Pakistan showed an incredible fight on Day 3 of the AUS vs PAK 2nd Test in Melbourne. The first session was a shared one, with Pakistan scoring 70 runs for their last 4 wickets and Australia losing 2 wickets before lunch. If the visitors were good in the first session, they were great at the start of the second one. But the game started to slip away ever so slightly from these after Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh stuck in.
Starting Day 3 on 194/6, Pakistan’s main batter, Mohammed Rizwan, departed soon after. At 215/7, it looked like the visitors wouldn’t even cross the 250-run mark, but Aamer Jamal and Shaheen Afridi had other plans.
Scoring 33* and 21, the two pacers helped Pakistan reach 264, a respectable score considering they made 49 runs for the last three wickets.
Continuing his great form, the Australian skipper bagged a five-wicket haul, while Lyon ended with four wickets.
Mitchell Marsh spoils the Mir Hamza & Shaheen Afridi show
Building on a good effort from their batters, Mir Hamza and Shaheen Afridi reduced Australia to 6/2 before lunch. A second-ball dismissal for Usman Khawaja and the Marnus Labuschagne, falling in the third over, landed Australia in hot water.
To make matters worse, Mir Hamza sent David Warner and Travis Head back to the pavillion on consecutive balls. At 16/4 in, Mitchell Marsh walked to join Steve Smith.
From there on, it was the Mitch Marsh show. By tea, Australia were 107/4, and they reached 150 by the 44th over. A bowling masterclass by left-arm pacers was quashed by the brute power of Marsh.
However, Hamza had the last laugh, dismissing Marsh for 96. Soon after, Afridi sent Steve Smith back, and Pakistan roared back into the game.
AUS vs PAK 2nd Test: Brief Scores
Australia 1st innings: 318/10 (Marnus Labuschagne 63, Aamer Jamal 3/64)
Pakistan 2nd innings: 194/6, trailing by 124 (Abdullah Shafique 62; Pat Cummins 3/37)
Australia 3rd innings: 187/6, lead by 241 runs (Mitchell Marsh 96; Mir Hamza 3/27)
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