Opening batter Usman Khawaja did not miss out on a second probability to attain a century within the nation of his delivery and led Australia to 251-3 at stumps on the primary day of the second take a look at towards Pakistan on Saturday.
Khawaja made an unbeaten 127 off 266 balls on one other flat wicket after narrowly lacking out on 100 within the first take a look at at Rawalpindi which led to a tame draw. Later the docile pitch of the Pindi Cricket Stadium was declared “below average” by the ICC.
“It (century) meant a lot to me,” mentioned Khawaja, who moved to Australia together with his household when he was 4 years previous. “Obviously my family is from Karachi, I was born in Islamabad and I would have loved to score a hundred in Pakistan.”
Khawaja and Steve Smith (72) shared a 159-run third-wicket stand earlier than Pakistan broke it with the second new ball when Faheem Ashraf took a superb one-handed low catch within the slips to dismiss Smith off Hasan Ali (1-31) .
Test cricket has begun at Karachi’s dwelling of cricket and it was an excellent outing for each squads at the moment.
Thank you, followers, for watching and supporting on the floor and from around the globe! #BoysReadyHain l #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/t7YZhIixv2— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 12, 2022
Nightwatchman Nathan Lyon was but to attain and survived a dropped catch when Imam-ul-Haq could not maintain on to a troublesome probability at ahead quick leg off Shaheen Afridi’s final ball of the day.
Pakistan additionally went for an unsuccessful caught behind tv evaluation of Khawaja in Afridi’s first over with the brand new ball earlier than Hasan struck within the penultimate over of the day.
Pakistan deployed its spinners for 26 overs within the final session, however their damaging tactic of bowling down the legside to each batters did nothing else however to decelerate the Australian scoring fee.
“It wasn’t a negative bowling, we just tried to dry up the runs because they had benefitted from a dry wicket and scored 100 runs in the first session,” Pakistan vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan mentioned.
That’s stumps! It was a grind after lunch however Usman Khawaja stood tall on the opening day #PAKvAUS
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 12, 2022
“I still believe we can have result on this pitch and there will be turn for the spinners later on.”
Khawaja, who raised his half-century off 69 balls within the first session, did not get annoyed and waited patiently earlier than finishing his century within the final session off 193 balls with 12 fours and a six.
Smith hasn’t scored a take a look at hundred for the final 27 take a look at innings, however made his second successive half-century in Australia’s first tour to Pakistan since 1998 off 214 balls with seven fours earlier than Ashraf plucked a powerful catch.
Iconic
Usman Khawaja’s first Test💯 in Pakistan got here up within the City by the Sea. #BoysReadyHain l #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/mU0RmGFTwX— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 12, 2022
Earlier, Pakistan had acquired two fast wickets earlier than lunch earlier than Khawaja and Smith toyed with the bowlers on a docile wicket, which each groups count on to assist out spinners as the sport progresses.
Khawaja was particularly robust off his pads on the leg facet towards quick bowlers and even swept the 2 spinners with consolation because the wicket supplied no help to the bowlers.
Khawaja and David Warner (36) supplied Australia a brisk begin of 82 runs after skipper Pat Cummins gained the toss and elected to bat. Pakistan hit again with two wickets, however Australia nonetheless managed to succeed in 100-2 within the first session.
Pakistan got here again within the final hour earlier than lunch when Ashraf (1-32) discovered the surface fringe of Warner’s bat off a supply that moved a fraction away from the left-hander.
Marnus Labuschagne, who confronted 9 balls, was run out with out scoring when he could not beat the direct throw from Sajid Khan at mid-off and fell wanting his crease on the non-striker’s finish.
Khawaja, who was dismissed for 97 within the first take a look at, and Warner had earlier dominated the primary hour by scoring a speedy 63 off 14 overs.
Fast bowler Hasan Ali, one of many two modifications Pakistan had constructed from the primary take a look at together with Ashraf, and Afridi could not discover any motion off a flat, grassless floor.
Both batsmen weren’t troubled by quick bowlers and in addition took early cost towards spinners by hitting straight sixes off off-spinner Sajid Khan earlier than Pakistan chipped in with the 2 fast wickets.
Earlier, leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson was awarded a take a look at debut because the 28-year-old Queenslander changed quick bowler Josh Hazlewood in the one change Australia constructed from the primary take a look at which led to a draw on a docile wicket at Rawalpindi.
Pakistan additionally made two modifications however retained each its specialist spinners Sajid (0-71) and left-arm spinner Nauman Ali (0-56), who took a career-best 6-107 within the first take a look at however not earlier than Australia had made a stable reply by racking up 449.
Hasan and Ashraf each returned after lacking out the primary take a look at because of accidents. They changed quick bowler Naseem Shah and all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
