And here is the day-three report.
And the report of New Zealand’s fightback against England …
Updated
Summary
Another day with Australia’s name written all over it. The hosts amassed 580 in their first innings, even with Steve Smith contributing a team-low four runs, before tightening their hold on Pakistan with three wickets late in the day. The visiting side, with two days to play, are at the foot of a mountain, trailing by 276 runs with seven wickets still in hand. The star of the show on Saturday was Marnus Labuschagne, who struck not only his maiden Test century but also his highest first-class score. It was the innings of a young man who promises to be scoring runs for Australia for years to come. Pakistan have pulled big batting performances out of the bag before, even here in Australia, but they’ll do well to avoid anything other than an innings defeat. Thanks for your company and good cheer. See you tomorrow.
17th over: Pakistan 64-3 (Shan Masood 27, Babar Azam 20) Last over of the day. Hazlewood to bowl. Babar plays at one he should probably have left, but his thick edge splits gully and third slip before racing to the third-man fence. Babar sees off the remaining deliveries and that is stumps. Pakistan trail by 276 runs with seven second-innings wickets in hand.
16th over: Pakistan 60-3 (Shan Masood 27, Babar Azam 16) Too wide from Lyon and Shan makes him pay with a boundary through the covers. Lyon then beats the bat with a huge turner and follows up with another, this time beating Paine also but not Smith, who claims the ‘catch’ at first slip. Confusion abounds, nobody is sure if Shan hit it or if it carried, but Australia decide to review the not-out decision. The evidence is not conclusive enough to overturn it and Shan is not out.
15th over: Pakistan 56-3 (Shan Masood 23, Babar Azam 16) A slower one from Hazlewood but he overpitches at the same time, allowing Babar to drive through the covers for three. Around the wicket now to the left-handed Shan. No breakthrough but the thought was there.
14th over: Pakistan 52-3 (Shan Masood 22, Babar Azam 13) Shadows lengthening, Lyon comes on for a bowl. And, men around the bat, he’s instantly good. A maiden to start. Three overs left in the day.
13th over: Pakistan 52-3 (Shan Masood 22, Babar Azam 13) Three more for Babar, square driving Hazlewood behind point. Pretty to watch.
Abhijato Sensarma writes in with this to say: “Babar Azam stands between Australia and an innings victory. If he and Pakistan somehow make the opposition bat again, it’s going to be a victory in itself for the demoralised team. Question is - how realistic is that possibility? The lesser it is, the more likely Pakistan are to pull it off.”
I like your last point, Abhijato. If anyone can get something out of this, it’s Pakistan. But you’d have to be a real cricket romantic, or possessed of a wild imagination, to think this is anything other than an innings victory for Australia. But I’ve been wrong before.
12th over: Pakistan 47-3 (Shan Masood 21, Babar Azam 10) Starc back in the attack, from the opposite end to his damaging opening spell. He goes shot to Babar, conceding a no-ball with the third of the over above shoulder height.
Tim Paine has produced the most dismissals (34) of any wicketkeeper in men's Test cricket in 2019, eight more than the next best (Quinton de Kock).#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/GRkLCRkEha
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 21, 2019
11th over: Pakistan 42-3 (Shan Masood 20, Babar Azam 7) Close! Again! Shan steps into a straight drive but mistimes it badly and inside edges just past his stumps, picking up a single down to fine leg. Babar then helps himself to a juicy half volley from Cummins, driving to the fence in what is the shot of the innings to this point. Two balls later he drives again, this time through the covers for three. Pakistan trail by 298 runs.
10th over: Pakistan 32-3 (Shan Masood 19, Babar Azam 0) Close! Not sure what he was thinking, but Shan goes after a rising short ball from Hazlewood, gets very little of it, and fortuitously clears the man at mid-on. Could easily have been on his way. Hazlewood then does Babar for pace and misses the top of middle stump by millimetres. Outstanding fast bowling.
9th over: Pakistan 29-3 (Shan Masood 16, Babar Azam 0) Shan gets a fair chuck of this pull shot, taking Cummins for three, before Babar shows admirable restraint to keep the Aussie quick at arm’s length.
8th over: Pakistan 26-3 (Shan Masood 13, Babar Azam 0) Shan get a thick outside edge off Hazlewood but it lands just in front of the man at fourth slip. One run from the over.
