Aussie exposes 'lazy' superstar's shock slide; why Test threat will ...

Pakistan’s 28-year drought on Australian soil has continued, with Pat Cummins’ men winning the Boxing Day Test at the MCG by 79 runs and retaining the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

After being set a 317-run target for victory, the tourists were bowled out for 237 on Friday afternoon, with Cummins finishing the match with a ten-wicket haul.

Pakistan has now lost 16 consecutive Test matches in Australia.

The third and final Test between Australia and Pakistan gets underway at the SCG on Wednesday, with the first ball scheduled for 10.30am AEDT.

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TWO BIG ISSUES BURN PAKISTAN… BUT CLEAR ‘POSITIVE SIGNS’

How different things could have been if not for a couple of mistakes from Pakistan this Test – none more crucial than when Mitchell Marsh was dropped on 20 by Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique. The Aussie would go on to add another 76 runs before he was dismissed – and Australia won the match by just 79 in the end.

Kerry O’Keeffe said at the time of the drop, “the Test match was on that catch, you have to take it.”

How right that proved.

It wasn’t the only chance they dropped in the match, either. The other costly factor was the 52 extras the Pakistan bowlers gave up in the first innings – a record for a Test innings at the MCG.

But England great Michael Vaughan says there’s ‘plenty of positive signs’ for Pakistan to take out of the game.

Vaughan said on Fox Cricket: “I think they’ve matched Australia apart from the basics of the game. The extras were too many in the first innings and those two catches. 79 runs in Test match cricket is not a huge amount.

“We all left Perth thinking ‘This is going to be a walkover, Australia will dominate and Pakistan will have no chance at the MCG.’ Well I think Pakistan have played a really good game of cricket.”

He added: “They’ve got plenty to play for. They might have lost the series, but this is a Pakistan team that’s just starting to regroup and develop and there’s plenty of positive signs.”

Pakistan captain Shan Masood was also optimistic about the future, despite the loss. He said on Fox Cricket: “We have to look at the bigger picture… there are a lot of positives.

“Mistakes happen, but in terms of the bigger picture this is the way we want to play our Test cricket. Playing Test cricket in these conditions, fighting until the end where a result was possible for us, I think that’s something we have to take forward as a team.”

He added: “I think from our guys, from the bowling, we’ve taken twenty wickets which we haven’t done in Australia for a while, that’s a box ticked.

“In terms of runs, everyone got good starts, there were some nice fifties but in test cricket against quality sides you want to get the hundreds and you want to get the match-winnings hundreds.

“So a lot to work on, but like I said, this is the blueprint with which we want to play our Test cricket and hopefully we’ll keep doing that.”

CAREY’S FIRST TEST FIFTY SINCE LORD’S

It’s been a bittersweet six months for Alex Carey.

After helping Australia win the World Test Championship final, he became the central figure of a global cricket controversy by stumping England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow during the Lord’s Test of the Ashes series, which ended as a 2-2 draw.

The 32-year-old was also a member of Australia’s triumphant World Cup squad, albeit watching the final from the sidelines after being replaced by Josh Inglis during the group stage.

Despite losing his spot in the ODI team, Carey was assured his place in Australia’s Test side ahead of the home summer, but started the Benaud-Qadir Trophy with scores of 34 and 4.

The South Australian had gone ten consecutive Test knocks without a fifty, averaging 17.20 with the bat during that period. His glovework towards the back-end of the Ashes also dipped in quality, putting down a couple of regulation chances while in England.

With the likes of Inglis and Queensland wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson breathing down his neck, pressure was mounting on Carey to rediscover his mojo in the five-day format — and he thankfully delivered in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test.

The left-hander scored a classy 53 at the MCG on Friday morning, helping steer Australia’s lead beyond 300. He cracked eight boundaries during his 101-ball stint at the crease, expertly rotating the strike with Australia’s tailenders.

The hosts added 75 runs to their second-innings total on day four, and Carey, Australia’s last recognised batter, was largely to thank.

Australia’s Alex Carey. Photo by William WEST / AFPSource: AFP

“Clearly he’s under a bit of pressure,” former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Fox Cricket commentary.

“I always think Alex Carey’s at his best when he’s trying to attack, particularly the spinners … I see him as a real aggressor against spin.

