Pakistani left-arm bowler Mir Hamza shattered Australia on Day 3 of the second Test at the MCG, taking two wickets off two balls. He returned both dangerous hitters David Warner and Travis Head, putting the hosts in serious difficulty at 17/4.
Warner attempted to hit a short delivery outside off-stump towards mid-wicket but was only able to divert it back onto his stumps.
He was dissatisfied with his shot selection, but he said goodbye to the MCG fans for the final time in Tests to deafening acclaim and a standing ovation.
Travis Head attempted to block Mir Hamza’s amazing in-swinger
Travis Head tried to block a fantastic in-swinger from Mir Hamza on the following delivery, only to have the late swing rattle his stumps after going through the space between the southpaw’s bat and pad.
Head was surprised to get such a delivery first up, and Hamza was naturally overjoyed because there was nothing the batter could do.
A video of both dismissals is available here:
Smith & Marsh consolidates following Mir Hamza’s initial setback
Pakistan huffed and puffed their way to 264 after losing some vital wickets late on Day 2. Down the order, Aamer Jamal and Shaheen Afridi contributed key runs, cutting Australia’s advantage to 54 runs.
While Australia still had a comfortable advantage, the visitors opened the second innings on fire, with Shaheen Afridi cheaply dismissing both Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne before lunch.
There was ample swing and seam movement for both Shaheen and Mir Hamza to take full advantage of. At 17/4, Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith came together and started rebuilding Australia’s innings.
While both had their luck with a lost catch of Marsh and Smith’s edge not carrying to the slip cordon, the hosts are back on their feet after a half-century stand.
Pakistan is challenging Australia in the Boxing Day Test
Pakistan is giving Australia a good fight in the Boxing Day Test, with its pacers wreaking havoc on Australia’s famed batting line-up in Melbourne.
The Aussies established a 54-run lead after dismissing Shan Masood’s side for 264, but Pakistan’s pace battery allowed their team to come back into the contest.
With fast wickets in the second innings, the visitors placed the hosts in grave danger, headed by Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza. Hamza took two of the first four wickets, including a ‘brilliant’ thing. In only his fourth Test, Hamza, 31, destroyed World Cup hero Travis Head with a spectacular delivery.
Head was caught off guard by the left-arm pacer’s delivery, which came inside dramatically to the Southpaw, driving the spectators wild.
The Aussies were at 16/2 in the second session when Hamza dismissed David Warner with a back-of-a-length ball and then produced a jaffa on the following one.