Rizwan, Salman Fight Back After Pakistan’s Dire Start

AFP/APP

Sydney: Muhammad Rizwan and Agha Salman counter-attacked to help Pakistan battle back from a rocky start on the opening day of the third Test against Australia in Sydney.

After being reduced to 96 for five soon after lunch, Rizwan and Salman took on the Australian bowling with a pulsating 94-run stand before Rizwan fell just before tea for 88.

At the interval, Pakistan were 199 for six, with Salman on 36 and Sajid Khan on seven.

Rizwan, who had been dropped for the first Test, blasted two sixes and 10 fours off 103 balls before he fell to a legside trap set by Pat Cummins.

Rizwan top-edged a pull shot for Josh Hazlewood to take the catch at fine leg after posting the highest individual score by a Pakistan batsman of the series.

Cummins made the breakthrough, as he has done often throughout the series, taking his third wicket of the innings.

Pakistan made a disastrous start after winning the toss, losing four wickets in the opening session and skipper Shan Masood shortly after lunch for 35.

It was a rousing morning session for the Australians, who are looking to send off 37-year-old opening batsman David Warner as a winner in his home city in his 112th and final Test match.

Openers Abdullah Shafique and debutant Saim Ayub were dismissed inside the first two overs.

The out-of-form Shafique fell to the second ball of Mitchell Starc’s opening over, needlessly playing a loose drive and nicking a catch to Steve Smith at the second slip for a duck.

Ayub, brought in for Imam-ul-Haq to make his Test debut, only lasted two balls before he fell to a Hazlewood outswinger in the next over, snapped up behind by Alex Carey.

Pakistan lurched to four for two and, for a time, looked to be consolidating, with Babar Azam playing three glorious cover drives to the ropes before he was out on first-hour drinks for 26.

Cummins appealed vociferously for LBW but was turned down by the umpire, only to seek a review and get the verdict he sought, leaving the tourists tottering at 39 for three.

Saud Shakeel copped a nasty blow on the collarbone from a Cummins lifter, and in the Australian skipper’s next over, he prodded a catch behind to Carey for five, leaving his side further in the mire at 47 for four.

Masood had a big moment on 32 in the second over after lunch when he was caught by Smith at second slip, but it was ruled a no-ball from bowler Mitchell Marsh.

Marsh got the last laugh two overs later when Masood, on 35, again edged the medium-pacer to Smith in almost identical fashion to leave Pakistan at 96 for five.

Australia clinched the three-match series with a tense 79-run win in the second Test in Melbourne over Christmas.

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