Australia vs Pakistan first Test live: Pakistan trail by 355 at close of snail’s pace day two

A young debut player thrown in the deep end has pulled off some late heroics on day two after Pakistan blunted Australia’s attack for hours on end.

After David Warner smashed 164 on Day 1, Australia plugged away through the first session on Day 2 but were all out shortly after lunch for a total of 487.

Aamir Jamal became the first Pakistani debutant in 59 years to snag five wickets, finishing with 6-111.

The visitors were all but written off going into the series, but a fiery young quick with confidence on their side might be all they need to zip the lips of their critics.

Watch Australia vs Pakistan on Kayo Sports. Every Test match Live with no ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >

Pakistan’s opening batsmen put on a slow 74-run partnership to build a platform, with Imam-ul-Haq remaining not out on 38 overnight. The 27-year-old did the lion’s share of the work facing 136 balls, making Australia’s attack work for hours looking for a hole in the defence.

Debut bowler Khurram Shahzad was put in as nightwatchman right before the close of play, forcing the youngster to see out a menacing Mitchell Starc as the light faded.

Starc finished the day with 1-24 from his 12 overs. Nathan Lyon was the only other wicket-taker and will head into day three with 1-40.

Debut player Khurram Shahzad was thrown in the deep end and pulled off some late heroics on day two after Pakistan blunted Australia’s attack for hours on end.

8.39pm - Starc strikes before stumps

Mitchell Starc has sent Shan Masood packing. The left arm quick has been probing the Pakistani skipper’s outside edge for a while now and finally took the faintest of edges late on day two.

The umpire didn’t hear the snick and turned down the raucous appeal from behind the stumps.

Pat Cummins immediately reviewed and hotspot confirmed Masood had belted it.

He departs for 30, bringing debutant Khurram Shahzad in as the nightwatchman as the sun sets over Perth.

He successfully saw through a vicious final spell from Starc, who kept sending down deliveries over 140km/h a threatening the outside edge until the end of the day.

Pakistan will head into day three trailing by 355 runs.

Mitchell Starc was sending down some jaffas.

8.09pm - Run out chance

Shan Masood almost ran himself out late on day two as the third session crept along at a snail’s pace.

Taking zero chances since the wicket of Abdullah Shafique, Masood took off for a single after prodding Nathan Lyon square on the off side. Imam-ul-Haq down the other end sent him back as Warner hurled the ball to the keeper’s end, forcing Masood into a dive that saved him by millimetres.

7.35pm - Lyon breaks the partnership

Nathan Lyon has finally snagged the first wicket.

Abdullah Shafique started to look promising after a long session of blunting the new ball for a 74-run partnership with Imam-ul-Haq. The young opener was eight runs short of his half century when he tried skipping down the wicket to guide Lyon through the leg side. But the ball caught the inside edge and flew straight to David Warner at leg slip.

Skipper Shan Masood arrived at the crease and immediately looked to up the tempo, bludgeoning Lyon through midwicket for four.

Alex Carey had a moment shortly before Shafique’s wicket when Marnus Labuschagne returned the ball to him. He instinctively threatened to remove the bails while the batsman’s foot was in the air.

But after the Jonny Bairstow controversy from the recent Ashes series, it appears the Aussie wicketkeeper thought the better of it this time.

🫢

A bit to unpack here as Alex Carey comes ever-so-close to taking the bails off behind the stumps #AUSvPAKpic.twitter.com/QVQuo4pJJB

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 15, 2023

7.10pm - Australia almost break through

Nathan Lyon has looked threatening with the ball all day and almost got a return for his hard work midway through the final session.

The off-spinner drifted one down leg to Abdullah Shafique. There was a faint noise after he prodded at it and Alex Carey went off. But the umpire wasn’t convinced.

Pat Cummins went upstairs for a review but the cameras couldn’t find enough evidence to overturn the decision.

In lieu of any real action to talk about in the final session, fans took to pointing out awkward moments to get through the day. One clip of Alex Carey snubbing a high-five from Cummins was caught on camera, prompting a jokes about his selection in the next Test.

Ouch.

Leaving the captain hanging… that will get Carey dropped for the next test ;) #AUSvPAK#AUSvsPAKpic.twitter.com/NMB0Ze4S65

— Ex Ranga (@vokstar) December 15, 2023

Pakistan have continued at under two an over and appear to be taking the Pujara approach to close out the day.

6.50pm - 50 up for Pakistan

It may have taken 26 overs and it may have included a few lucky chances, but Pakistan have reached the 50 mark without the loss of a wicket. Abdullah Shafique has been the main scoring man, sending the rare bad ball to the boundary with finesse. But it will take a lot more from the visitors to have Australia on the back foot.

The main talking point this session is on the bowlers’ fitness. After a long stint of white ball cricket, Australia’s quicks now need to conserve energy as they work through long, wicketless spells.

Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have gone for just one run an over, but nobody has snagged the edge yet.

5.35pm - Pakistan dig in, Lyon fires warning shot

Opening pair Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq have done their job and seen off the opening bowlers to avoid an early breakthrough. But the pair have been going at a snail’s pace, scoring under 2 runs an over.

Australia mixed it up early and brought on Nathan Lyon, who immediately sent a shiver through the Pakistan dressing rooms with a ball that spun a mile from outside off stump.

The veteran Aussie spinner is just four wickets away from 500 in his career at Test level and is looking as sharp as ever. Shafique tried taking the fight to him in his third over, smashing him back over his head for four in the first real sign of aggression of the innings.

