Marsh falls leaving big task for Aussies

Pakistan have ground a depleted Australian outfit into the desert dust, with the visitors spending a soul-searching day in the field and suffering a further late blow as their hopes of a drought-breaking series win in Asia faded completely on day three of the second Test in Abu Dhabi.  

With injury concerns lingering over two of their most important players in Mitchell Starc and Usman Khawaja, Australia could do little to stop Babar Azam (99), Sarfraz Ahmed (81) and Azhar Ali (64) pile on the runs before being set an impossible 538 for victory.

Their misery was compounded with the loss of fill-in opener Shaun Marsh (four) before stumps as Australia limped to the close at 1-47 with Aaron Finch (24 not out) and Travis Head (17 not out) unbeaten.

Even if he'd been physically able to after hurting his left knee earlier in the day, Khawaja was unable to open the batting after Pakistan's late declaration due to the time he'd spent off the field. His absence proved particularly damaging as Marsh, his replacement in the opening role, was clean bowled by debutant Mir Hamza in the second over.

Marsh has now gone five consecutive innings without a score in double-digits and 12 knocks without a half-century. 

Starc bowled just three overs for the day due to a hamstring niggle while Khawaja spent the entire day off the ground receiving treatment on his knee and was sent for scans on Thursday after play.

While Pakistan dominated proceedings there was also heartbreak for Babar, who was trapped lbw by Mitch Marsh one run short of a maiden Test century. The prodigious 24-year-old is one of the world's best one-day batsman but is yet to fulfil his potential against the red ball with his first 15 Tests not yielding a single hundred.

With their two injury concerns front of mind, Australia begun the morning trailing by 281 with their slender hopes of salvation resting on a batting meltdown from their opponents.

Nathan Lyon struck early as an advancing Haris Sohail was stumped aiming a wild swipe, but it was the bizarre dismissal that followed that was the day's early talking point.

Thinking he'd scored a boundary after slashing a wide delivery from Peter Siddle that Mitch Marsh got a fingertip to in the gully, Azhar Ali and batting partner Asad Shafiq convened nonchalantly in the middle of the pitch.

The ball had in fact stopped just short of the triangular cardboard advertising hoardings marking the boundary and, almost clandestinely, Starc chased down the ball and whizzed it in to wicketkeeper Tim Paine who whipped off the bails. It left the oblivious Azhar red-faced at his astonishing error in judgment, the likes of which Test great Mike Hussey said on Wisden radio commentary he'd never seen before.

But the inexplicable mishap did not begin the collapse Australia so desperately sought.

With Starc going a second full session without being thrown the ball, Shafiq and Babar's 75-run stand all but pushed the game beyond Australia's reach.

The wacky and sometimes-wonderful start to the Test career of Marnus Labuschagne, himself a victim of a bizarre dismissal on day two, continued as he had Shafiq out cutting to sub fielder Ashton Agar at point.  

But as Babar followed Azhar in notching his first fifty of the series, skipper Sarfraz signalled his intent by smashing Lyon for six high over wide long-on for six as their lead stretched past 400.

After a 75-over break, Starc finally bowled again when the second new ball was taken but his three-over spell was inconsequential as the Pakistan skipper brought up his second half-century of the match.

Babar hardly made an error during his 171-ball stint until being struck in line during the final session, his desperate review unable to spare him as he exited the field, crestfallen, to a standing ovation from the largest crowd for a day's play in this series.

It ended a brisk 133-run partnership, as Lyon (4-135 from 43 overs) was rewarded for a marathon spell with the late scalps of Bilal Asif and Yasir Shah. There's perhaps no better reflection of how the track has flattened out than the off-spinner's returns since his first-day burst; after taking four wickets in six balls, his next four wickets came over the course of 380 balls. 

Labuschagne grabbed his seventh scalp of the series, a tally only second to Lyon among Australians, when he had Sarfraz lbw, whose own exit prompted a well-timed declaration with their score on 9-400.

 

Image Id: 485D99653A594FDABFDD25553903BB37 Image Caption: Sarfraz Ahmed was in good touch for Pakistan

 

Hamza had 278 first-class wickets at 17.74 prior to this Test but he might not have bowled a better ball in his career than the one that got Shaun Marsh before the close of play. Angling in, his delivery deviated ever so slightly away from the left-hander and shaved the off bail to send the Pakistani into justifiably delighted celebrations.

Finch again looked assured as he and Head, who's risen from No.5 to No.4 and now No.3 over the course of this series, ensured the Aussies made a brisk start to their second innings. 

They batted the best part of five sessions in Dubai to draw the first Test but it would take an even more herculean effort to save this one. 

Australia XI: Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitch Marsh, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Tim Paine (capt), Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland.

Pakistan XI: Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Harris Sohail, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Yasir Shah, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas.

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc

Pakistan Test squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan, Bilal Asif, Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez

Oct 7-11: First Test, drawn

Oct 16-20: Second Test, Abu Dhabi