MELBOURNE: Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon put Australia in the driving seat of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday to leave Pakistan tottering at 194-6, still 124 runs behind on day two.
At stumps, Mohammad Rizwan was on 29 and Aamer Jamal not out two after Cummins took the crucial wickets of Abdullah Shafique (62) and Babar Azam (one), then Agha Salman (five).
Lyon chipped in by removing Imam-ul-Haq (10) and Shan Masood (54), while Josh Hazlewood bowled Saud Shakeel for nine as Pakistan’s dream of a first Test win in Australia since 1995 faded.
The visitors had claimed seven wickets in the morning session on a pitch offering seam and swing, restricting the hosts to 318.
Aamer Jamal spearheaded Pakistan’s charge with 3-64 after Australia resumed on 187-3 after being sent into bat, with Marnus Labuschagne top-scoring on 63.
Openers Haq and Shafique made a positive start in reply, surviving a series of loud appeals.
But veteran spinner Lyon, fresh from taking his 500th wicket during the first Test in Perth, finally earned a reward when Haq edged to Labuschagne at slip.
Undeterred, Pakistan upped the run rate after tea with Masood hitting Lyon for six and Shafique reaching his first Test 50 in Australia, and fifth overall, with a four off Mitchell Starc.
But their 90-run partnership was broken by Cummins, who showed sharp reflexes to stick out his left hand for a catch off his own bowling to end Shafique’s stay.
Fired up, he then clean bowled danger man Azam before Lyon returned to claim his second wicket when Masood miscued and Mitchell Marsh did well to hold a catch with the sun in his eyes.
Hazlewood took care of Shakeel before Cummins brought himself back and accounted for Salman, caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey to leave Pakistan in trouble.
Labuschagne had been a rock on day one, digging in for an overnight 44 off 120 balls.
He padded up again alongside Travis Head on nine with the sun shining, smacking a boundary off Shaheen Shah Afridi in the opening over to signal Australia’s intent.
The explosive Head drove Hasan Ali to the ropes off his first ball and followed it up with another in the same over to quickly get in the groove.
But his flair cost him on 17, lashing at a wide Afridi delivery that took a thick edge and was well collected by Salman in the slips.
At the other end, Labuschagne kept plugging away to bring up his 17th Test half-century.
Marsh was given out twice in successive balls during a fiery Ali over while on seven by West Indian umpire Joel Wilson. He reviewed both decisions — for lbw and caught behind — and survived.
But just as the match appeared to be slipping away from Pakistan, Jamal bagged the wicket of Labuschagne, who edged to Shafique at slip.
Carey and Starc quickly followed as Pakistan cashed in with a new ball, before Marsh holed out to Jamal off Mir Hamza on 41 and the tail folded.
Australia won the first Test of the three-match series in Perth by 360 runs.
Australia take control of second Test as Pakistan flounder
https://arab.news/6qtdx
Australia take control of second Test as Pakistan flounder
- Pakistan claimed seven wickets in the morning session on a pitch offering swing, restricting Australia to 318
- Pakistan were tottering at 194 for 6 at stumps after losing the crucial wickets of Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam
US Marines fired on protesters storming consulate in Karachi, officials say
- Ten people were killed when protesters stormed consulate on Sunday to protest Iranian supreme leader’s killing
- Citing initial information, two US officials say unclear whether rounds fired by Marines struck or killed protesters
WASHINGTON: US Marines opened fire on demonstrators during the storming of the Karachi consulate over the weekend, two US officials said on Monday— a rare use of force at a diplomatic post that could sharply escalate tensions in the country amid widespread protests over the killing of Iran’s leader.
Ten people were killed on Sunday when protesters breached the compound’s outer wall after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in strikes on Iran. Citing initial information, the two US officials said it was unclear whether rounds fired by Marines struck or killed anyone.
They also did not know whether shots were also fired by others protecting the mission, including private security guards and local police. This would mark the first confirmation by US officials that Marines were involved in firing at the protesters.
A provincial government spokesman, Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, said “security” personnel had opened fire, without specifying their affiliation. Daily security operations at US diplomatic missions are often carried out by private contractors and local forces, and the involvement of Marines in the incident underscores how seriously the consulate viewed the threat. Pakistan is home to the world’s second-largest Shia community after Iran.
On Monday, Pakistan banned large gatherings nationwide after the protests over the strikes on Iran spread, with 26 people reported dead across the country. Protesters on Sunday chanted “Death to America! Death to Israel!” outside the consulate, where Reuters reporters heard gunfire and saw tear gas fired in surrounding streets.
Video on social media appeared to show at least one protester firing a weapon toward the consulate and bloodied demonstrators fleeing as shots rang out. A Karachi police official told Reuters that the shots were fired from inside the consulate premises. The US Marines referred questions to the US military, which in turn referred questions to the State Department.
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment. Shia community leaders have called for more protests in Lahore and Karachi despite the nationwide ban on public gatherings.
The US embassy in Pakistan is in the capital, Islamabad, and there are two additional consulates in Peshawar and Lahore.
Roads leading to the US consulate in Karachi were blocked off with a heavy police presence in the area. Similar measures were in place around US missions in Lahore and Islamabad.
