Pakistan vs. Australia, 2nd Test, Day 3: Highlights, Scorecard and Report
Pakistan moved into pole position to take the second and final Test match against Australia in Abu Dhabi, thanks to a fantastic performance with the ball on Day 3.
Friday was all about Younus Khan, who chalked up 213 on the way to Pakistan declaring 570-6, and the Aussies simply never looked like putting a meaningful dent in their chase from the first ball.
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Australia started the day on 22-1 after Chris Rogers cheaply lost his wicket on Day 2, and they could only muster 261 to hand Pakistan a 309-run advantage heading into Day 4.
Here’s a look as the Australia scorecard from a miserable day for them in the Middle East:
| Batsmen | Dismissal | Bowler | Runs | Balls |
| Warner | c Yasir Shah | b Rahat Ali | 19 | 28 |
| Rogers | c Sarfraz Ahmed | b Khan | 5 | 8 |
| Lyon | Bowled | b Rahat Ali | 15 | 85 |
| Maxwell | Bowled | b Zulfiqar Babar | 37 | 28 |
| Clarke | Bowled | b Khan | 47 | 62 |
| Smith | lbw | b Zulfiqar Babar | 0 | 6 |
| M Marsh | c Rahat Ali | b Khan | 87 | 116 |
| Haddin | Bowled | b Yasir Shah | 10 | 22 |
| Johnson | c Hafeez | b Yasir Shah | 0 | 7 |
| Siddle | c Yasir Shah | b Hafeez | 28 | 45 |
| Starc | NOT OUT | NOT OUT | 0 | 0 |
| Bowlers | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Khan | 14.0 | 1 | 60 | 3 |
| Hafeez | 5.2 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| Zulfiqar Babar | 25.0 | 5 | 94 | 2 |
| Rahat Ali | 9.0 | 0 | 41 | 2 |
| Yasir Shah | 14.0 | 2 | 47 | 2 |
While the Pakistan order looked at home at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium crease, the Aussies were anything but, as they simply couldn’t handle what was being thrown at them.
Rahat Ali got the party starter just five overs into the session, as he dismissed David Warner for 19 with an expert delivery.
The way that Ali was reversing the ball in Abu Dhabi was a real cause for concern for the Australians, and despite his distinct lack of pace, he produced the goods when it mattered.
The 25-year-old went on to take the wicket of a lacklustre Nathan Lyon for 15, leaving journalist Osman Samiuddin to reflect on how good he’s been with the ball, and likewise how bad Australia have been:
Before Lyon’s dismissal, Glenn Maxwell showed a brief bit of resilience before Zulfiqar Babar took his wicket for 37, and that seemingly ended the Australian fight.
Babar was at it again in the 30th over, as he trapped Steven Smith LBW for a duck to limit the Aussies to just 100-5, with the biggest of mountains still to climb.
Captain Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin walked for 47 and 10 respectively as Australia crawled over the 200 mark, but that’s about as good as it got for them.
After Mitchell Johnson went out for another duck from a Yasir Shah delivery, tea couldn’t come soon enough, and Australia went in at 239-8 with Peter Siddle and Mitchell Marsh defending the crease and their nation’s pride.
The pair came out after the break with a bit of determination and grit about their play, but it was very short-lived.
Marsh managed to reach 87 after a display of impressive batting, but an Imran Khan delivery in the 67th over saw his wicket go, and Siddle soon followed without adding to the score to end the day on 261 all out.
While the surface is reasonably slow in Abu Dhabi, the Aussies simply don’t have a rhyme or reason for their incompetence with the bat and ball.
Australia have been spared the follow-on by Pakistan, which gives them a glimmer of hope of seeing out a draw, but things need to drastically improve on all fronts if that’s to happen.
As Pakistan came back out to bat, Australia got the early break that they so sorely needed.
Ahmed Shehzad came out batting like he was in the middle of a 20-20 slogathon, chalking up two fours and a six before Johnson bowled him for 14.
Mohammad Hafeez didn’t last much longer, either, making three before Johnson struck once again.
At 21-2, mission impossible became mission improbable, but Ali and Khan restored a bit of solidity to Pakistan’s play, as they closed the day out 61-2.
The duo will return together on Sunday for Day 4, and unless a miracle happens, it looks like Pakistan will take the series with minimal fuss.
Deservedly so, too, as they’ve been better than the Aussies in every way so far, but it’s keeping that consistency up that will be top of Pakistan’s agenda.
Are we witnessing the rebirth of Pakistani cricket?
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