On the fourth day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, Pakistan tallied 146 runs with the loss of 4 wickets in their second innings, leaving them in need of 171 more runs to secure victory.
During the Kangaroos’ innings, they started at 187 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. However, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc contributed 22 runs before the seventh wicket fell at 207. Alex Carey’s impressive 53 runs increased Australia’s lead to 317 runs. The Australian team was eventually all out for 262 runs in 84.1 overs.
Facing a target of 317 runs to win, Pakistan reached 133 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in their second innings. Captain Shan Masood scored 60 runs, while Imamul Haq and Abdullah Shafiq were dismissed for 12 and 4 runs respectively. Babar Azam contributed 41 runs before exiting, and Saud Shakeel remained unbeaten on 21 runs. Australia’s Pat Cummins took 2 wickets, with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood securing one wicket each.
On the third day, Pakistan began their first innings at 194 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. They added 68 runs before being all out, trailing Australia by 54 runs. Mohammad Rizwan scored 42, Shaheen Shah Afridi contributed 21, and Hasan Ali and Mir Hamza remained not out at 33 runs collectively. For Australia, Pat Cummins took 5 wickets, Nathan Lyon claimed 4, and Josh Hazlewood secured 1 wicket.
Australia’s second innings had a shaky start, with openers Usman Khawaja and Travis Head departing without scoring. David Warner managed 6 runs, while Marnos Labushin scored 4. Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith’s partnership of 153 runs steadied the innings, but Marsh fell short of a century with 96 runs. Steve Smith contributed 50 runs before departing. Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza took 3 wickets each.
On the second day, Australia began their innings at 187 runs for the loss of 3 wickets but were dismissed for 131 runs. The Pakistani fast bowlers were dominant, with Aamir Jamal taking 3 wickets, and Shaheen Afridi, Mir Hamza, and Hasan Ali securing 2 wickets each. Salman Ali Agha claimed 1 wicket.
In Pakistan’s first innings, Imamul Haq departed after scoring 10 runs. Abdullah Shafiq and captain Shan Masood built a partnership of 90 runs, but Abdullah was dismissed after scoring 62, and Shan Masood departed with 54 runs. Babar Azam struggled and scored just one run. Saud Shakeel managed 9 runs, and Salman Ali Agha scored 5. Mohammad Rizwan remained unbeaten on 29 runs alongside Aamir Jamal at 2 runs. Pat Cummins took 3 wickets, Nathan Lyon claimed 2, and Josh Hazlewood secured 1 for Australia.
On the first day, after winning the toss, Pakistan invited Australia to bat. The Australian openers amassed 90 runs, but David Warner and Usman Khawaja departed after scoring 38 and 42 runs respectively. Rain interrupted play with Marnes Labushin at 14 and Steven Smith at 2. Play resumed, adding 40 runs more before Steven Smith was caught out at 26 runs. By day’s end, Marnus Labushin stood at 44 runs, while Travis Head scored 9 runs. Hasan Ali, Amir Jamal, and Agha Salman claimed one wicket each for Pakistan, while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mir Hamza remained wicketless.
