Labuschagne, Smith fall short of centuries as draw looms

Australia's ambition to "bat big" in their first innings and thereby put Pakistan under pressure on the final day of the first Test has largely failed to materialise due to their batters' inability to turn solid starts into triple-digit totals.

Barring a remarkable turn of events or an act of abject bravery, the series opener at Rawalpindi appears destined for the run-heavy draw that seemed inevitable after bowlers failed to find anything to reward their efforts and claimed just six wickets across the first three days.

Come the close of a fourth day that was further foreshortened due to morning rain then fading light, Australia are 7-449 and still 27 runs behind on the first innings, a position underpinned by major contributions from Marnus Labuschagne (90) and Steve Smith (78) after Usman Khawaja posted 97 on Sunday.

But the glaring difference between Australia's innings and Pakistan's first dig of 4(dec)-476 is the home team not only produced two century-makers – Imam-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali – both of those batters pushed on to scores in excess of 150.

Furthermore, on a pitch that had been rumoured to favour pace bowlers, it's been left-arm spinner Nausam Ali who has proved the most potent force with the ball, although none of his four wickets have been the result of raging turn from the unforgiving pitch.

A mature-age Test rookie, Nausam began his cricket journey in distant Sindh (near the India border) as a left-arm quick before realising upon his family's move to the province's second-biggest city Hyderabad that spin was a more rewarding option in dry conditions near the Thar desert.

While Pakistan's pace pair Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah created periods of angst for Australia's batters who battled to lift their scoring rate above four per over as they had earlier planned, the lack of cracks and footmarks in the concrete-like surface means it's only batters' mistakes that bring breakthroughs.

Australia's current innings looms as their most productive Test innings without an individual hundred since they piled on 7(dec)-520 against West Indies at Perth in 2009 in which the highest score was Simon Katich's 99.

And their best hope of quick runs tomorrow morning was lost when Alex Carey had his off-stump pegged back by Naseem in the day’s penultimate over.

Despite Khawaja's assessment yesterday that the Rawalpindi pitch was "definitely degrading", it continued to resemble the 28km expressway that links the city to Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, where both teams are staying.

Come the end of day four, it has given up just 11 wickets at an average of 84 apiece, making this Test one of the most batter-dominated in recent times.

It will be little comfort to bowlers in either camp the record for highest average score per wicket in Tests remains the 136.13 during India's most recent tour of neighbouring Pakistan in 2006.

That eye-watering draw played out at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, where the third match of this series starts on March 21.

With an entire session already lost through premature finishes to the previous two days due to bad light, a further 23 overs were surrendered before a ball was bowled today as a result of heavy overnight rain and inadequate drainage.

Bright sunshine shone on much of the mop-up operation conducted by diligent ground staff this morning, but by the time play eventually got underway at 1pm local time clouds were once again starting to close in.

Australia resumed their first innings 205 runs in arrears, and the prospect of being forced to follow-was snuffed out in the day's third over when Smith clipped left-arm spinner Nausam through mid-wicket for four.

If a result was to be chiselled out of the flint-hard Rawalpindi pitch, the decisive moment was likely to arrive when Pakistan took the second new-ball four overs later which had the potential to claim a handful of quick or, conversely, significantly increase Australia's scoring rate.

Initially, it seemed likely to be the latter as Smith whipped Naseem through square leg for four in the young quick's first over with the new ball, and Labuschagne did the same to Shaheen at the start of the next over.

In doing so, Labuschagne equalled his highest Test score outside Australia which prior to today was the 80 he posted in his Test debut (he'd been substituted into the previous match at Lord's when Smith was concussed) in the famous Ashes Test at Headingley in 2019.

But within 10 of his seventh Test century – and what would have been his first in 13 innings on foreign soil – Labuschagne's enterprising innings was ended.

Having switched his attack to around the wicket, Shaheen followed a half-volley on his quarry's pads with a ball that angled into the right-hander but held its line as Labuschagne leaned into an expansive drive.

It was the vehemence of the stroke coupled with Shaheen's whippy pace armed with a new ball that ensured it carried comfortably to slip where Abdullah Shafique clutched it neatly in both hands, diving to his right.

It was a breakthrough against the run of play, with Labuschagne looking as assured as any of the batters who feasted on this featherbed over preceding days.

And when Travis Head, player of the series for his batting heroics in this summer's Vodafone Ashes series, fell 15 minutes later to become the first player in the bat-dominated game to record a single-figure score, a possible plot twist loomed.

Head began as if he was back facing England's attack on home pitches, clipping consecutive boundaries in the first over he faced from Shaheen before trying to cut the first ball from left-arm spinner Nauman and edging a sharp catch to Mohammad Rizwan at the stumps.

In doing so, 35-year-old Nauman became the first multiple wicket-taker in the Test, an honour he continued to hold come day's end.

Pakistan sensed a fast-track to Australia's lower-order as all-rounder Cameron Green struggled to find his feet in his maiden Test innings away from home.

An imposing figure who likes to use his reach to hit the ball in front of the wicket, Green was pinned to the crease by both quicks and spinners and Pakistan felt they had their man when – having reached 4 from 24 balls faced – he was hit on the front pad in front of off stump by Naseem.

Umpire Ahsan Raza ruled in the Australian's favour, but Pakistan immediately reviewed and when technology stubbornly refused to conjure the 'ultra edge' feature and instead kept replaying slow motion views of the impact it seemed Green's goose was cooked.

However, as Smith had assured the home team as they huddled awaiting the final verdict, the recalcitrant technology tool eventually came good and confirmed an inside edge before the ball thudded into pad.

From that point, the game returned to its default setting as a slow-moving stalemate as Green and Smith ensured no deeper damage was sustained.

The pair guided their team safely to tea with no further loss as the deficit trimmed to 112, and after the day's only break made steady if unspectacular against some probing spin and a flurry of short balls from Shaheen.

Smith had soaked up 112 balls to reach his 61st score of 50 or more in his 83rd Test and, after his battles against England's quicks on well-grassed Australian tracks during a summer when he averaged 'just' 30.50 across eight innings, seemed to revel in a return to low, slow sub continental conditions.

His most recent Test sojourn to Asia was the 2017 tour to India where he averaged more than 71 from his eight knocks that included three hundreds.

As he neared his first century at first-class level in 14 months, Smith's surety flowed into Green who took three boundaries in back-to-back overs and appeared destined for a half-century in his maiden overseas knock before falling to one of the least-threatening deliveries he faced.

What was essentially a drag-down outside leg stump from Nauman will live on through history as a wicket-taking ball because Green's stiff attempt at a sweep shot yielded a top edge that lobbed gently to short fine leg.

But Nauman's ploy of bowling outside leg stump to Australia's right-handers from over the wicket brought an even greater prize two overs later when he removed Smith for 78, to the obvious and understandable delight of his teammates.

The former skipper made barely a misstep in his five-hour stay, but became frustrated with the leg-stump line and having failed to make contact with a reverse sweep and then a paddle shot past the keeper, Smith opted for a conventional sweep that brushed his glove on its way into Rizwan's.

Qantas Tour of Pakistan 2022

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood.

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. On standby: Sean Abbott, Brendan Doggett, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Renshaw

March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

Australia ODI and T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: Only T20I, Rawalpindi

All matches to be broadcast in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports