LIVE: Warner rides luck despite three close calls
By Simon Brunsdon
Liam O Loughlin
12:41pm Dec 26, 2023Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Pakistan: Imam-Ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamir Jamal
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first
The first sight of spin-bowling for the day sees Agha Salman called upon and he creates a vital breakthrough, with Warner slashing at a ball outside off-stump and edging it straight to Babar Azam at first slip.
The decision to win the toss and bowl first has created some extra pressure for the visitors, but the wicket before the break should give them something to smile about, with the Aussies now sitting at 1/90 with Khawaja still at the crease.
"That is a massive bonus for Pakistan right on the stroke of lunch," Mike Hussey said on Fox Cricket.
An exceptionally late pull-out from Warner results in a dead-ball.
The opener moved away from the stumps due to the shadows of birds across the pitch, with the umpire deeming it a dead delivery.
"It was a very late back-away. If the bowler is in his delivery stride you've just got to face it," Mike Hussey said on Fox Cricket.
An attempted ramp shot from Warner lands safely, with the Aussies in clear cruise control heading into the first major break of the day's play at the MCG.
Jamal returns to the attack once again, but a wayward bouncer flies over the top of the keeper's head for a boundary.
"This is just pick on the keeper morning ... goodness me," Ian Smith said.
A horrible delivery from Shaheen is dispatched by Khawaja for another four runs, this time down to the fine-leg region, before adding a further three runs the following ball.
11 runs from Shaheen's over and he's only got himself to blame, dishing up wayward efforts to one of the world's best batsmen.
Hamza sprays a ball down the leg-side and the Pakistan keeper gets nowhere near it as the ball rolls down to the boundary, gifting the Aussies four more runs.
"You can just sense these two have done the hard part and they're going to own this last half an hour before lunch," Ian Smith said on Fox Cricket.
Shaheen Shah Afridi comes back into the attack to partner Hamza, with the hosts entering desperation mode heading into lunch.
Khawaja plays a picture-perfect off-drive for a boundary - probably the best shot of the day so far in Melbourne - to cause further headaches for Pakistan.
"They have bowled a few good balls ... they've got to stay there for long periods of time," Michael Hussey said on Fox Cricket.
A potential inside-edge from Warner falls just short of the Pakistani keeper, with a quick deliberation regarding a review aborted by the leadership group.
The pressure completely comes off the left-hander due to the poor field placements from the visitors, who continue to allow Warner easy singles on the off-side.
Almost 20 overs in and still no wickets for Pakistan - could we be seeing a mammoth opening partnership?
The long-time friends and opening partners reach the 50-run mark without losing a wicket, despite some clear chances for Pakistan to strike.
Warner's start at the MCG has seen him move past Steve Waugh in the all-time run-scoring list for Australia in all formats, with only Ricky Ponting remaining ahead of him.
Khawaja plays and misses outside off-stump to Mir Hamza, who is back in the attack.
Jamal catches the edge of Khawaja, but the ball lands safely wide of the slips and rolls away for a boundary.
The following over, Warner slashed at a delivery outside off-stump and it flew just over the top of the slips cordon and raced away for another four runs, making the most of his opportunities.
"When the ball stops swinging, Warner generally goes on with it," Kerry O'Keeffe said.