WICKET! Asad Shafiq c Smith b Cummins 0 (Pakistan 25-3, trail by 315 runs)
7th over: Pakistan 25-3 (Shan Masood 12, Babar Azam 0) Cummins switches ends, replacing the wicket taker. Not sure how Starc might feel about that. Tail up, got the taste, now off to fine-leg you go! Cummins beats Asad’s inside edge with a nice off cutter before getting his man next ball thanks to a thick outside edge that finds its way to Smith at third slip. In all seriousness, unless the ball is heading towards the stumps, I’d advise Pakistan to keep bat away from ball tonight. Done for bounce, Asad on his way for a risible duck. Not that there are any good ones, I guess.
6th over: Pakistan 25-2 (Shan Masood 12, Asad Shafiq 0) Hazlewood on for Cummins. Hate to state the bleeding obvious, but Pakistan are in all shades of strife here. Starc has now done the double on Haris this match. Hazlewood opens with a maiden.
WICKET! Haris Sohail c Paine b Starc 8 (Pakistan 25-2, trail by 315 runs)
5th over: Pakistan 25-2 (Shan Masood 12, Asad Shafiq 0) Haris sits and waits on the back foot to Starc, opening the face for a nice boundary but then it all goes to pot next ball as he wafts at one outside off stump and is caught behind. The batsman stays at the crease for some time, no doubt cursing his own profligacy.
4th over: Pakistan 18-1 (Shan Masood 9, Haris Sohail 4) Haris picks up three off Cummins before ducking under a bouncer last ball. Good bowling from Starc in the previous over: dish up a shocker, lull the batsman into a false sense of security and then trap him with a fast, straight one.
Super Starc gets an early one!#AUSvPAK | @SpecsaversAU pic.twitter.com/CgN61jrsRr
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 23, 2019
WICKET! Azhar Ali lbw b Starc 5 (Pakistan 13-1, trail by 327 runs)
3rd over: Pakistan 14-1 (Shan Masood 8, Haris Sohail 1) Starc overpitches, and is wide to boot, leaving Azhar with no option but to pummel him through the covers for four. But the next ball is straighter, much straighter, trapping the Pakistan captain in front of his stumps. The appeal goes up for leg before and he is out. A review follows, but the ball is legitimate, is pitching in line and goes down as umpire’s call for height, meaning Pakistan don’t lose a review for the failure.
2nd over: Pakistan 9-0 (Shan Masood 8, Azhar Ali 1) Cummins at the other end for Australia, and as a fully paid-up member of the Pat Cummins fan club you won’t hear any disagreement from me. Azhar picks up a single before the paceman tries to tempt the left-handed Shan from over the wicket, but nothing doing.
Kev M tweets in with this: “How often do you see Steve Smith with the lowest score in the innings?” That’s a good question, Kev. Would be a rarity. Anyone got the answer without delving deep, deep into the books?
1st over: Pakistan 8-0 (Shan Masood 8, Azhar Ali 0) Starc opens for Australia with three slips, a gully and a point. His first ball cannons into Shan’s hip, just above the thigh pad. Leather on bone. His pain is palpable but mind soon beats matter as he turns Starc through midwicket, and then past square, for successive boundaries. Pakistan trail by 332 runs.
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So Pakistan will have 17 over to face this evening. Plenty of time for plenty to happen. Ripper of a tweet here from Messy Jez. Yep, MJ, just how good is cricket.
@scott_heinrich
— Messy Jez - GC Lover (@messyjez) November 23, 2019
Interesting to note that ALL of the top 8 Test batsmen have been at the crease in a Test match in the last 48 hours. How good is it to have 3 simultaneous Tests?
Smith
Kohli
Williamson
Pujara
Rahane
Nicholls
Root
Latham
WICKET! Hazlewood lbw b Yasir 5 (Australia 580 all out)
And that is the end. Hazlewood is given out leg before, after which he launches an unsuccessful review, leaving Australia with a 340-run first-innings lead. And they’ll have a good chuck of time to get at Pakistan’s top order before stumps. Yasir ends up with figures of 4-205 from 48.4 overs. He’ll sleep soundly tonight.
157th over: Australia 575-9 (Lyon 8, Hazlewood 5) Not sure what Australia have to gain by adding a few extra runs onto what is already a huge pile, but continuing they are. Just a single from Imran’s over. C’mon, Tim, please declare. These are fertile times for wicket taking.
156th over: Australia 574-9 (Lyon 7, Hazlewood 5) A Yasir misfield off his own bowling hands Lyon a single and Hazlewood keeps the leggie at bay before opening the shoulders last ball and driving him past mid-on for four. That’s a double century of sorts for Yasir: 3-200 from 48 overs. Australia’s lead is 334 runs.
