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Australia ended the third day at Perth having attained a massive lead of 300 against Pakistan in the ongoing first Test at the Perth Stadium on Saturday.
Pakistan were bundled out for 271 in 101.5 overs by an impressive Australian bowling attack led by Pat Cummins. Australia then rode an unbeaten partnership between Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith to a dominating lead at the end of the game. At the end of Day 3 stumps, Australia's score read 84/2 --lead by 300 runs-- with Usman Khawaja (34) and Steve Smith (43) unbeaten at the crease. With night-watchman Khurram Shahzad and opening batter Imam-ul-Haq on the crease, Pakistan resumed from their overnight score of 132-2 in 53 overs, trailing by 355 runs. Pat Cummins cleaned up the middle stump to dismiss Khurram, who stepped back on the third delivery of the day. Babar Azam only managed 21 from 54 balls, including two fours. Mitchell Marsh's bowling caught him off guard. With the Pakistan scorecard showing 181-4 in 71 overs, Babar's departure was a huge breakthrough in the game for Australia. Imam was the next man out after being stumped by Nathan Lyon's bowling. The left-handed starting batter led the team in scoring with 62 runs off 199 pitches, including four boundaries. Mitchell Starc shook the stumps in the next over to dismiss Sarfraz Ahmed. After only three runs from six balls, the wicketkeeper-batter stepped back to the pavilion. Salman (28 not out, 76 balls, 4 fours) was the last man standing as Pakistan lost three more wickets in a row. The visitors were bowled out for 271 runs, giving Australia a 216-run lead in the first innings. Each of the Australian bowlers returned with at least one wicket; Lyon remained the most successful, with three wickets to bring his Test total to 499. In Australia's second innings, rookie Khurram struck twice early to dismiss Warner (who went for a duck) and Marnus Labuschagne, reducing the hosts to 5-2 in 7.2 overs. Khawaja and Smith stitched an undefeated 79-run partnership stand to push Australia to 84-2 at the finish of play, with their lead reaching a monstrous 300. Brief Score: Australia 487 and 84/2 (Steve Smith 43*, Usman Khawaja 34*; Khurram Shahzad 2-19) vs Pakistan 271 (Imam-ul-Haq 62, Abdullah Shafique 42). (ANI)
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