Nathan Lyon strikes with three wickets of becoming a member of the elite 500 membership on December 15 as Pakistan dug deep to keep in contact on day two of the opening Test in Perth.
| Photo Credit: AP
Australian spin king Nathan Lyon moved to inside three wickets of becoming a member of the elite 500 membership on December 15 as Pakistan dug deep to keep in contact on day two of the opening Test in Perth.
At stumps, the guests had been 132-2, trailing by 355, with a dogged Imam-ul-Haq not out 38 and nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad on seven after they misplaced skipper Shan Masood late on.
But it was a gradual grind with their runs coming off 53 overs after Aamer Jamal took 6-111 on debut to assist dismiss the hosts for 487.
Mitchell Marsh starred with 90 after David Warner’s defiant 164 on day one.
Abdullah Shafique was the first to fall in reply, getting a giant inside edge from Lyon to Warner at leg slip after grinding to 42.
It was the veteran’s 497th Test wicket as he closes in on 500 to be a part of a gaggle of simply seven different gamers.
At the opposite finish, Haq was stoic, weathering a fiery bowling blitz from Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins on a pitch that also had some zip.
It took him 85 deliveries earlier than his first boundary, guiding one tremendous off his hip.
Aggressive skipper Shan Masood made 30 earlier than his keep ended 10 minutes earlier than shut, caught behind by Alex Carey off Starc on evaluation.
Shan had earlier taken a nasty blow to the again when he turned to keep away from a Haq drive, however was ready to proceed after remedy.
Breakthrough
The guests saved themselves in the hunt for a first Test win in the nation since 1995 by dismissing Australia early in the second session, after the house aspect went to lunch at 476-7.
Marsh was bowled by paceman Shahzad for 90 on the first ball again and the tail collapsed with spectacular speedster Jamal in the thick of the motion.
Australia had resumed on 346-5 after dominating the opening day with Warner hitting 164 to silence his critics.
Marsh started on 16 and Carey 15 with Pakistan determined for an early breakthrough.
But on one other scorching day, the vacationers struggled to make an affect with some pedestrian bowling earlier than Jamal was launched.
Hometown hero Marsh, Australia’s T20 captain, smacked consecutive boundaries off the first over he confronted from Shahzad to set the tone.
Preferred to Cameron Green as the staff’s all-rounder, he introduced up a 66-ball 50 — his fifth in 36 Tests — with a cultured pull to the ropes and appeared destined to attain three figures.
But Shahzad shattered his hopes after lunch, knocking over his stumps as he tried a giant drive.
Jamal then rapidly eliminated Cummins and Lyon, each caught by Agha Salman.
He earlier trapped wicketkeeper-batsman Carey, keen to make runs to cement his Test spot after shedding his place in Australia’s one-day staff to Josh Inglis.
Carey survived a giant lbw name from Shaheen Shah Afridi on the second ball of the day, however he had no reply to a lightning-quick Jamal supply that rattled his off stump.
He departed for 34, ending a harmful 90-run partnership with Marsh.
Starc additionally fell sufferer to Jamal, getting an edge to one other pacy ball that eliminated the bails.
