Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali expressed satisfaction with the way Pakistan pacers bowled on a rain-interrupted opening day of the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The visitors picked an all-pace attack, bringing in left-arm pacer Mir Hamza and senior pacer Hasan after their humbling defeat in the series opener in Perth. | AUS vs PAK, Boxing Day Test Score |
Australia managed 187 for 3 on a rain-affected opening day in Melbourne, but their batters were made to work hard. Unlike Perth, Australia scored at 2.83 runs per over with the Pakistan pacers bowling disciplined lines and lengths. Hasan Ali highlighted that luck evaded the Pakistan bowlers despite them coming up with an improved show after the hammering in the opening Test.
Pakistan, who had headed to Australia without Naseem Shah, lost Khurram Shahzad who had taken a 5-wicket match haul in Perth due to an injury. Pakistan had the option of playing Sajid Khan, but they opted for an all-pace attack, led by Shaheen Afridi. The left-arm pacer did not have the rub of green going his way as Abdullah Shafique dropped an easy chance to dismiss Warner at slips early on Day 1.
“Honestly, it was a good day as a bowling unit. We are a bit unlucky we haven’t got enough wickets, but the best thing is we have not given them enough runs. We’re looking forward to tomorrow, and restricting them to the minimum possible score,” Hasan Ali said after the first day’s play.
HASAN ON DROPPED CATCH
Hasan Ali rued the dropped catch of David Warner, but refused to point fingers at Abdullah Shafique. Warner went on to make 38 in his penultimate Test as he and Usman Khawaja added 90 runs for the opening partnership.
“If we’d caught it early, maybe the situation would have been different; but this is a part of the game – you drop some catches and you take others,” he added.
Despite the early setback, Pakistan’s pacers, including Shaheen Afridi, Mir Hamza, and Hasan Ali, bowled with commendable discipline. They managed to maintain good lines, especially after the lunch break, challenging the Australian batters with a consistent length around the fourth stump. This disciplined approach paid dividends as they kept the scoring rates in check, with the Australian batters’ strike rates hovering in the 30s and 40s for most of the day.
Hasan Ali, in particular, made a breakthrough by dismissing Usman Khawaja for 42 runs in the 33rd over, which showcased the potential of Pakistan’s attack to make inroads into the Australian lineup. The Pakistani bowlers’ ability to maintain pressure was evident as Australia crawled to stumps at 187-3, a score that reflected both the resilience of the home side’s batters and the effectiveness of the visiting team’s bowling under challenging conditions.
“There are certain times when the bowlers are a bit wayward, or the bowlers have different plans. But there is always a chance to come back. After lunch, we had a small discussion, and we were especially good in that period. We just gave them about 20 runs in that session,” Hasan added.