Recent Match Report – Australia vs Pakistan 3rd Test 2023/24

Lunch Pakistan 75 for 4 (Masood 32*, Rizwan 12, Cummins 2-16) vs Australia

After Pakistan slumped to 47 for 4, captain Shan Masood and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan survived through to lunch.

Australia’s quicks were once again excellent with Cummins continuing his spectacular series by adding the wicket of struggling No. 5 Saud Shakeel. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood also claimed a wicket each as they conjured swing with the new ball and sought a fuller length to devastating effect.

It was a bitter disappointment for Pakistan, who seemingly won an important toss and Masood had no hesitation to bat on a dry surface amid sunny conditions. After their painful 79-run defeat in the Boxing Day Test, having fought bravely and at times appearing close to causing an upset, Pakistan eyed a tonic in the form of a big first-innings total.

But Pakistan started the new year with their openers making ducks within the first eight deliveries of the match. Starc found sharp swing and on the second delivery of the innings he removed opener Abdullah Shafique, who drove loosely and produced a thick outside edge to second slip.

After a promising start to the series, Shafique has looked rattled ever since his costly drop at first slip of allrounder Mitchell Marsh on day three of the Boxing Day Test in what proved a significant moment.

The pressure fell on Babar, who had scored just 77 runs in four previous innings and fell to three stellar deliveries from Cummins and Hazlewood. He made a watchful start at the SCG before unfurling his trademark cover drive to the boundary and pounced on an increasingly wayward Starc.

Babar was feeling confident on a benign surface, but confronted Cummins who had dismissed him twice in brilliant fashion in Perth and Melbourne. Cummins added a third when a hooping inswinger trapped Babar, who initially survived before the DRS overturned the decision after ball-tracking confirmed the ball to hit the leg stump.

Shakeel arrived in Australia having made an impressive start to his Test career, but his struggles in the series continued when he was hit on the helmet by Cummins before tamely poking a wide delivery to be caught behind.

Masood in the opening two Tests sought a proactive approach, especially against offspinner Nathan Lyon but reined in his attacking instincts given his team’s predicament. Rizwan, who batted with dare in Melbourne after being recalled, decided to counterattack before lunch and smashed Hazlewood for a slog sweep into the crowd in a rare bright spot for Pakistan during a torrid first session.

The traditional New Year’s Test in Sydney has been severely impacted by bad weather in recent years, but the forecast looks mostly clear through the match apart from in the afternoon on day two.