Pearth: Seamer Aamer Jamal bowled with pace and confidence on Friday to claim a six-wicket haul on his debut and help Pakistan bowl Australia out for 487 on day two of the first test in Perth.

Pakistan batted for 53 overs in the afternoon to reach 132-2 at the stumps. Abdullah Shafique top-scored with 42 as the visitors trail by 355 runs after David Warner and Mitchell Marsh built Australia’s imposing first-innings total with scores of 164 and 90. “We were expecting from Aamer Jamal that he can bowl for us a long spell and good pace,” bowling coach Umar Gul said. “I think he did his job and we are quite happy with him.” Resuming on 15, Marsh dominated the first session by bludgeoning Pakistan’s inexperienced bowling attack to all parts of the vast Perth Stadium in an attacking knock of 15 fours and a glorious six eased over deep midwicket.

Unafraid to vary his lengths, Jamal (6-111) bowled at an expensive economy rate of over five but demonstrated he was worth persevering with having accounted for Warner and Travis Head on day one. The 27-year-old produced some excellent deliveries, however, when he pitched the ball full, uprooting the stumps of keeper Alex Carey (34) and Mitchell Starc (12) in the morning session. Fellow debutant Khurram Shahzad (2-83) clean-bowled Marsh on the first ball after lunch, allowing Jamal to mop up the tail. Both skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon edged Jamal to Agha Salman in the slips for single digits. Pakistan openers Shafique and Imamul Haq (38 not out) replied with an abundance of caution and added 74 runs at two-an-over to see off the new ball and frustrate the home side.

Returning from a calf injury sustained at Lord’s during the Ashes series in June, spinner Nathan Lyon (1-40) broke the stalemate and moved to 497 test wickets when Shafique tickled the ball to Warner at leg-slip. New captain Shan Masood made an entertaining 30 before edging Starc (1-24) to Carey, leaving nightwatchman Shahzad (seven not out) to bat out the day with Imam.

“(We) would have liked a couple more wickets on the board but we’ve got a total there which I guess we’d have been happy with at the start of play yesterday,” Carey said. Meanwhile, Australian spin king Nathan Lyon moved to within three wickets of joining the elite 500 club, after Abdullah Shafique got a big inside edge from Lyon to Warner at leg slip after grinding to 42. It was the veteran’s 497th Test wicket as he closed in on 500 to join a group of just seven other players.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 16 2023

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