Australia v Pakistan 2023/24

Watch: Mitchell Starc curves devastating inducker back in between Abdullah Shafique’s bat and pad

by Wisden Staff January 5, 2024 - 11:54am 3 minute read

Watch: Abdullah Shafique was undone by a Mitchell Starc ripper on the third day of the New Year’s Test between Australia and Pakistan at the SCG.

Shafique was the first wicket to fall in Pakistan’s second innings, which later suffered a middle-order collapse, with four wickets lost for seven runs. Shafique fell in the first over for a duck to a Starc special, leaving Pakistan one down with no runs on the board. Next over, they lost skipper Shan Masood, making the score 1-2.

The last ball of the opening over from Starc was pitched marginally outside off stump, but swung in sharply, cutting through Shafique’s defence, and ripping into this stumps. “It’s the kind of delivery – you’ve got a red cherry in your hand and you dream of bowling,” remarked Harsha Bhogle on commentary.

Shafique was dismissed for a two-ball duck by Starc in the first innings, edging a delivery in the opening over to Steve Smith at second slip. With his dismissal on day three, he became just the ninth Pakistan opener to succumb to a pair, and the first since Masood, who collected two ducks in the 2021 Christchurch New Year’s Test.

Pakistan’s batting couldn’t quite take off from there. Barring a mini-stand between Saim Ayub and Babar Azam, the rest of the batters succumbed early, falling to single-digit scores. A triple-wicket maiden from Josh Hazlewood ensured Australia ended the day as favourites, with Pakistan seven down and 82 runs ahead.