Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith’s 153-run partnership helped Australia take control of the second Test against Pakistan on Thursday with a 241-run advantage. After dismissing Pakistan for 264 in response to Australia’s first innings 318, the hosts struggled in the second innings at 16-4 in Melbourne. Marsh (96) and Smith focused on forming a match-saving alliance.
Australian match-saving 96 from Marsh after Pakistan blitz
Day three stumps saw the hosts 187-6, with Smith out for 50 off 176 balls in the last over, leaving Alex Carey undefeated on 16. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mir Hamza grabbed three wickets. When Marsh was on 20, Abdullah Shafique dropped a routine catch in the slips. Marsh finished four runs shy of a well-deserved century, but Agha Salman’s one-handed diving grab at slip removed him. “Obviously that one hurts at the end,” Marsh said of Smith’s firing.
“We’d take a 240-run lead from 16-4. “It’s balanced,” he said. “As we saw, I think there’s still enough in the wicket, so add a few more runs tomorrow, and we’ll give it our all.” Australia faced a tough 15 minutes in the morning after Cummins took 5-48 and Nathan Lyon 4-73 to defeat Pakistan. Usman Khawaja was caught behind by Mohammad Rizwan off bowling spearhead Afridi for a duck on the second delivery. The hosts fell behind 6-2 at lunch as Marnus Labuschagne edged down the legside on five.
David Warner hit Afridi for a boundary drive when they returned, but he dragged a Mir Hamza ball onto his stumps on six. He left the Melbourne Cricket Ground to a rousing ovation, his last as a batsman. The third Test in Sydney will be his final. Travis Head was bowled by Hamza’s inswinging yorker next delivery, leaving Australia 16-4 behind. Marsh blocked the hat-trick ball and dug in with Smith to stop the onslaught.
Cummins takes five After Aamer Jamal came on, Marsh hit three boundaries in four balls to relieve pressure before Shafique missed. Smith assisted, taking 101 balls for his first boundary and earning a gritty 40th Test half-century. “This was a big, big opportunity,” Pakistan great Waqar Younis commented on Shafique’s miss comments. “This might be the difference between winning and losing this game.”
Following Cummins’ electrifying stint in the final session on Wednesday, Pakistan began the day on 194-6. The Australia skipper was again in the heart of the action. Rizwan started confidently, adding 13 to his overnight 29. But Cummins was too smart and enticed him into a drive that soared straight to Warner, who had just been shifted to cover from slip. This ended a 45-run alliance with Jamal, who played his shots.
Lyon’s spin trapped new partner Afridi lbw for 21 after he had crossed four boundaries. Jamal was in fantastic touch, hitting the ropes three times in six balls from 33 not out. Cummins took his fifth wicket by bowling Hasan Ali for two, then Lyon finished Hamza for the same score.
