After a riveting draw in Karachi, the final Test of the three-Test series in Lahore got off to a brilliant start. However, despite the early blows, Pakistan could not dictate terms at the Gaddafi Stadium as in-form Usman Khawaja and veteran Steve Smith ensured that it does not lead to a batting collapse. At the end of Day 1, Australia managed to put 232/5 on board.
With the new ball, Pakistan's fast-bowling spearhead wreaked havoc in his second over. Afridi trapped David Warner in front of stumps with the one that nipped back into the stumps sharply. In the same over, he lured Marnus Labuschagne into a drive which led to a regulation catch for wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. Labuschagne registered his third duck in Test cricket. Coincidentally, all of them came against Pakistan.
After the two early wickets, Smith and Khawaja were vulnerable at the start. With the introduction of left-arm spinner Nauman Ali, they survived half-chances. After the early reprieves, the two shared a 138-run partnership for the third wicket. Smith got to his third consecutive half-century on the tour but could not convert. With the old ball, young pacer Naseem Shah used reverse swing to break the partnership. The former Australian skipper scored 59 runs from 169 deliveries including six boundaries.
On the other end, Khawaja scored with a slightly better strike rate. The Pakistan-origin batter faltered in the 90s again. Right-arm off-spinner Sajid Khan tried to work the ball towards leg side but the leading edge landed in Pakistan skipper Babar Azam's right hand in slip. The southpaw got out for 91, his second score in 90s on the Pakistan tour. The left-handed batter's 91-run knock included nine fours and one six.
Travis Head, who has struggled in subcontinent conditions so far, got off to a decent start but once again could not convert. The new ball was due but skipper Azam gave one more shot to Shah with the old one. Head poked at a non-threatening delivery and all he could manage was a thick edge that landed in Rizwan's gloves. He scored 26 runs from 70 deliveries.
With the new ball, Afridi, Shah and Hasan Ali could not do much damage. Cameron Green and Alex Carey survived seven overs of second new ball as Australia posted a respectable score on Day 1.
In the first session of Day 2, Pakistan will be looking for early wickets with the new ball and expose the Australian lower-middle order.