WICKET! Cummins c Rizwan b Imran 7 (Australia 567-9)
155th over: Australia 569-9 (Lyon 6, Hazlewood 1) Cummins flashes his blade outside off, nicking Imran into the safe gloves of Rizwan. But no declaration is coming. Hazlewood is on his way to the middle.
154th over: Australia 567-8 (Cummins 7, Lyon 5) Lyon cuts late and hard, sending Yasir to the fence. With the last ball of his 47th over, the leggie gains prodigious turn - no doubt to the lip-licking excitement of Lyon. He’ll be let loose on this deck sometime soon.
153rd over: Australia 563-8 (Cummins 7, Lyon 1) Lyon gets off the mark with (not) the GOAT single you’ve ever seen, and Cummins follows up with two more through the covers. When will the declaration come? Must be soon, methinks.
The DRS can't save Starc there.#AUSvPAK | @SpecsaversAU pic.twitter.com/zZF6ESAjA1
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 23, 2019
WICKET! Starc lbw b Yasir 5 (Australia 559-8)
152nd over: Australia 559-8 (Cummins 4) Yasir continues, and frankly we wouldn’t have it any other way. Starc gets off the mark with a cut past point for three and Cummins follows up with three more through the covers. Four byes and a leg glance for two follow, and a highly eventful over comes to an end with Starc missing a defensive prof and being trapped leg before. Starc asks for a review but the decision stands. That’s now three wickets for the tireless Yasir.
WICKET! Labuschagne c Babar b Shaheen 185 (Australia 546-7)
151st over: Australia 546-7 (Cummins 0, Starc 0) Labuschagne plays a loose, tired-looking shot at a wide one from Shaheen, opening the face and picking out Babar at gully. Labuschagne holds his ground, possibly waiting for a no-ball call, but the delivery is legit and he’s on his way. Labuschagne falls just short of his double century. A wonderful, breakthrough dig from the young man.
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150th over: Australia 546-6 (Labuschagne 185, Cummins 0) Just a single off the 150th over of the innings, with Yasir’s return now standing at 2-182 from 45 overs - and just one maiden.
WICKET! Paine c Asad b Shaheen 13 (Australia 545-6)
149th over: Australia 545-6 (Labuschagne 184, Cummins 0) Labuschagne drives on the up to Shaheen, doesn’t get all of it, but clears mid on and collects two runs for his troubles. And now that’s his highest first-class score. But the story’s not so good for Paine, who plays a half-hearted pull shot but bottom edges onto his own legs and into the hands of second slip.
148th over: Australia 542-5 (Labuschagne 181, Paine 13) Yasir begins his 44th over, the poor bloke. He’ll be ripping leggies in his sleep tonight. It’s a tidy over but the batsmen are in no way threatened. One run from it.
147th over: Australia 541-5 (Labuschagne 180, Paine 13) Welcome back. Allan Border has just said he would like 50 minutes at Pakistan this evening. Obviously not literally, but if he were captain. It’s AB, so that’s good enough for me. Out in the middle, Labuschagne greets Shaheen with a couple of glorious boundaries through midwicket, the first of which was picked up from near off. He’s seeing them like beach balls. Australia’s lead is 301 runs.
Tea - Australia 532 for five, leading Pakistan by 292 runs
A very eventful session and a big one for Australia. They might have lost a couple of wickets, but wickets aren’t an issue when your lead is this big. The hosts racked up 137 runs in the afternoon, with Labuschagne going on his merry way. A double looks his for the taking. Catch you in a few moments.
146th over: Australia 532-5 (Labuschagne 171, Paine 13) Haris positively races through a maiden over and there is nothing more to be said than it’s time for tea.
145th over: Australia 532-5 (Labuschagne 171, Paine 13) Paine gets down on one knee but plays all around his attempted sweep and is struck on the thigh. Iftikhar, and Rizwan in particular, are highly animated in their appeal for leg before, but the answer is no and no review is forthcoming. Missing leg it seems.
144th over: Australia 530-5 (Labuschagne 170, Paine 12) I wonder if Paine’s words to Labuschagne were along the lines of, ‘Step on it, son, happy for you to get your double ton but I’m thinking of declaring sometime soon’. If so, Labuschagne has picked up the clue phone, hitting Haris for successive fours. Paine then joins his partner in the boundary club, making it 14 runs from the over.
143rd over: Australia 516-5 (Labuschagne 161, Paine 7) Iftikhar returns to the attack. Paine picks up his first boundary of the Australian Test summer, putting away a loose one through extra cover. Lovely shot from the skipper.
