Usman Khawaja’s unbeaten century (127) and Steve Smith’s fifty (72) put Australia in a robust place towards Pakistan on the opening day of the second Test of the three-match sequence, right here on Saturday.
Australia went to stumps on 251/3 on Day 1, with Usman Khawaja and night-watchman Nathan Lyon (0) unbeaten on the crease.
Pat Cummins-led Australia gained the toss in Karachi and opted to bat first. David Warner and Usman Khawaja, after surviving the robust opening spell from Pakistan pacers, dominated with the bat, as they made full use of the contemporary pitch within the first half of the opening session.
Shaheen Shah Afridi began brilliantly towards the 2 left-handers, sometimes asking them questions along with his swinging full-length deliveries. Alongside Shaheen within the opening spell, Hasan Ali, who made his comeback into the Pakistan XI, was very correct and troubled the batters along with his tight outdoors off-stump line. Warner, who bought off to a shaky begin, survived two shut leg-before-wicket calls off Hasan however appeared in chic kind after that.
With two left-handers on the crease, spin was deployed early by Pakistan. However, Warner and Khawaja’s aggressive response to Sajid Khan’s bowling highlighted the openers’ strategy. In Sajid’s very first over, Warner danced down the monitor and smashed him for a six over long-off, mentioning the half-century opening partnership.
The openers continued to remain agency within the center, as Khawaja additionally danced down the monitor to hit a six off Sajid within the seventeenth over, adopted by one other six from Warner in the identical over. It appeared like Khawaja and Warner would race to a century opening stand earlier than Faheem Ashraf broke by to finish the stand on 82. Operating across the wicket, Ashraf managed to get a nick off Warner’s bat straight into the arms of wicketkeeper Rizwan, dismissing him on 36.
Shortly after dropping his opening companion, Khawaja accomplished his second consecutive half-century of the sequence with a boundary right down to the third man. Labuschagne, although, was unfortunate to return to the pavilion for a duck. Trying to get off the mark, Labuschagne tried a dangerous single however a direct hit from Sajid discovered him quick on the non-striker’s finish, an ICC report mentioned.
Khawaja and Steve Smith then ensured that Australia didn’t lose any extra wickets and took the guests to 100/2 at lunch.
After the break, Khawaja and Smith continued their robust batting present because the hosts didn’t take any wickets within the second session of the day. The southpaw performed some beautiful drives as he closed in on his century whereas Smith batted patiently all through the second session.
Bowling tight strains and lengths, Shaheen and Ashraf didn’t permit the batters to attain freely, retaining the run price below management all through the session. Nauman Ali extracted some spin and bounce off the floor however each the Aussies batted sensibly and went to tea at 172/2.
The batters introduced up their century partnership within the remaining session of the day. Meanwhile, Smith’s return to kind noticed him rating his thirty fifth Test fifty. His innings allowed Khawaja to take his time throughout the nervous nineties. Having missed out on a ton in Rawalpindi, Khawaja approached his century rigorously and shortly introduced up his eleventh Test century with a single in the direction of sq. leg.
The new ball didn’t actually make a lot distinction as Smith and Khawaja continued to maintain the scoreboard ticking. However, the introduction of Hasan bought Pakistan the breakthrough they wanted, with Ashraf at slips taking a superb one-handed catch to ship Smith packing for 72.
Pakistan may have taken the wicket of Khawaja off the final ball of the day had Imam-ul-Haq not dropped the catch at ahead quick leg.
Brief scores: Australia 251/3 (Usman Khawaja 127 not out, Steve Smith 72; Hasan Ali 1-31, Faheem Ashraf 1-32) vs Pakistan
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