[Watch] David Warner touches Phil Hughes' plaque at SCG before going to bat in his farewell Test vs Pakistan
Veteran Australian opener David Warner touched the plaque of his late teammate and friend Phil Hughes at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) before coming out to bat in the third Test against Pakistan on Wednesday (January 3).
It was an emotional moment, which occured right before the start of Australia's batting innings. As Warner was walked onto the crease in his swansong inning, the southpaw fondly remembered Phi Hughes by touching his plaque present in the pavilion.
You can watch the moment in the video below:
Australia batted for one over late in the day after Pakistan were bowled out for 313 in 77.1 overs. Captain Pat Cummins picked up his third consecutive five-wicket haul to star with the ball.
Warner then hit Sajid Khan for a boundary on the very first ball of Australia's first innings before playing out the rest of the over. The hosts ended the day at 6/0 with Usman Khawaja and Warner at the crease.
Mohammad Rizwan and Aamer Jamal help Pakistan reach 313 in 1st innings of 3rd Test vs Australia
After opting to bat first, Pakistan managed to notch up a decent total of 313 in 77.1 overs on Day 1 of the third Test at the SCG. They were in a huge spot of bother early in the morning after their top-order collapsed to 47/4 in 14.3 overs. Shan Masood (35) then got a start but fell without converting it, leaving his side at 96/5 in the second session.
Mohammad Rizwan (88) and Agha Salman (53) put on 94 runs for the sixth wicket and injected some momentum into the innings. However, Pat Cummins and Co. did not let the duo do substantial damage by getting timely breakthroughs.
Pakistan found themselves at 227/9 at the end of 55 overs. Aamer Jamal's (82 in 97 balls) sensational rearguard effort propelled the visitors into breaching the 300-run mark. At the press conference after stumps on Day 1 of the 3rd Test, Aamer Jamal reflected on his 86-run 10th wicket partnership with Mir Hamza, saying:
"We were talking about the bowlers, we knew they were gonna come hard on us, so what we needed to do was just stick to the plan given from the coaching staff. I was mentally ready because at my position, they [Australian bowlers] want to bowl every ball a bouncer to get us, but when you made up your mind to play those pull shots then you can play."
Opening up about his passion for the sport, Jamal added:
"Cricket is my passion. When passion becomes your profession, you enjoy it. You dont take stress because of it. You live every moment of it. I have struggled a lot to get this far, but I never gave up. Everything, every stage means alot to me. It means the world to me. I try to give my 100% on every opportunity I get."
Do you think Pakistan can win the 3rd Test? Let us know your views in the comments section below.