[Watch] Mitchell Starc breaches Abdullah Shafique's defense with a trademark inswinger in the 3rd AUS vs PAK Test
Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc made the new ball talk like he has done on countless occasions before by dismissing Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique. After an Aussie batting collapse in the early parts of the final session on Day 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), resulting in a narrow 14-run lead for Pakistan, the hosts needed the pace spearhead to get an early breakthrough.
Starc was a bit wayward, to begin with as he could not control the swing, but executed it to perfection in the final delivery of the first over. The fullish delivery swung well into the right-handed opening batter and also nipped back in after pitching.
Shafique tried to block out the delivery with a defense, but the ball proceeded to make its way between the bat and pad to shatter the stumps.
Have a look at the dismissal right here:
It marked the third time that Starc dismissed Shafique in five innings on the ongoing tour. The left-arm seamer had got the better of the opening batter in Perth as well as Melbourne.
Shafique has scored 110 runs in five innings at an average of 22 in the series. Starc, on the other hand, has taken 12 wickets in the series, including a best of 4-55 in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test.
Pakistan tottering at 20-2 after Shafique and Masood's early departures
Josh Hazlewood struck off the very first ball of his spell to dismiss Pakistan skipper Shan Masood for a golden duck. The left-handed batter tried to go after a ball well outside the off-stump, but could only witness it claiming the outside edge and traveling straight to Alex Carey behind the stumps.
Debutant Saim Ayub and Babar Azam are currently rebuilding the innings after the Men in Green were reduced to 1-2 after 1.1 overs.
As things stand, they are placed at 20-2 and have a 34-run lead with more than half a session remaining until Stumps on Day 3 of the third Test.
Will Pakistan be able to see out the remainder of the day without losing any more wickets? Let us know what you think.