LAHORE: Sedate half-centuries by Cameron Green and Alex Carey lifted Australia to 391 all out against relentless reverse swing from Pakistan on the second day of the third test on Tuesday.
Allrounder Green made a career-best 79 in his 12th test match and Carey scored 67 in nearly three hours before Pakistan claimed five wickets for 50 runs in the middle session and bowled out Australia just before tea.
Recalled 19-year-old fast bowler Naseem Shah grabbed 4-58 and Shaheen Shah Afridi took 4-79 as their pace and reverse swing on a slow and low-bouncy pitch netted four wickets in the session in hot conditions.
Green and Carey denied the home team in the first session by adding 88 runs, but Pakistan broke them up in the fourth over after lunch.
Left-arm spinner Nauman Ali ended the 135-run, sixth-wicket stand when Carey was plumb leg before wicket as the batter tried to play across the line and was hit on the front pad. Carey faced 105 balls and dominated the spinners with his reverse sweep shots.
Naseem, who replaced allrounder Faheem Ashraf in the only change Pakistan made from the epic drawn second test, denied Green his maiden test hundred when he clean bowled the tall right-hander off a delivery which shaped into the batter and hit the stumps through a big gap between bat and pad.
Green showed lots of patience and used his feet well against the spinners during his 163-ball knock that spanned well over 3 1/2 hours.
Earlier, Green's and Carey's partnership defied Pakistan’s ambitions of restricting Australia after the visitors resumed the day on 232-5.
Left-handed Carey successfully overturned a controversial caught behind decision while Green also completed his half-century in the first session.
Umpire Aleem Dar adjudged Carey out on 27 off Hasan Ali’s full-pitched delivery, but video suggested the ball missed Carey’s bat and might have clipped the off stump as wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan caught the bumped ball.
Carey raised his second half-century on the tour off 73 balls when he smashed two successive boundaries in offspinner Sajid Khan’s one over before pushing the ball to wide mid-on for a single.
Green, resuming on 20, reached his half-century off 117 balls when he drove past a diving Sajid for two runs.
Pakistan bowls out Australia for 391 in third Test
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Pakistan bowls out Australia for 391 in third Test
- Sedate half-centuries by Cameron Green and Alex Carey lifted Australia to 391 all out
- Relentless reverse swing from Pakistan on the second day of the third test on Tuesday
Al-Ittihad slump to fourth defeat of season in home loss to Al-Ettifaq
- Visitors’ Khalid Al-Ghannam scores only goal of the game as the reigning Saudi Pro League champs drop more points after drawing with Damac on Tuesday
- Earlier, Al-Fateh’s five-game winning streak ends with 1-1 draw against Al-Najma, and Al-Khaleej enjoy comfortable 4-1 victory over Al-Okhdood
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad’s disappointing defense of their Saudi Pro League title continued on Friday with a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Al-Ettifaq.
Khalid Al-Ghannam scored the decisive goal for the visitors as the hosts dropped more points after their draw with Damac on Tuesday.
In the absence of Fabinho, who was suspended after being sent off late in Tuesday’s match, Mahamadou Doumbia partnered with N’golo Kante in midfield for Al-Ittihad. The Malian showed his composure early on when he shielded the ball under pressure before unleashing a long-range shot in the 10th minute, but it was comfortably saved by Marek Rodak.
The deployment of Al-Ghannam proved pivotal, as he repeatedly tested the hosts. In the 23rd minute he burst down the left flank, beating three defenders with some clever dribbling before testing Predrag Rajkovic in goal, who parried the effort.
Al-Ghannam bothered the defense again just minutes later, threatening the Serbian goalkeeper with another attempt from a similar position. However, the game remained goalless at halftime.
The second half began with Al-Ittihad on the front foot. Within minutes, Roger Fernandes found himself in front of goal and put the ball in the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Al-Ghannam’s effort and influence eventually paid off for the visitors in the 54th minute. Operating as a left-sided striker during an Al-Ettifaq counterattack, he cut inside to curl a powerful shot into the far corner.
Al-Ittihad’s attacking approach varied as they fought to get back into the game, with Fernandes patrolling the left flank, Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti cutting inside near the byline, and central contributions from the combination of Doumbia and Steven Bergwijn. But the Al-Ettifaq defense remained resolute.
Danilo Pereira, pushing up into an advanced midfield position as Al-Ittihad forced Al-Ettifaq to defend deep, unleashed a long shot in the 67th minute, urged on by the home fans, but his effort went wide.
With time running out, Sergio Conceicao made four substitutions in the space of seven minutes, bringing on Ahmed Al-Julaydan at right-back for his crossing abilities, Abdulaziz Al-Bishi and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi to play between the lines, and Saleh Al-Shehri for added impetus up front.
Despite several chances, Al-Ittihad were unable to grab the equalizer, and in the 85th minute things got even worse for them. Keeper Rajkovic tripped on his way to confront a Mohau Nkota counterattack and stuck out his hand at the edge of the box to push the ball away. A review by the video assistant referee ruled he had handled the ball outside the box and he was shown the red card.
After seven minutes of added time, and one final attempt by Doumbia to salvage something for the hosts through a free-kick, the referee blew the final whistle.
It was the fourth defeat of the season for Al-Ittihad and means they remain in sixth place in the table, three behind Al-Qadsiah who have a game in hand. Al-Ettifaq are seventh, just two points behind the defending champions.
Earlier, Al-Fateh’s five-game winning streak came to an end when they returned from a trip to Qassim to face Al-Najma with only a point. The visitors took the lead in the 12th minute but a goal for the home side by Ali Jasim in the 75th denied them all three points as the game ended 1-1.
In the Eastern Province, Greek duo Giorgos Masouras and Kostas Fortounis proved the main inspirations for Al-Khaleej in a 4-1 victory over Al-Okhdood that temporarily lifted them into seventh place in the table, until Al-Ettifaq reclaimed the spot.
On Saturday, Al-Fayha face Damac, Al-Kholood take on fourth-place Al-Ahli, and second-place Al-Nassr are in action against Al-Shabab.
