Cummins, Starc help Aussies make a fiery comeback

Brilliant bowling performance by Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc gave Australia an upper hand as Pakistan got bundled out at 268 on Day 3 of the ongoing third Test here in Lahore on Wednesday.

At Stumps, Australia’s score read at 11/0 with the visitors leading by 134 runs. David Warner (4*) and Usman Khawaja (7*) were at the crease when the stumps were drawn for the day. Resuming Day 3 at 90/1, Abdullah Shafique and Azhar Ali continued with their top knocks and thrashed Australian bowlers. The duo scored their respective half-centuries and took the total to 170-run mark.

The visitors finally took a sigh of relief when Nathan Lyon dismissed Shafique for 81 runs. Skipper Babar Azam joined Azhar Ali and kept the scoreboard moving for the hosts. After scoring 78 runs, Azhar Ali had to depart as he was caught and bowled by Cummins, with 214 runs on the board.

Then Fawad Alam came to the crease but could not much as he was bowled by Starc. Following Alam’s dismissal, Mohammad Rizwan and Sajid Khan were also sent back to the dugout after brief stints.

Babar Azam, who played a good knock 67 runs, was then joined by Nauman Ali, who also departed without scoring a single run leaving the team’s total at 268/7. The remaining batters including Babar Azam, could not score a single run and got perished by the deadly pace of Starc and Cummins. Cummins scalped a total of five wickets while Starc took four to end Pakistan’s batting run at 268. Coming to bat, Australia openers Warner and Khawaja anchored the innings and ended Day 3 at 11/0.

Brief score: Australia 391 & 11/0 (Usman Khawaja 7*, David Warner 4*; Naseem Shah 0/0) vs Pakistan 268 (Abdullah Shafique 81, Azhar Ali 78; Pat Cummins 5/56).