DUBAI: Opener Mohammad Hafeez celebrated his recall with an impressive century as Pakistan dominated the opening day of the first Test against Australia in Dubai on Sunday.
Pakistan were 255-3 at the close of play, with Haris Sohail unbeaten on 15 and nightwatchman Mohammad Abbas one not out as Australia’s bowlers toiled away with little success on a flat Dubai Stadium pitch.
Hafeez, a late inclusion in the squad after a double hundred in a domestic match, led the run-feast with a knock of 126 — his 10th Test hundred — during a 278-minute stay at the crease and put on 205 runs for the opening stand with Imam-ul-Haq, who made a career-best 76.
Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and decided to bat, and Hafeez and Imam laid the platform for a big first inning as Australia’s pace-cum-spin attack was held wicketless before tea.
Hafeez, whose last of 50 Test appearances came in England two years ago, brought up his hundred by pushing spinner Jon Holland for two after hitting a pair of boundaries off Mitchell Starc the previous over.
He was given a life on 74 when Mitchell Marsh could not hold on to a tough chance on the boundary off the bowling of Holland having covered some 20 yards in the outfield.
Hafeez, whose innings included 15 boundaries, was finally trapped leg before wicket by Peter Siddle by a ball which beat him on the front push.
Hafeez, who turns 38 later this month, was thrilled to be able to aid the team on his comeback.
“I am really happy to score this hundred and helping the team,” said Hafeez. “We back ourselves to score 250 more runs and then put pressure on Australia.”
Hafeez admitted the last few months were very tough on him, having missed out on selection for the Asia Cup held in the UAE last month and then initially in the Test team.
“There were too many problems and I came to a stage where I was ready to take a drastic step (by retiring) but my wife and (former Pakistan bowler) Shoaib Akhtar stopped me. I would have been doing something else had I not been stopped.”
It was only after tea that Australia were able to take wickets, with off-spinner Nathan Lyon getting Imam caught behind in the 63rd over of the day.
Imam hit seven boundaries and two sixes — both off Holland — to improve on his previous best score of 74 not out made against Ireland at Malahide in May.
Azhar Ali scored 18 before giving away his wicket to Holland, caught at mid-off by Starc.
Australia captain Tim Paine brought on Lyon in the ninth over but Pakistan reached lunch at 89-0 before adding a further 110 runs in the second session.
Lyon, Holland and Siddle finished a challenging opening day with a wicket apiece.
Australia handed Test caps to Aaron Finch, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne while Pakistan included off-spinner Bilal Asif for his first Test at the age of 33.
The second Test starts in Abu Dhabi on October 16.
Ton-up Hafeez helps Pakistan dominate Australia
Ton-up Hafeez helps Pakistan dominate Australia
- Pakistan were 255-3 at the close of play, with Haris Sohail unbeaten on 15 and nightwatchman Mohammad Abbas one not out
- “There were too many problems and I came to a stage where I was ready to take a drastic step (by retiring) but my wife and (former Pakistan bowler) Shoaib Akhtar stopped me, said Hafeez
Russell, Antonelli lead Mercedes in one-two qualifying positions for F1’s Australian GP
- Russell topped all three sessions in F1’s knockout qualifying format, finally casting aside questions of where Mercedes team was in the new-era pecking order
MELBOURNE: Mercedes has revealed its dominant hand during qualifying for Sunday’s Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
George Russell earned his ninth-career pole position Saturday ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli for the team’s 83rd front-row lockout and its first since the 2024 British Grand Prix.
Russell topped all three sessions in F1’s knockout qualifying format, finally casting aside questions of where Mercedes team was in the new-era pecking order. His pole time, at 1 minute, 18.518 seconds, was almost eight-tenths faster than the nearest non-Mercedes challenger, Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar, who completed the top three.
“It was a great day, we knew there was a lot of potential in the car, but until we get to this first Saturday of the season, you never know,” Russell said. “But it really came alive this afternoon, especially when the track temperatures cooled, we know we tend to favor those conditions.”
Antonelli was relieved to have made it onto the front row alongside his teammate after a crash in final practice at the exit of turn two meant it was a race in the Mercedes garage to get him out for qualifying.
“It’s been a very stressful day. Unfortunately, I went into the wall (in FP3),” he said. “But the guys (in the garage) were the heroes today to put the car back on track.”
Hadjar was impressive by qualifying third on debut for Red Bull, his highest-ever grid position.
“The only thing I can do is take them at the start, but they’re just too fast at the moment,” Hadjar said of Mercedes. “I want to keep my position and a second podium would be cool.”
Ferrari showed it’s neck-and-neck with McLaren on pace, with just one and a half tenths seconds covering the four drivers just beyond the top-three — with Charles Leclerc qualifying fourth, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in fifth and sixth respectively, and Lewis Hamilton in seventh.
Racing Bulls showed they’ve taken a step forward over the winter, with New Zealander Liam Lawson eighth ahead of his highly-rated rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad.
The big surprise of the session came from four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, who triggered red flags at Melbourne’s Albert Park after he lost control of his Red Bull car in braking for turn one in the first half of Q1 and ended in the barriers.
The Dutchman, who was unhurt from the crash, though upset that his brakes locked up, will now start from the back of the grid.
F1 heads into a new era this year, with unprecedented changes across the chassis (car) and power unit, which now feature an almost 50:50 output split between the turbo 1.6-liter V6 engine and electrical energy harvested from the brakes, one that requires a new, often counterintuitive driving style from the drivers.
