It was quite challenging,” said Warner. “When they put the ball in the right areas, they challenged our front-foot defence. A lot of play and misses…” “They didn’t give us too many freebies, which in Perth I felt they did a bit. So yeah, it was a tough start.”

Usman Khawaja, sporting the names of his daughters on his boots as part of his continuing feud with the International Cricket Council, lasted another six overs before he edged a Hasan Ali delivery to Salman in the slips for 42. Labuschagne and Steve Smith came through a thorough examination before heavy rain sent a large part of the 62,167 crowd scurrying for the exits and forced an early tea break. The questions continued to be asked when play resumed and Smith was given out leg before wicket on 19. He reviewed the decision, however, and ball tracking showed Afridi’s delivery would have gone over the stumps. Another review for caught behind off the bowling of Aamer Jamal did then send the former Australia captain back to the dressing room for 26, after the technology confirmed the faintest of touches to the edge of his bat.

SCOREBOARD

AUSTRALIA 1ST INNINGS

David Warner c Babar b Salman        38

Usman Khawaja c Salman b Hasan     42

Marnus Labuschagne not out    44

Steven Smith c Rizwan b Aamer         26

Travis Head not out        9

Yet to bat: Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

EXTRAS (B 12, LB 5, NB 2, W 9)    28

TOTAL (66 overs)         187-3

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-90, 2-108, 3-154

BOWLING

Shaheen Shah Afridi       20-5-63-0

Mir Hamza  15-4-27-0

Hsan Ali      14-4-28-1

Aamer Jamal        14-1-47-1

Agha Salman        3-0-5-1

Umpires: Joel Wilson, Michael Gough

TV umpire: Richard Illingworth

Match referee: Javagal Srinath