142nd over: Australia 511-5 (Labuschagne 161, Paine 2) Haris continues his tidy spell and is worked around for a couple of singles. Australia’s lead is 271 runs.
141st over: Australia 508-5 (Labuschagne 160, Paine 0) Labuschagne is interviewed on air as Paine walks out to the middle - how very T20! - and is asked what the plan might be from here. The skipper’s on his way, says Labuschagne, so I’ll find out shortly. Or words to that effect. Labuschagne pulls Imran for a couple, the only runs in the over.
WICKET! Head c Rizwan b Haris 24 (Australia 506-5)
140th over: Australia 506-5 (Labuschagne 158, Paine 0) Head’s cameo knock comes to an end, caught behind of a thin edge trying to work Haris down to fine leg off his pads. A bit of a nothing dismissal but excellent keeping from Rizwan.
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139th over: Australia 505-4 (Labuschagne 157, Head 24) Imran returns to the attack as Yasir is spelled. Labuschagne opens the shoulders and really middles one past point, but the stopper is out there and a very good shot brings just the one run. It’s a similar story for Head later in the over. Pakistan look as interested now in stemming the flow of runs as they do in taking wickets.
138th over: Australia 502-4 (Labuschagne 155, Head 23) And that’s the 500 up for Australia, for the loss of only four wickets and with Steve Smith a non-contributor. Quite incredible when you think about it. Haris is worked around for a two and a single.
137th over: Australia 499-4 (Labuschagne 152, Head 23) Yasir wraps one up for Head, puts a bow on it, and gets what he deserves for what is a really bad ball - driven through extra cover for another boundary. These two have already put on 31 in only five overs.
Labuschagne 150 off 233 balls!
136th over: Australia 491-4 (Labuschagne 150, Head 17) Labuschagne’s ripping innings reaches another milestone as he steers Haris past point for one. Huge plaudits also for Rizwan, who earlier in the over (pads and all) chased a thick outside edge all the way to the fence and saved a run. Well played!
135th over: Australia 486-4 (Labuschagne 149, Head 13) More runs for Head and this time it’s more convincing as he rocks back and cuts Yasir past point for four.
Rizwan has done well to hold on to that! #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/MLM6hNdvoz
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 23, 2019
134th over: Australia 479-4 (Labuschagne 149, Head 6) Head looks intent on picking up where Wade left off, attacking from the outset and picking up his first boundary with an attempted cover drive that ends up being a thick edge that races to the third-man fence.
133rd over: Australia 473-4 (Labuschagne 148, Head 1) Labuschagne goes after Yasir but gets very little of his lofted off drive, and for a brief moment he looks like he might be in strife, but the ball lands safely. Five from the over.
WICKET! Wade c Rizwan b Haris 60 (Australia 468-4)
132nd over: Australia 468-4 (Labuschagne 144) Haris over the wicket to Wade, who opens the face and tries to finesse the ball to third man but manages only a fine edge to the keeper - who gloves it off his own leg. Something of a soft way to go but that was still an innings for the moment from Wade. Score briskly, support Labuschagne, give his skipper options.
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131st over: Australia 466-3 (Labuschagne 143, Wade 59) Shaheen continues, and he’s been pretty good today. A single marks the over, as well as a stinger on the hand for Wade from a throw at the stumps after said single.
Much appreciated, Geoff. Splendid calling. In golf the third day of play is known as moving day. The same can be said about this Test match, insomuch as Australia are moving further and further out of Pakistan’s sight. As Tim Rogers once asked, how much is enough? In all likelihood, too much won’t be enough. From here Australia could probably bat as long as they please, but the impression is festering they might like a few overs at Pakistan this evening. Either way, the home side will be planning on not having to bat again until Adelaide. Looking forward to your company today. By all means, drop me an email or a tweet
130th over: Australia 465-3 (Labuschagne 143, Wade 58) It’s time for the reverse sweeps and laps now. Wade tries a couple of them, twice getting the top edge, once just evading Shaheen at backward point and going for four, the other time hitting the keeper on the full and bouncing away. You do you, I guess? That’s drinks, Australia lead by 225.
I’m out of here, and Scott Heinrich will take over.
129th over: Australia 459-3 (Labuschagne 142, Wade 53) Marnus happy to take on the short ball again from Shaheen, pulling two more runs to midwicket. He gets drawn into a big wide drive though and beaten by a slower ball, throwing his head back in consternation as that goes past his edge. Reverts to his compact self to guide a run behind point.
