Australia did not tour Pakistan pitches for over two decades but it did not seem like in the past two day’s play at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. After toiling hard for two days against Pakistan batters, Australian batting lineup returned the favour in first of the three-Test series.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith frustrated the Pakistan bowlers in the first session of Day 4. The no.3 batter added 21 runs to his score before losing his wicket to Shaheen Afridi. Labuschagne was lured into the drive and got caught in the slips. Labuschagne and Smith shared a 10-run partnership for the third wicket.
Travis Head did not stay at the crease too long and got out after adding eight runs to the scoreboard. Head became Nauman Ali's first victim of the day as he forced an outside edge off his bat.
Meanwhile, Smith got to his 34th Test fifty in the first session. Cameron Green and Smith took Australia past 400. Green had a chance to score his first Test fifty outside Australia but threw his wicket away trying to drag down a delivery from outside off stump to leg side. The all-rounder scored 48 runs off 109 deliveries. Ali got his wicket as well.
Green and Smith put on an 81-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Smith got few boundaries after Green's wicket but eventually fell into the left-arm spinner's trap. In an attempt to sweep, Smith got a faint edge that landed in Rizwan's gloves. The former Australian skipper got out for 78 off 196 deliveries.
Alex Carey too looked positive with a few boundaries early in his innings but was bowled by pacer Naseem Shah. At the end of day's play, Mitchell Starc and skipper Pat Cummins remained unbeaten for 12 and 4 respectively. Australia were 449/7 before bad light stopped play with three overs to go. The visitors still trail by 27 runs. While Australia got close to Pakistan's first innings score, the scoring rate on Day 4 was slow compared to Day 3 when openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner batted.
As the Rawalpindi pitch is still fine for batting, chances of a result are very bleak until and unless Pakistan suffer a major batting collapse on Day 5. Otherwise, the first Test is highly likely to end in a draw.
