But shortly before lunch on day three Shaheen Shah Afridi produced the magic ball for a left armer,which moved away from the left-hander and Usman Khawaja nicked off before a run was scored in Australia’s second innings.
That happens. Opening batsmen sometimes get good ones and Khawaya have been extraordinary this year,scoring more than 1200 Test runs. Then Marnus Labuschagne (4) did something that shouldn’t happen,tangling his bat around his legs and nicking off down the leg side to continue a modest year,when he has averaged under 35.
Lunch was taken at 2-6.
AUSTRALIA’S EARLY INNINGS WOES
- 0.2 overs:Khawaja gone for a duck. Opener gets a faint tickle to ’keeper who takes the regulation catch with no mistake. Australia 1-2
- 2.6 overs:Second wicket for Shaheen Afridi. Labaschagne also edges to Mohammad Rizwan. Australia 2-6
- 5.1 overs. Big wicket. Warner gone. Veteran goes for the pull and gets a bottom edge into the stumps. Mir Hamza on fire. Australia 3-16
- 5.2 overs:Head out for a golden duck. Middle order batter is bowled by Hamza. Australia 4-16
- 5.3 overs:Hat-trick ball. New batter Marsh joins Smith in the middle and leaves ball outside off.
Players from both sides had a laugh with the umpires when play was held up by seven minutes because television umpire Richard Illingworth was stuck in a lift.
It was no laughing matter two overs into the second session when David Warner (6) dragged a pull shot into his stumps from a Mir Hamza long hop. For the second innings of the match Warner had gone to an ill-judged cross bat swipe. Retirement shots perhaps?