ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Usman Khawaja and David Warner struck unbeaten half-centuries to drive Australia’s sturdy reply to Pakistan’s first innings complete of 476 for 4 declared on day three of the opening check on Sunday.
The vacationers had been 138 for no loss on the lunch break, nonetheless 338 behind however they scored at 4.18 runs per over, which is considerably higher than Pakistan’s under-three run fee.
Islamabad-born Khawaja was batting on 70 on the break, whereas Warner was on 60 with the openers having hit a mixed 23 boundaries.
Earlier after Australia resumed on 5 for no loss, Warner seemed in discomfort in opposition to Shaheen Afridi on the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
At the opposite finish, Khawaja was fluent although he might have been dismissed on 22.
Afridi received the opener to drive away from his physique however Fawad Alam spilled a straight-forward catch at gully.
It was a pricey mistake on a flat observe the place bowlers have struggled for fulfillment and solely 4 wickets fell in the primary two days.
The session additionally witnessed just a little duel between Warner and Naseem Shah.
Warner hit the pacer for 2 boundaries in an over and Naseem responded by bowling into the opener’s physique in his subsequent over.
Warner suffered a blow on his higher arm however laughed it off when Naseem gave him a stare and a bit of his thoughts.
Khawaja performed a spectacular upper-cut in opposition to Naseem and then took two runs off spinner Sajid Khan to deliver up a breezy half-century.
Warner welcomed off-spinner Iftikhar Ahmed into the assault by hitting him for 3 boundaries the primary of which introduced up his fifty.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
