Pakistan batter Abdullah Shafique talked about his side’s batting performance in the second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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Pakistan dismissed Australia for 318 and were making a good start to their reply on Wednesday but were reduced to 194-6 at stumps after the intervention of Australia captain Pat Cummins.
Shan Masood’s side looked in fine shape at 124-1 an hour after tea but will resume on day three of the match 124 runs in arrears with hopes of a first test win in Australia since 1995 to level the series at 1-1 fading fast.
Pat Cummins (3-37) changed the day in two overs, brilliantly catching Abdullah Shafique for 62 off his own bowling and dismissing dangerman Babar Azam for one with a sublime delivery that had the Melbourne Cricket Ground crowd roaring in delight.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon also played a leading role in Australia’s fightback, breaking an obdurate opening partnership between Imam-Ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique before returning to remove Shan Masood for 54.
Shan Masood had played a gutsy captain’s innings for his eighth test half-century but frittered all his good work away when he tried to club the ball back over Nathan Lyon’s head only to balloon it to Mitchell Marsh at point.
Josh Hazlewood then chipped in to bowl Saud Shakeel for nine and Pat Cummins returned late in the session to have Agha Salman caught behind for five.
Mohammad Rizwan was unbeaten on 29 at the close of play with Aamer Jamal two not out from 26 balls at the other end.
Abdullah Shafique talked about his side’s batting woes in the all-important fixture. The opening batter reportedly said its not a good feeling when the batting unit collapses.
“As a batting unit it hurts to lose these wickets back to back,” he was quoted as saying by the cricket website ESPNCricinfo. “But I hope we’ll recover with this ongoing partnership. The conditions here are much different compared to Pakistan. Pat Cummins is a good bowler so as a batter you have to take your chances.
“He will not give you loose deliveries so you have to create them. He was planning something for me because I was playing well there, but I think he took a good catch as well.”
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