Pakistan team’s tour opener in Australia took a dire turn as the hosts dominated the first session of the 1st Test in Perth, leaving the visitors struggling at lunch. The Australian openers, David Warner and Usman Khawaja, took full advantage of Pakistan’s erratic bowling, steering their side to a commanding 117/0 after 25 overs.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, the Australian duo exploited some inconsistent deliveries, especially targeting star pacer Shaheen Afridi. Playing his final Test series, Warner capitalized on loose balls, concluding the morning session unbeaten on a brisk 72 off 67 deliveries.
Pakistan, eyeing their maiden series win on Australian soil, missed a crucial opportunity when Abdullah Shafique dropped a catch off Khawaja’s bat. Meanwhile, Warner seems poised for yet another big score, aiming for his sixth Test century against Pakistan, following his memorable 163(124) in the recent World Cup clash.
The 37-year-old batsman, who notched his highest Test score of 335* in Adelaide during Pakistan’s last tour in 2019, appears determined to maintain his dominance against the Pakistani bowling attack.
Lacking a specialist spinner in the playing XI, Pakistan’s pace battery might face a challenging and laborious stint, potentially impacting the series’ trajectory. The team, under Shan Masood’s captaincy debut, faces an uphill task to regroup and counter the Australian onslaught throughout the day and the Test match.
Cricket Fans React To Pakistan vs Australia
Fans on X (formerly Twitter), not unfamiliar with Pakistan’s historical struggles on Australian tours, were quick to express their dismay over the team’s performance. Here’s a glimpse of some of the notable reactions from the cricketing community:
David Warner might be having 100 problems in Test cricket but owning Pakistan isn't one of them. #AUSvsPAK pic.twitter.com/0lfBAQkIgp
— Faiz Fazel (@theFaizFazel) December 14, 2023
Australian openers won't be Eating anything on the lunch as they ate Pakistani Medium Pacers
Just in : Pakistan team has ordered Biryani Imam has taken most of the meat for Protein Purpose #PAKvAUS #ShaheenShahAfridi #Ravishastri #PakistanCricketTeam pic.twitter.com/w9T34a2QCk— CricBose (@Cric_bose) December 14, 2023
This is the legacy of Pakistan cricket.
Parampara , Pratistha, Anushasan đ„đ„#AUSvsPAK #PakistanCricketTeam https://t.co/QMR8nGNVLW
— đđđđœđ đ đ (@Zimbu12_) December 14, 2023
David Warner shutting up critics courtesy of the shittest bowling attack to ever tour Australia #AUSvsPAK #PakistanCricket
— Waqas Ali (@waqi_khann) December 14, 2023
Four things from #AUSvsPAK first session#BabarAzam was never the problem for #PakistanCricketTeam#ShaheenAfridi is an overhyped bowler#DavidWarner might have many problems but smashing Pakistan is not one of them#PakistanCricketTeam can't take catches in any format
— Saurabh Srivastava (@Saurv99) December 14, 2023
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