Pakistan and Australia battle it out on the third day of opening Test
Pakistan started off well at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium with Younis Khan and Sarfaraz Khan scoring impressively, whilst Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Misbah-ul-Haq scored incredible half-centuries.
Australia’s Mitchell Johnson was picked as bowler from the list and took three wickets, David Warner meanwhile impressed the crowd by scoring a mind-blowing 75 off just 77 whilst remaining unbeaten overnight. Team mate Chris Rogers scored a 31 off 110 deliveries.
Although Australia stand with 113 for no loss and are still trailing Pakistan by 341 runs, it looks like Pakistan may still need to watch their back.
Warner hit seven fours and a six in his eighth Test half-century, his sixth in a row, as Australia’s batting rivalled Pakistan’s. Pakistan could have let Rogers go on 13 in left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar’s first over but Younis Khan failed to effectively catch in the slips.
Warner reverse-swept skilled leg-spinner Yasir Shah for his fifth boundary to reach his run-a-ball 50.
Pakistan’s total was elevated by Ahmed, who scored his first hundred in Sri Lanka two months ago, fell in the final over before tea and stumped off spinner Nathan Lyon for 109. He batted for 148 minutes and hit 14 boundaries in total.
He completed his hundred off just 80 balls, hitting paceman Mitchell Marsh over the slips for the fourth fastest century by a Pakistani player.
Majid Khan currently holds the record for the fastest Test hundred by a Pakistani in terms of deliveries, on 74 balls, while Shahid Afridi just missed it by hitting hundreds off 78 balls in two matches.