128th over: Australia 455-3 (Labuschagne 139, Wade 52) Yasir Shah is back after a break that began just before lunch. He’s bowled a lot of overs already. Wade stretches towards a low full toss to paddle it fine for one. Labuschagne drives three through midwicket. The run tally keeps mounting. More so when Marnus opens the face to glide past slip for four!
Half century! Wade 50 from 79 balls
127th over: Australia 446-3 (Labuschagne 132, Wade 50) You can’t keep Wade quiet for too long. Shaheen bowls full enough for Wade to drive, which he duly does to the point boundary for four. Then knocks the straighter ball to leg for a single to raise his milestone, his fifth Test fifty. Impressive from Wade after two Ashes tons.
126th over: Australia 441-3 (Labuschagne 132, Wade 45) It’s easier to make up those runs against Haris Sohail. Marnus works him both sides of the wicket, opening up his stance to late-cut with finesse, then twice working into the leg side, picking up two runs for each of those strokes.
125th over: Australia 435-3 (Labuschagne 126, Wade 45) Shaheen is able to keep the scoring down, making Wade play when he pitches up, then making Wade duck when he pitches short.
124th over: Australia 434-3 (Labuschagne 125, Wade 45) Shouts for a catch at leg slip as Wade gets an inside edge from Iftikhar onto the thigh pad, but it lands safe. Marnus tries a cross-bat swat over cover against the spinner but finds one of two men there, so he goes the sweep instead next ball and draws another misfield from Shaheen, this time allowing a third run. Wade sweeps again, top edge, bouncing and spinning but saved in the deep. Definitely trying to press the pedal down now. He believes he can deduce which is the velocitator and which the deceleratrix.
123rd over: Australia 428-3 (Labuschagne 121, Wade 43) Marnus is not going to give this innings away. Wants a proper score, not a small ton. He resolutely defends Imran on the front foot until the bowler gets too short, then flips his pull shot away behind square for four. Creates the overpitched ball, and creams it straight past the bowler for another. High elbow, on the up, full Kookaburra sticker down the lens. Then defends the final ball. Lovely batting.
122nd over: Australia 420-3 (Labuschagne 113, Wade 43) If you can’t get them off the seamer, get them off the spinner! Down the wicket comes Wade and lifts Iftikhar for six. Long and straight, after a three-step shuffle towards the bowler, waiting for the looped delivery to drop. Adds a brace to long-on. Runs and Wade have gone together for the last couple of years. The score is 420. Blaze one up, brrrrrrap!
121st over: Australia 411-3 (Labuschagne 112, Wade 35) Imran is starting to frustrate Wade. The Australian keeps getting that angle across him and not wanting to play, so eventually he takes a couple of steps across his stumps in an effort to nudge the ball into the leg side. Couldn’t get far enough across to get any purchase. Finally Wade does get across and get a couple of runs, but the other four balls he has to leave alone.
120th over: Australia 409-3 (Labuschagne 112, Wade 33) Iftikhar to continue, leg-stumpish and Marnus is quickly down on the sweep and zinging it towards deep backward square. Shaheen has a fair distance to cover but can’t get enough purchase on the ball as he dives across, and it follows him into the rope. Wade almost bookends the over with another boundary but Shan Masood puts in a great sprint and slide and tap-back to keep the cut shot to three runs.
119th over: Australia 401-3 (Labuschagne 107, Wade 30) Overpitched from Imran, whipped for one off the ankle by Labuschagne. Wade is watchful against the steep angle across him as a left-hander, shouldering arms four times in succession. Recognising the threat to him and neutralising it.
118th over: Australia 400-3 (Labuschagne 106, Wade 30) So that over from Haris might have been to allow Iftikhar to change ends. The off-spinner ties down Marnus, who can only manage the single to raise Australia’s 400. Get set for another three hours of Australian batting, I reckon.
117th over: Australia 399-3 (Labuschagne 105, Wade 30) Imran Khan the seam option from the other end after lunch. As is his wont, quite wide on the crease and angling in at the right-hander, across the left. They work a few singles without trouble.
Australia’s lead is 159.
116th over: Australia 396-3 (Labuschagne 103, Wade 29) Haris Sohail continuing after lunch rather than one of the quicks. Interesting choice. Marnus takes a single. Wade tries a reverse lap, misses, gets the ball into his pad and it rolls past his leg stump. Classic first over after lunch stuff.
