SYDNEY: Pakistan claimed the important wickets of Australia openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja before heavy rain played spoilsport on Day 2 of the third Test in Sydney on Thursday.
Marnus Labuschagne (23) and Steve Smith (6) were at the crease when the umpires called for an early Tea, considering the storms moving in and bad light.
The persistent rain and bad light washed out the entire third session which led to an early closure to Day 2 action.
The hosts will now resume their innings at 116/2, trailing by a further 197 runs.
Warner was denied a crack at a century in his farewell as he was dismissed on 34. He looked annoyed while walking back despite a standing ovation from the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) crowd.
He was beaten by extra bounce and sharp turn of right-arm spinner Salman Ali Agha. The ball pitched on a rough spot, spun sharply to edge off the shoulder of Warner’s bat and went straight to Babar Azam at slip.
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
However, Warner still has a chance to make his farewell Test memorable in his potential second innings.
David Warner has now scored 8,729 Test runs since his 2011 debut at an average of 44.53 with 26 centuries.
The left-handed opener had a reprieve when he was dropped on 20 by young debutant Saim Ayub off Aamer Jamal.
The debutant put his head down in anguish as the touring side players looked visibly frustrated with the ongoing catching saga on the Australia tour.
Usman Khawaja, on the other hand, who is having a subpar series thus far, fell after a cautious 47-run knock.
He gloved Aamir Jamal’s length delivery going down the leg side and was easily gobbled by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Australia lead the three-match series 2-0 following a close 79-run victory over Pakistan in the Melbourne Test.
READ: ICC unveils nominees for Emerging Cricketer of the Year Awards
The post Pakistan remove Australia openers before rain forces early stumps appeared first on ASports.tv.
from A Sports | Cricket Live Score, Rankings, Fixtures and Results https://ift.tt/JSmPBhT