1st Test, Australia vs Pakistan Day 3 preview: Pakistan pacers face crucial third morning

After all the hype, Pakistan’s fast bowlers left much to be desired on the second day of the Brisbane Test against Australia on Friday, November 22, and not too surprisingly, David Warner cashed in.

Warner scored a breathtaking 151 – a much-needed big score from the Australian opener after poor returns in the Ashes in his previous outing in the format. This was a reminder of all Warner’s dangerous qualities – he was devastating at times and dogmatic at others, and he weighed in on the young Pakisan pace attack with all his experience.

It was Warner’s 22 Test hundred, and it came in a 222-run opening stand with Joe Burns. It could all have been different had Naseem Shah’s dismissal of Warner, when he was on 56, not been overturned – Shah had overstepped, as it turned out – and there was another slice of fortune for the big man when, in the penultimate over of the day, a delivery from Imran Khan touched the stumps, but the bails didn’t dislodge.

What was worse for Pakistan was the fact that they were all over the place, not just in their lines and lengths, but also in the way they overstepped. At tea, according to Channel 7, there were as many as 21 no balls that the umpires had failed to spot.

Their only wicket came in the 61st over, when Burns attempted a sweep, and bottom-edged it to his stumps off Yasir Shah. He was three runs short of what would have been a fifth Test century, but it mattered little in the larger scheme of things for Australia as Marnus Labuschagne came in and scored a 94-ball 55* by stumps.

The scary thing for Pakistan is the fact that Steve Smith is yet to take the crease. The likes of Matthew Wade and Travis Head are no pushovers, and Tim Paine, the captain, has a knack for scoring runs lower down the order. Yes, Pakistan’s pacers are young and inexperienced, but it’s the risk the management took going in with a young side, and Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali will have to do a lot more coaxing them.

Key players

David Warner (Australia): This is a dangerous situation for Pakistan. With a night’s rest, Warner is more than capable of going even bigger on the second day. He had a poor Ashes, and he will be hungry for runs. Pakistan will be wary.

Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan): Shaheen was Pakistan’s most economical bowler on the day, his 18 overs going for just 44 runs. His economy of 2.44 was miles better than Naseem Shah’s 4.06 and Imran Khan’s 5.38. Pakistan need to build pressure from both ends – Shaheen will need it.

Brief scores

Pakistan 240 in 86.2 overs (Asad Shafiq 76, Azhar Ali 39; Mitchell Starc 4/52, Pat Cummins 2/60) trail Australia 312/1(David Warner 151, Joe Burns 97; Yasir Shah 1/101) by 72 runs.

Prediction

Australia have their eye in. Expect big runs from Warner and Smith, and a huge total.