Australia captain Pat Cummins took five for 61 for his third consecutive five-wicket haul in the series.
- The Australian captain adds another feather to his cap.
- Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman and Aamer Jamal shine on day 1.
- Pakistan has lost a 3 match test series.
SYDNEY: Brave Pakistan bounced back from the looming disaster to finish with 313 after fighting half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman and Aamer Jamal on the first day of the third Test against Australia on Wednesday.
The tourists, facing a meager innings total of 96 for five after winning the toss, hit back to frustrate the Australians at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Rizwan hit 88 off 103 balls, number nine Jamal a spirited 82 off 97 and Salman 53 off 67 to give the tourists some hope after a car-crash start to the innings.
David Warner, playing in his 112th and final Test, had to overcome a tense final before the close and survived a scare before finishing with six in Australia’s 6-0 response.
Australia captain Pat Cummins took five for 61 for his third consecutive five-wicket haul in the series.
A day that began with jubilation for Australia ended in frustration as Pakistan’s tail wagged furiously to rescue their team after a terrible start.
Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman sparked the comeback with a spirited 94-run stand to challenge Australia’s attack.
Rizwan, who had been dropped for the first Test, hit two sixes and 10 fours in 103 balls before falling into a leg-side trap set by Cummins.
Rizwan scored a pull shot for Josh Hazlewood to catch at fine leg after registering the highest individual score by a Pakistan batsman of the series.
Exciting morning
Salman took the cudgels half a century before Travis Head caught him off Mitchell Starc.
Jamal kept up the fight and recorded his highest score in the event before falling to Nathan Lyon.
That left Warner to see out the day and he began with a flourish, cutting spinner Sajid Khan’s first ball for four.
It was a thrilling morning session for Australia as openers Abdullah Shafique and debutant Saim Ayub were bowled out in two overs.
An out-of-form Shafique fell on the second ball of Starc’s opening and Ayub, brought in for Imam-ul-Haq to make his Test debut, only lasted two balls before a Hazlewood outswinger caught him behind Alex Tortoiseshell.
Babar Azam hit three glorious cover deliveries to the ropes before being run out for 26.
Cummins appealed loudly in favor of lbw but was rejected by the umpire, only to call for a review and get the verdict, leaving the tourists reeling at 39 for three.
Saud Shakeel took a heavy blow to the collarbone from a Cummins lifter and in the Australian captain’s next over he pushed a catch behind Carey for five, leaving his side further in the mud at 47 for four.
Captain Shan Masood, on 32, was caught by Smith at second slip off Mitchell Marsh just after lunch but it was ruled a no contest.
Marsh had the last laugh two overs later when Masood, on 35, again bowled Smith’s medium pacer in almost identical fashion to leave Pakistan at 96 for five.
Australia clinched the three-match series with a tense 79-run win in the second Test in Melbourne over Christmas.