Australia mixed it up early and brought on Nathan Lyon, who immediately sent a shiver through the Pakistan dressing rooms with a ball that spun a mile.

4.23pm - Australia all out for 487

Aamir Jamal kisses the turf after taking six on debut.

Aamir Jamal closed out the innings with the wicket of Nathan Lyon, with Australia finishing with a total of 487.

Jamal ended with figures of 6-111 and looked by far the best of the touring attack.

He is the first Pakistani Test debutant to take a five-wicket haul on debut in Australia in over 50 years.

Aamer Jamal is Pakistan's first Test debutant to take a five-wicket haul in Australia since 1964.#AUSvPAK

— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) December 15, 2023

The visitors now need to dig in for the rest of the day and fend off Australia’s dominant pace battery to have a chance at putting the pressure back on in the first Test.

4.04pm - Marsh out first ball after lunch

Khurram Shahzad struck immediately after lunch, putting paid to Mitchell Marsh’s hopes of a fourth Test ton. He sent down a full length tempter that nipped back on the all-rounder, who was clean bowled and sent on his way for 90.

It was an unfortunate end for the 32-year-old, who has strong-armed his way back into the side with a hot streak of form. His brother Shaun and father Geoff, both former Test cricketers, were in the stands watching on as the Perth crowd cheered on their hometown hero.

Pat Cummins fell shortly after, edging Aamir Jamal to the slips cordon, taking the Pakistani seamer to his fifth wicket on debut.

Mitchell Marsh was looking unstoppable as his home crowd and family cheered on from the stands. But it was all over in a heartbeat after lunch.

3.25pm - Lunch

Mitchell Marsh will have to wait until after lunch for a shot at a fourth Test century. The powerful middle order batsman crunched Pakistan around the ground throughout the first session to get Australia past 450 in the first innings.

Pakistan quick Aamir Jamal has been the pick of the bowlers, picking up the wickets of Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc in the morning session. He has figures of 4-108 on debut and has given the tourists a glimmer of hope in what has otherwise been a tough start to the series.

2.20pm - Marsh teeing off

Australia has passed 400 and Mitch Marsh has started to tee off in front of his home crowd with brother Shaun and dad Geoff watching on in the stands.

Marsh has brought up his half century off 66 balls and has already struck 10 boundaries with his trademark power.

Justin Langer said on Channel 7: “Don’t leave your seats. If you love watching entertaining batting, I think we are in for it right now. In half an hour, anything could happen here with Mitch Marsh.

“Mitch Marsh is just about to explode and it is going to be so much fun to watch.”

Alex Carey looked in good touch as well and unleashed some beautiful cover drives before he was bowled by Aamir Jamal with an absolute peach.

Mitch Marsh teed off in Perth. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Mitch Marsh's family cheer him on. Photo: Fox Cricket.

1.31pm - Ponting‘s perfect Warner analogy

Day 1 was all about David Warner and Ricky Ponting revealed he had a chat with the opener before play and Warner had a look in his eye.

Ponting said on Channel 7: “It was the David Warner of old, wasn’t it? There was a lot made of his form and what he has done leading into this test match series and I think it had been 44 innings between test match hundreds.

“I caught up with him yesterday morning and he just had that steely glint in his eye where I almost expected something like this to happen.

“Whenever he gets cornered, he is a like a boxer. If he’s pushed into a corner against the ropes, he’s not going to stand there and continually take blows, he will come out and throw the first punch, and he did that yesterday.

“Yes, he had some luck early on which you need to do in Perth on day one to make a big score but as the day went on, he hit the middle of the bat more and more and imposed himself on a young Pakistani bowling attack.”

On Fox Cricket, Michael Vaughan said Aussie fans should be thanking Mitchell Johnson for poking the bear and giving Warner the motiviation he needs during the twilight of his career.

Ricky Ponting knew Warner was in for a big one. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

1pm – Truth behind Warner’s one-finger salute

After bringing up his 26th Test century, Warner looked to the heavens and put one finger to his mouth.

The 37-year-old’s celebration raised eyebrows among those watching on, after the day’s play came to an end the star opener was asked for the reasoning behind the move.

He put it bluntly, critics don’t faze him.

“You saw what it was. A nice little quiet shush,” he said.

“It was just (to) anyone who wants to write stories about me, trying to get headlines.

“That stuff doesn’t bother me, it’s just the fact that I have to go out there and what I have to do and I’m allowed to celebrate how I want.”

Warner delivers his one-finger celebration. (Photo by COLIN MURTY / AFP)

Warner’s form has been the hot topic of conversation for several years now with his struggling average leaving many to question his place in the side.

Numbers show Warner largely has Pakistan to thank for extending his career into 2023.

Warner passed 50 just twice as he averaged 29 with the bat over his 10 Ashes innings this winter.

Overall, he’s averaged just 28.91 with 1243 runs and just one hundred — his Boxing Day double ton in 2022 — in Test match cricket over the last three years.

But on Thursday he put it all behind him and said he wasn’t concerned about the critics who were calling for an earlier end to his career.

“Today I clearly didn’t (feel cornered),” he added.

“It’s not me being up against the wall, it’s your job (in the media) to write stories and if someone is not scoring runs then you’re entitled to do that.

“For me it’s about going out there, trying my best and scoring runs. I don’t feel any extra pressure, I don’t feel any other point I have to prove.”

Originally published as Australia vs Pakistan first Test live: Pakistan trail by 355 at close of snail’s pace day two