Lunch – Australia 395 for 3, leading by 155 with 7 wickets in hand
A much better session for Pakistan, bowling well and picking up the big wickets of Smith and Warner. But they’re still miles behind in the match, and still shipped 87 runs in the two hours. Wade made sure that kept moving at the end, while Labuschagne provided all the momentum at the start. He has slowed since nearing his hundred, but has passed that milestone for the first time. Massive advantage Australia, and they’re in a good position to bat long. But Pakistan have to at least try to keep taking wickets and deny Australia the right to declare, even if the deficit will be huge either way. We’ll be back after the sandwiches.
115th over: Australia 395-3 (Labuschagne 102, Wade 29) Then another spin change, with Iftikhar Ahmed on to bowl off-breaks. This will be the last over before lunch. Again Wade comes across and flicks the sweep shot fine, this time only taking two runs with a sweeper having moved finer. That’s the only score from the over though, and that is lunch.
114th over: Australia 393-3 (Labuschagne 102, Wade 27) Yasir needs that lunch break too, by the looks of things. Three singles from the over, then he drops very short and lets Wade plonk him away with a pull shot behind square. Four more.
113th over: Australia 386-3 (Labuschagne 101, Wade 21) We’re officially in coasting mode before lunch, as Haris Sohail comes on for an over of part-time left-arm ortho.
112th over: Australia 385-3 (Labuschagne 101, Wade 20) Slightly T20 shot there, as Wade moves across to Yasir and flicks a sweep shot fine. Nearly chips a return catch thereafter though, beaten by the dip. Yasir groans as he takes the ball on the half volley.
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111th over: Australia 380-3 (Labuschagne 101, Wade 15) A much, much better day for Pakistan with the ball. Shaheen Afridi bowls another tight over. The lines have been good, the lengths more consistent. The glaring flaw, still, is how few overs have been bowled by Imran Khan, which clearly concedes that it was a mistake to pick him ahead of Mohammad Abbas, who has an incredible Test record and demolished Australia in the UAE only a year ago.
110th over: Australia 379-3 (Labuschagne 101, Wade 14) The game does tend to move along when Wade is at the crease. Yasir gets a bit short, Wade guides it away through backward point. It’s not perfectly timed so it teases two pursuing fieldsmen into the rope, but gets there. Job done, Wade gets off strike.
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109th over: Australia 374-3 (Labuschagne 101, Wade 9) Labuschagne is trying to reset after his celebration. Facing Shaheen over the wicket, the batsman leaves and blocks most of the over, but then goes for a big drive and edges just short of the cordon. Was that Azhar Ali diving down at third slip? No run, and eventually a maiden for Shaheen.
108th over: Australia 374-3 (Labuschagne 101, Wade 9) Ok, I was wrong about Wade playing straight. He has a wander and wallops Yasir Shah over the leg side for four. And why not?
Century! Labuschagne 101 from 161 balls
107th over: Australia 370-3 (Labuschagne 101, Wade 5) They make him wait for a while, with the stacked cordon and the ring field and Shaheen bowling a tight left-arm line, but eventually Labuschagne can’t wait any longer and aims a big drive. Gets a big edge. Gets four runs, and his first Test century! It’s taken him ten Tests to get there. The accidental find really during the Ashes, demanding his spot by performance when most around him were not. Now he’s got the reward for the hard work that let him play that way.
106th over: Australia 366-3 (Labuschagne 97, Wade 5) Yasir tries to unsettle the left-handed Wade, starting with a googly to confuse him, then back to the leg-break. But it comes unravelled when the bowler slips too full, and Wade carves a cover drive for four.
105th over: Australia 361-3 (Labuschagne 96, Wade 1) Was Smith thinking about fast runs for a declaration? It seems a bit premature, but Australia have sent Wade out at five rather than Travis Head, and that seems like an attacking move as well. Perhaps wanting to rattle up the score quickly. Wade doesn’t start with a bang though. Just a single from his first five balls.
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104th over: Australia 358-3 (Labuschagne 94, Wade 0) Well, what a busy over. It started with a different wicket, but that was overturned on review! Yasir Shah has been building the pressure on Labuschagne over the last few overs, drying up his scoring, drawing some streaky shots. Finally he got a ball to zip through and hit the pad in front of off stump. Richard Illingworth gave it out, but Marnus naturally reviewed on 93, and the replay showed he got an inside edge just before it had the pad. If Yasir was disappointed, that vanished a few balls later when he ran through the greatest batsman of the era for couch change.
