Australian bowlers made an emphatic comeback after picking just four wickets in first Test despite bowling for over three days. After a lacklustre draw in Rawalpindi, Australian bowlers dominated Pakistan batters on a Day 3 Karachi pitch as the hosts were bundled out for 148 in 53 overs.
Starts with run out
The fall of wickets began with the run out of opener Abdullah Shafique. Imam-ul-Haq became the first victim of Nathan Lyon. The left-handed batter tried to clear mid-on but got caught by skipper Pat Cummins.
Starc’s double blow
Mitchell Starc got his first wicket of the tour as Azhar Ali gave an easy catch to Alex Carey trying to chase the ball outside off stump. Fawad Alam did not trouble the scorers as he was trapped by a pin-point full-length inswinger from Starc. Alam got out for a golden duck.
No recovery
Mohammad Rizwan did not have a long stay at the crease either as he edged one off Cummins' bowling. Rizwan departed after adding just six runs to the score. Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam stayed at the crease hoping that someone sticks at the other end and stitches a partnership.
Faheem Ashraf's stay in the middle was also short-lived as he became all-rounder Cameron Green's first victim on Pakistan soil.
Starc came back into the attack in order to mop up the tail. Sajid Khan turned out to be no match for him as he edged one to Carey as well.
A run out was the last thing Pakistan needed at this point but Marnus Labuschagne returned the favour by catching Hasan Ali short of the crease. The bowling all-rounder got out for an eight-ball duck.
Babar loses patience
Seeing other batters fall, Azam ran out of patience as well. He danced down the wicket against leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson but miscued his shot and got caught by Usman Khawaja. He top-scored for Pakistan with a 79-ball 36. He became Swepson's maiden Test wicket.
Tailnders save face
Tailenders Nauman Ali and Shaheen Afridi added a few runs to the score. Afridi showed his new-found batting skills which he showcased in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 but fell to Swepson. He scored 19 runs from 25 deliveries including three fours and one six. On the other end, Nauman remained unbeaten for 20 off 35 deliveries.
No follow-on
Cummins decided to not enforce follow-on despite a 408-run lead in the bag. The centurion of first innings, Usman Khawaja remained unbeaten for 35. David Warner fell early as he edged one to gully fielder Alam off Hasan's bowling. Labuschagne looked to score quickly after getting run out for a duck in first innings. He remained unbeaten for 37 off 38 deliveries. The no.3 Australian batter hit five fours and one six in his innings.
Visitors score quick runs
Earlier in Cummins and Swepson kept Pakistan bowlers in the field for a while. While Afridi got rid of Starc early, Cummins played a cameo of 34 runs. From 26 deliveries he faced on Day 3, he scored 34 runs including two fours and three sixes. Swepson too remained unbeaten for 26-ball 15 and shared an unbeaten 51-run partnership for the 10th wicket.
