Day 4 of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday saw Pakistani captain Shan Masood and batsman Babar Azam lead the chase from the front against a resolute Australia. When tea was served, Pakistan’s score stood at 129/3, needing 188 runs to win, with Babar Azam (35) and Saud Shakeel (10) both undefeated at the wicket. Pat Cummins was rewarded in the fifth over when he removed opener Imam-ul-Haq from the game. Imam conducted a DRS review, and it was revealed that the ball was only partially striking the stumps. Then former captain Babar Azam took the batting field. Shan and Babar gradually gained the upper hand thanks to some daring shots and some luck in avoiding any edges. Shan mentioned his fifty, which he reached with six boundaries in just 58 balls.
Shan (59) and Babar (24) took the stick to Lyon to help Pakistan reach 100 and prevented Australia from putting more pressure on them. Australia’s captain Cummins got rid of Pakistan’s captain Shan after Steve Smith caught him at second slip. Shan completed his innings with 60 off 71 deliveries and returned to the pavilion. Azam and Shakeel were undefeated at the crease as Pakistan went into the final session. Day 4’s first session saw Australia needing nine wickets to win, while Pakistan needed 292 runs. In the morning session, Mitchell Starc cheaply removed Abdullah Shafique after the hosts had set the visitors a target of 317 runs.
Before lunch, Nathan Lyon was brought on for an over and almost got Australia a wicket, but it turned out to be not out in the DRS call. The hosts were on their game, with both Starc and Josh Hazlewood making the most of the new ball. Brief scores: Pakistan 264 and 129/3 (Babar Azam 35*, Shan Masood 60) vs Australia 318 and 262 (Mitchell Marsh 96, Alex Carey 53, Mir Hamza 4/32).