“A nice array of different strokes from Alex Carey. He looks like he’s got good balance in this innings.”

Carey also seems to enjoy batting at the MCG, averaging 46.75 in Tests at the iconic venue, his highest figure for any Australian ground.

SHAFIQUE’S TECHNICAL FLAW EXPOSED

Abdullah Shafique’s Boxing Day Test went from bad to worse on Friday.

After dropping three catches in the slips cordon, the 24-year-old was dismissed for 4 in Pakistan’s second innings, falling victim to Australian speedster Mitchell Starc.

The left-armer bowled wide of off stump, luring Shafique into attempting the expansive cover drive, with the outside edge flying towards Usman Khawaja at third slip, who held onto the head-height chance.

Shafique’s dismissal left Pakistan, chasing a 317-run target for an unlikely victory, in early trouble at 1-8.

As pointed out by former Test captain Ricky Ponting on Channel 7 commentary, Shafique has struggled to adjust his technique to Australia’s bouncy decks, with poor footwork to blame for both of his dismissals at the MCG this week.

In the first innings, the right-hander fended at a length delivery from Pat Cummins, spooning a return catch towards the Australian skipper.

On both occasions, Shafique’s foot was pointing down the pitch, leaving a gap between the bat and his eyeline while exposing off stump. Subsequently, his front knee hasn’t been bent, so he can’t effectively transfer his weight onto his front foot.

Abdullah Shafique of Pakistan. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Despite the apparent technical flaw and his catching woes, Shafique has enjoyed a prolific start to his Test career, registering four centuries and five fifties in his first 16 Tests. He currently averages 47.50 with the bat in Tests, the second-highest figure among Pakistani openers with at least 25 innings.

Highest Test batting average among Pakistan openers

49.16 — Abid Ali

47.50 — Abdullah Shafique

47.10 — Saeed Anwar

45.76 — Azhar Ali

42.23 — Majid Khan

* Minimum 25 Test innings

‘HE’S A GENIUS’: CUMMINS LEAPFROGS RICHIE

Oh captain, my captain...

Pat Cummins has a wonderful knack of stepping up when the team desperately needs him to.

Whether it’s with the ball, most notably during last year’s Test in Lahore, or with the bat, including the recent Ashes contest at Edgbaston, Cummins has time and time again produced match-winning performances since becoming the Australian captain.

On day four of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, the Australians once again needed something special from their skipper. Pakistan captain Shan Masood and superstar Babar Azam had combined for a 61-run partnership for the third wicket, chipping away at the 316-run deficit in the afternoon session.

“They are going at almost four an over, they are going about this run chase the right way,” former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keeffe said on Fox Cricket commentary.

“It looks a long way off … but this pair is having a crack.”

Cummins returned to the attack in the 27th over and delivered the much-needed breakthrough with his third ball, with Masood towards second slip where Steve Smith held onto a low chance.

“Right now he’s a genius,” Australian teammate Usman Khawaja told Fox Cricket at tea.

“He just looks horribly hard to face out there.

“By far the hardest bowler to face, I reckon.”

Australian bowler Pat Cummins celebrates dismissing Pakistan’s Shan Masood. Photo by William WEST / AFPSource: AFP

The dismissal was Cummins’ 249th in Tests, overtaking the legendary Richie Benaud on the all-time tally and pushing him up to tenth place among Australians. Among that top ten, only one cricketer has a lower bowling average than Cummins — Glenn McGrath.

“I reckon early in his career he was luckless,” former Test batter Mark Waugh said.

“He didn’t get a lot of wickets in the first part of his career. He just bowled a fraction short, but he beat the bat a lot.

“It took him a while for him to get the big numbers up, but he hasn’t looked back the last couple of years.

“He’s going to be one of the all-time greats.”

Ashes icon Michael Vaughan continued: “In years gone by, he’s certainly going to be talked of in the same breath as McGrath and Lillee.

“That average is low now, but I think it will get better.”

Later in the evening session, after Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan and all-rounder Salman Ali Agha combined for an ominous 57-run partnership for the sixth wicket, Cummins was once emerged as the hero for Australia.

The skipper successfully overturned a caught behind decision with a review, sending Rizwan back to the sheds for 35 and passing the 250-wicket milestone.

