Tour of Australia Pakistan: The opener in Pakistan made for a confident start for the hosts, who stumbled 73-0 on Day 4 with 268 runs to go to 1 :0 to take the lead.
Dhoni left a great legacy and needs to fill in his big boots: Jadeja as CSK captain (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Australia have set a target of 351 for Pakistan to win the 3rd Test
- The Pakistani openers ended Day 4 with an unbeaten partnership of 73
- Usman Khawaja had scored his second hundred of the test series
Pakistani starters Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq ended Day 4 with a solid unbeaten streak of 73 runs to set up an intriguing final day after Australia set the hosts a target of 351 runs in Thursday’s Lahore Test.
Imam (42*) and Abdullah (27*) survived DRS referrals against offspinner Nathan Lyon, with Pakistan still needing 278 runs in at least 90 overs on the final day to win the final Test and series.
Shafique narrowly escaped as Steve Smith’s poor run in the slips halted as the Australian vice-captain failed to save a sharp chance from Marnus Labuschagne’s penultimate ball of the day.
Pakistan vs Australia, 3rd day of testing 4 in Lahore: How it happened
Captain Pat Cummins declared Australia’s second innings just after the tea at 227/3 after Usman Khawaja reached an unbeaten 104, his second straight century to cap a brilliant tour to his native country.
It gave Australia nearly four sessions to crack Pakistan after missing the second Test in Karachi, where Pakistan struggled for 171.4 overs and forced an epic tie.
The worn pitch in Lahore emboldened Cummins to concede a massive 123-run lead after Pakistan collapsed to 268 in the first innings against Cummins and Mitchell Starc’s brutal backswing.
Pakistan’s openers remain undefeated at stumps!
Pakistani openers remain undefeated at stumps!
A fascinating last day awaits you ??
Clock #PAKvOFF on https://t.co/CPDKNxoJ9v with a third test pass for only $1.99 ??#WTC23 | https://t.co/oYsGsrxCjo pic.twitter.com/4s1CbDJOuk
— ICC (@ICC) March 24, 2022
Khawaja has appeared in three stands in three half centuries and increased his hundreds at the tee as Australia blunted the backswing of Naseem Shah (1/23) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/45) while free against spinners Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan met .
Khawaja made 97 in the tied first Test in Rawalpindi and didn’t follow in Karachi with 160 and 44. Despite being ill on the opening day of that Test, Khawaja scored 91 points in the first innings. The left-hander has an impressive 496 runs with a streak average of 165.33.
