Australia and Pakistan are playing Boxing Day Test at MCG, Melbourne. Aus scored 318 in the first innings. Pakistan ended with 194/6 on Day 2 in their first innings. Mohammed Rizwan, Aamer Jamal(33) and Shaheen Shah Afridi(21) gave Pakistan a good total in first innings off 264. Pat Cummins took 5 wickets for 48. Nathan Lyon also came good and took 4 wickets for 73. Josh Hazlewood took one wicket.
With 54 runs lead, Australia came out to bat in the second innings. Pakistan pacers with great swing bowling, immediately, reduced them to 16/4. Shaheen Shah Afridi took Usman Khawaja(0) in the first over and then dismissed Marnus Labuschagne in his next. Mir Hamza sent back David Warner(6) and Travis Head(0) in the consecutive balls.
Pakistan looked like dominating the Test and registering their first Test victory on Australian soil for the first time in four decades. But Mitchell Marsh started counter-attacking while Steven Smith played with caution. Soon, they have been able to form a big partnership of 154 runs for the 5th wicket. Mitchell Marsh missed out on a well-deserved century and got out on 96, in Mir Hamza over.
Shaheen Shah Afridi came out all cylinders blazing against Steven Smith in the final over of the day. After Smith completed his 50, Afridi bounced him out on what turned out to be final delivery of the Day 3. At the end of the day’s play, Australia are on 187/6 with 241 runs lead. Pakistan needs a big innings from their batters to be able to chase this target down in the 4th innings.