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WICKET! Smith b Yasir Shah 4 (Australia 358-3)
He’s got Smith! The biggest wicket of them all! And for nothing, for only four runs. Goodness me, what a turn-up. Smith must have been left off balance by having to wait so long to bat. He comes out much more aggressively than normal, skipping down to loft Yasir over the leg side for four. But he tries to repeat the shot next ball, to a fuller ball without advancing, and simply misses it as it nearly yorks him and takes out his stumps. Yasir Shah!
103rd over: Australia 353-2 (Labuschagne 93, Smith 0) Naseem tries the short-pitched attack again, but Marnus pulls him for a single and Smith just gets out of the way. Bowling short to Smith early in his innings has been mooted as a plan. There aren’t many plans to Smith though.
102nd over: Australia 352-2 (Labuschagne 92, Smith 0) Things settle into calm after the wicket over, with the new pair defending against Yasir.
101st over: Australia 351-2 (Labuschagne 91, Smith 0) And at equally long last, Steve Smith gets a chance to have a bat. His first on home turf since his sandpaper ban. He’s back, on the third day of a match when he would have hoped to have been batting on the first morning. He counts the field, counts his boys, checks his kit, taps his pads. Taps his helmet, taps his bat, bobs his knees, bobs his knees. Wafts his backlift, holds it still, steps across, and plays a defensive push back to the bowler. Classic Smith. Prepare to see this 200 more times. That’s the over.
Wicket! Warner c Rizwan b Naseem 154 (Australia 351-2)
At long, long last, Naseem gets his man! Had him caught behind a hundred runs ago but it was off a no-ball. This time the bowler’s foot is behind the line. The fast bowlers have looked much more threatening around the wicket to Warner today. He hasn’t faced much, has barely scored at all. This over, Naseem roasts him on the outside edge twice, seaming the ball away from a full length. Then having created that doubt, delivers a proper short ball: nasty, fast, angled in from wide. Warner is trying to sway out of the way but he isn’t expecting it and he’s just a bit late to react. Can’t drop his gloves enough, turns his head away, and the ball ends up taking the bottom edge of his bat as it hands in limbo land. Rizwan takes the tumbling catch, Naseem shouts in celebration, and the teenager’s first Test wicket will, after a long interregnum, be David Warner after all.
100th over: Australia 351-1 (Warner 154, Labuschagne 91) That’s a dubious shot from Labuschagne. They’re talking it up on the commentary but to my eye it looked a bit desperate. Yasir landed one close to the pads, and the batsman swats across the line and is good enough or lucky enough to get good contact on it, out through midwicket for four.
99th over: Australia 347-1 (Warner 154, Labuschagne 87) Loves the strike this morning, does Marnus! Faces out five dots from Naseem and then ticks a single from the sixth. Warner is waiting at the other end, and the cameras cut to Smith waiting in the dressing room. Quality line from Kerry O’Keeffe on that shot: “That’s like Dracula waiting outside the Blood Bank.”
98th over: Australia 346-1 (Warner 154, Labuschagne 86) A rare error from Labuschagne, getting a thick inside edge into his pads as he tries to drive Yasir. A couple of singles from the over as he moves closer to the unprecedented three figures. This is already his highest Test score.
97th over: Australia 344-1 (Warner 153, Labuschagne 85) Three balls in a row to face for Warner from Naseem, who not only takes his second run for the morning, but goes past an interesting mark of 286 balls faced. That makes this his longest ever Test innings, moving past the only other time when he batted a full day, against New Zealand at the WACA in 2015 when he made 253.
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96th over: Australia 343-1 (Warner 152, Labuschagne 85) Gorgeous from Labuschagne! Yasir Shah on to bowl his leg-breaks. Lands one too full just outside off stump. Marnus had read the flight early, gets his back foot around and well out of the way to open up his body towards the ball, then brings the bat through across his stumps and connects with his cover drive for four. That was such good anticipation, and it beats both the infield and the sweeper. A similar shot to follow brings two more runs. That’s now 30 runs today for Marnus to Warner’s 1. The latter has barely had the strike. A pretty comfortable way to bat.
95th over: Australia 337-1 (Warner 152, Labuschagne 79) Shaheen produces a couple of errors, but can’t make either of them terminal. A really good ball outside off zips from back of a length and beats the batsman’s push. Then one going the other way takes the edge into his pads, though the batsman takes a pair of lucky runs.
94th over: Australia 334-1 (Warner 152, Labuschagne 76) Goodness. The Schagne Train is reaching runaway levels. Another short ball, this time at Imran’s friendly pace, and the batsman leans back and pounds it over the leg side for four.
