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After Australia rebounded from a disastrous top-order
collapse in the Boxing Day Test, Abdullah Shafique gave in-form Mitchell Marsh
a reprieve at first slip to weaken Pakistan’s charge on the third day.
Left-arm quicks Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mir Hamza
turned the tide of the match, taking two wickets apiece either side of lunch as
Australia slumped to 16 for 4 with a lead of just 68 runs. The match was played
in overcast circumstances on a challenging MCG surface.
Unfortunately, Shafique lost Marsh (20) at the first
slip off fast bowler Aamer Jamal when Australia was 46 for 4, and a despondent
Pakistan seemed like it was about to collapse.
With tea, Marsh forced Pakistan to pay and led to an
undefeated 57. Australia now leads by 161 runs thanks to a 91-run partnership
between him and Steven Smith.
The second session was postponed for a short while due
to a lift malfunction involving third umpire Richard Illingworth. At the stroke
of lunch, openers Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne were defeated by Afridi,
and Australia began at 6 for 2.
Afridi was hit for a boundary by opener David Warner
when he drove him down the ground during his final Test innings at the MCG
before retiring. But moments later, he went down after attempting a pull shot
off Hamza and hitting his stumps with his bottom edge. Warner’s dismissal by
Hamza was probably lucky, but he still showed incredible talent when he swept
Travis Head for a golden duck with a brilliant delivery that swung back in and
destroyed the stumps.
It was a disaster that Australia has seldom
encountered on its territory. Australia has only been in a worse situation
following the loss of the fourth wicket in a Test match against South Africa in
Hobart in 2016 when they collapsed to 8 for 4 on the first morning.
Marsh, who has solidified his place at number six,
rushed to the crease and then singled out a wide ball to foil Hamza’s attempt
to complete a hat-trick. As the sun emerged and batting seemed to get easier,
Marsh eventually struck on his fourteenth delivery. As Australia’s nerves
relaxed, he took advantage of wayward deliveries from Jamal by hitting three
boundaries in four balls.
Shafique’s dismissal of Marsh, which brought back
memories of his early error on the first day when he split Warner, damaged
Pakistan’s confidence. Marsh blocked a drive effort that sailed to Shafique,
almost landing in the hands of second slip Salman Agha, who looked caught off
guard, but the ball slipped through his fingers.
Marsh, who struck twin half-centuries in the first
Test, settled alongside Smith as Pakistan’s spirit sank in a bitter
disappointment after mounting such a stirring comeback.