Watch: Left-arm seamer Mir Hamza cleaned up David Warner and Travis Head off consecutive deliveries to set off a hat-trick chance, staging a fightback for Pakistan against Australia on the third day of the Boxing Day Test at MCG on December 28.
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After taking a 54-run first innings lead, Australia resumed their second innings at 6-2 after lunch, following a bizarre delay caused by third umpire Richard Illingworth getting stuck in a lift. However, they didn’t have the best of starts in the second session.
Mir Hamza ran in to bowl his third straight over of the day and pitched one short of a length outside off. Warner tried to force a pull but ended up chopping onto his stumps off an inside edge. Off the very next ball, Hamza cleaned up Travis Head for a golden duck with a full, inswinging beauty as the latter played all around it.
Hamza seemed ecstatic as he erupted in joy before joining his teammates in celebration. Warner’s dismissal brought an end to his final Test knock at the MCG, for which he got a rousing reception from the crowd.
Ball tracking showed that the ball that dismissed Head swung a long way in the air and would have missed off stump by a long way had it gone straight.
Wow pic.twitter.com/j85hTpdL16
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 28, 2023
Australia finished day three with a lead of 241 and six wickets down, setting up a cracking final two days of the Boxing Day Test. Hamza also dismissed Mitchell Marsh later in the day, to end the day with figures of 3-27 from 16 overs.
Watch Mir Hamza dismiss Warner and Head in successive deliveries
.@mel_mclaughlin spent one over in the commentary box, brought two wickets, and forgot that the camera is always on 😂 #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/KFdzBqt59j
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 28, 2023
