Australia 145 and 155 for 7 (Labuschagne 43*, Lyon 0*, Abbas 4-56) need another 383 runs to beat Pakistan 282 and 400 for 9 dec
Pakistan are three wickets away from wrapping up a series win against Australia after a scintillating burst from Mohammad Abbas put an end to any doubts about the outcome in Abu Dhabi. In an extended session, Australia’s middle order collapsed yet again, Abbas ripping through them with virtually unplayable accuracy. Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Starc showed fight when it looked like the game might not extend to the second session, but that partnership was broken half an hour before lunch as Yasir Shah finally got his teeth into the game.
Travis Head and Aaron Finch began the day solidly enough, but the sheer insurmountability of the task that lay ahead brought its own constricting pressures. Asad Shafiq, captaining in place of Sarfraz Ahmed – the regular captaining is being examined for possible concussion – kept Abbas on for an extended spell this morning, and for good reason. Mohammad Rizwan was keeping up to the wicket, and Abbas, with his deadly accurate off-stump line, began to wear the Australian pair down.
Head was the first to go, nicking through to the keeper, and that started a masterclass in stump-to-stump bowling. Abbas struck Mitchell Marsh’s bent back knee in his next over, and a review revealed it would have hit the stumps. His next over produced two further wickets, Finch the first victim, before perhaps the best one of the lot. Three balls into his innings, Tim Paine felt he could safely leave one from Abbas that began outside the stumps. The ball seamed in, and the Australia captain could only watch as it clattered into off stump. Australia had lost four wickets for seven runs, and Abbas was suddenly on the cusp of another five-fer.
Usman Khawaja wasn’t able to come out to bat because he’d been off the field for a large time nursing an internal injury, so Starc came out instead. It was the best passage of play for Australia. Abbas was finally given a rest and the pair, particularly Labuschagne, looked reasonably comfortable against Yasir Shah. They batted together for over an hour and brought up the 50 partnership, and for Australia to take any sort of momentum into the next session, it was obvious the two would need to see this one out.
Yasir ensured that wouldn’t happen. As Starc stepped back to deal with what he saw as a short delivery, it turned sharply and struck him on the pad. That was followed by perhaps the worst DRS review all series; it wouldn’t have been more obviously out had it smashed into his middle peg. Yasir would find another wicket next over, with Peter Siddle trapped in front. Replays showed a review – which Australia did not call for this time – would have saved him, with the ball pitching slightly outside leg stump.
It was a fittingly despondent conclusion to what has been an inescapably doleful Test for Australia. After lunch, the final, inevitable act awaits.