Cummins finished with match figures of 10-97, his second-best performance in Tests, also becoming the second Australian Test captain to take a ten-wicket haul, alongside Allan Border.

Most Test wickets among Australian captains

138 — Richie Benaud

88 — Pat Cummins

41 — Bob Simpson

39 — Ian Johnson

31 — Monty Noble

TESTS STILL A ‘HIGH PRIORITY’: GILCHRIST

Australian great Adam Gilchrist is far from convinced the global increase in the T20 leagues will prove detrimental to Test cricket in the long-term.

Todd Greenberg, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers Association, issued a sobering warning about the growing battle between club and country during the Boxing Day Test.

There is a chance opener David Warner will play in a T20 league in the Middle East in February instead of representing Australia in a short-form series against the West Indies.

Greenberg also foreshadowed the prospect of Test cricket largely being contested between wealthier nations when discussing the strain on international and domestic competitions.

But Gilchrist told Fox Cricket’s podcast The Follow On that although there is some turbulence at the moment, the landscape will settle.

He is confident Test cricket will remain a priority for the majority of cricketers.

“In the history of cricket, it is still in its infancy, the whole T20 tournaments relative to the 150-160 year history of Test match cricket. So it will slowly settle down,” Gilchrist said.

“Everyone still puts a lot of value on Test match cricket and we have seen that this summer in Australia, certainly at the Boxing Day Test, where the crowd patronage has been wonderful.

“And I think there is a passive love for the game that will always keep it a high priority across the cricketing world.”

David Warner farewells the MCG. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia

Nor is Gilchrist, who starred in the IPL after his retirement from international cricket, convinced the influx of leagues will lead to a pillage of players from domestic competitions.

The record-breaking wicketkeeper said those competitions were the only avenue for players to prove their worth and build value and recognition globally.

“The IPL auction was recently on and across the IPL, there are only 60-odd positions for overseas players, and all cricket nations put their hands up, all the players put their hands up to get a spot,” Gilchrist continued.

“You have to be pretty talented and pretty skilful and have already achieved a lot to get picked up in those top competitions, to get the big money. To get there, you need the foundation of your domestic game. You need to be able to go onto the international stage, typically.

“There might be a couple of exceptions to the rule, but you need the platform of international cricket to be able to launch into those leagues in a successful manner and be noticed by these leagues.”

‘LAZY’ BABAR’S HORROR YEAR FINALLY OVER

It was a disappointing end to a disappointing year for Babar Azam.

The Pakistan superstar, after surviving 70 deliveries at the cease on Friday afternoon, was knocked over by Bendemeer Bullet and bowled through the gate for 41, his highest Test score of the year. On Fox Cricket commentary, New Zealand wicketkeeper Ian Smith called it “the biggest moment in this Test match”.

The tourists needed a fourth-innings masterclass from their former captain, but Azam’s dismissal put Australia on the verge of retaining the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

The 29-year-old was also bowled through the gate in the first innings, on that occasion by rival skipper Pat Cummins; the twin dismissals suggested he needs to close the gap between bat and pad when facing Australia’s quicks.

All four of his dismissals in the series to date have come from right-handed seamers bowling on a good length from over the wicket.

“There is a gap there, it’s lazy again,” former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said on Channel 7 commentary.

“I said it at the first innings and I’ll say it again, off stump is visible between bat and pad and Hazlewood finds a way through.”

Azam failed to register a Test fifty this year, averaging 22.66 with the bat in 2023; it marks the first time in his Test career he has failed to score a half-century in a calendar year.

The right-hander is also seemingly vulnerable against Hazlewood in the Test arena, falling victim to the Bendemeer Bullet on seven occasions with an average of 11.71. Sri Lankan spinner Prabath Jayasuriya (six) and Australian tweaker Nathan Lyon (five) are the only other cricketers to have toppled him more than three times in the Test arena.

Azam also hasn’t mastered the art of batting on Australia’s bouncy decks, averaging 25.35 across 14 Test innings Down Under, the lowest figure among nations where he’s batted at least three times.

Babar Azam’s Test batting average by nation

71.00 — Pakistan

65.75 — England

49.57 — Sri Lanka

49.50 — Bangladesh

47.33 — New Zealand

40.53 — United Arab Emirates

36.83 — South Africa

36.55 — West Indies

25.35 — Australia

* Minimum three innings