Paddy Myer has hit the email. “Morning Geoff, I’m writing about the injustice of bails staying put when the stumps have been hit. There certainly seems to have been a spate of incidents recently. If a batsman can be out on the evidence of snicko when the ball hits the bat, why not the same when the stumps are hit? I have a great uncle called Bails, and he is also very hard to dislodge. It must be related.”
As it so happens, Paddy, I not only agree with your contention but I’ve conveniently already written the argument for the prosecution of the Laws: namely that the bails only exist to show an umpire if the stumps have been hit, and thus should be made redundant and charmingly ceremonial in professional cricket.
93rd over: Australia 329-1 (Warner 152, Labuschagne 71) Shaheen, left-arm, bowling over the wicket to Labuschagne. Tries the bouncer, but it’s not short enough and Marnus nails the pull shot, a couple more runs as the deep square sweeper gets around to midwicket. That was well struck. Follows up with a tip-run single to keep the strike. So the first drop batsman has added 16 this morning while the opener has added 1.
92nd over: Australia 326-1 (Warner 152, Labuschagne 68) Marnus is doing all of the scoring, Warner all of the running for him. Another three here, clipped off the ankles from Imran out behind square leg.
91st over: Australia 323-1 (Warner 152, Labuschagne 65) Marnus evokes the first “Shawwtt!” of the day from around the stands. Shuffling forward, getting his front foot to the pitch, then driving cleanly through the overpitched delivery down the ground for four. Top shot. As if to celebrate, he follows up by driving Shaheen through cover for another quadruple.
90th over: Australia 314-1 (Warner 152, Labuschagne 56) A bit of inswing for Imran with the newish ball. Interesting, but it started so wide of Warner’s off stump that it didn’t threaten. Imran, the right-armer, has come around the wicket to the left-hander after spending all of yesterday bowling over the wicket. That’s how Stuart Broad created all the problems he did for Warner. Imran looks a bit better already, as another ball wobbles slightly in the air. Needs to get closer to the stumps though. Warner watched that last ball intently, all the way through to the keeper. Too wide for a third time from Imran. A touch closer for the final delivery, but Warner isn’t tempted. A maiden. Australia’s lead is 74.
89th over: Australia 314-1 (Warner 152, Labuschagne 56) Marnus takes the first run of the day, driving to mid-off and and darting through. Warner takes a few balls to look at Shaheen, before digging out a near-yorker and dashing a run to mid-on.
88th over: Australia 312-1 (Warner 151, Labuschagne 55) We begin today much as we began yesterday. Warner leaves Imran Khan alone for the most part, watching out a maiden, except at the end he can’t help going for a wide one and nearly chops onto his stumps. He had a couple of close escapes in that fashion yesterday.
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Remember you can email me at geoff.lemon@theguardian.com, or tweet me at @GeoffLemonSport.
Brian Withington is first off the rank this Australian morning, as so often.
“Typical Australian selection chicanery - resurrect an opening batsman from obscurity after the stand-ins spent the Ashes tour toiling against the Dukes ball, and he immediately destroys the opposition on home soil in a 222-run stand facing the friendly Kookaburra. Where have you been hiding him? And that Joe Burns guy did ok, too.”
It was a hard day’s work yesterday for Pakistan. Shaheen Afridi bowled 18 overs, young Naseem Shah bowled 16 of them at pace, and Yasir Shah the spinner bowled 28. They’ll need to somehow find the reserves to go again today. Yasir looked good at times but bowled too many release balls. The two faster bowlers had good spells but couldn’t break through. Imran Khan, who bowled so well in the tour match, was largely ineffective with his wide-of-the-wicket release point. Something has to change dramatically today.
In the meantime, our friends across the Ditch are making a decent fist of resistance against Olde Englande. Niall McVeigh has you covered on the late shift from London if you’d like to keep up to date there. And much later today, the pink-ball Test from Kolkata will resume with Virat Kohli at the crease against Bangladesh. It’s a big Test week.
Here is the wires report from last night to summarise the second day’s play, should you need a refresher.
Preamble
Hello again, and welcome to Day 3. Scene: EXT, the Gabba cricket ground. The day is hot and sunny. The Australian team will continue batting for as long as they feel like it, unless the very tired Pakistani bowlers can conjure nine wickets where yesterday they managed one. The key characters for today’s play each contain a key question. Can WARNER go on to bat really long and make a big score, given this is only the second time he has batted through a full day, and the other time he was out early the next day? Will MARNUS move on from making useful fifties to making a first Test hundred? And will STEVE SMITH explode from having to wait three days to have a bat? All this and more, in today’s episode of Test cricket.
