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Cummins leads Australia fightback after Pakistan take early honours – ARN News Centre
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Pakistan dismissed Australia for 318 in the second test and were making a good start to their reply on Wednesday but were reduced to 194 for six at stumps after the intervention of home skipper Pat Cummins.
The tourists looked in fine shape at 124-1 an hour after tea but will resume on day three of the match 124 runs in arrears with hopes of a first test win in Australia since 1995 to level the series at 1-1 fading fast.
Cummins (3-37) changed the day in two overs, brilliantly catching Abdullah Shafique for 62 off his own bowling and dismissing dangerman Babar Azam for one with a sublime delivery that had the Melbourne Cricket Ground crowd roaring in delight.
Off spinner Nathan Lyon also played a leading role in Australia’s fightback, breaking an obdurate opening partnership between Imam-Ul-Haq and Shafique before returning to remove Shan Masood for 54.
Masood had played a gutsy captain’s innings for his eighth test half-century but frittered all his good work away when he tried to club the ball back over Lyon’s head only to balloon it to Mitch Marsh at point.
Josh Hazlewood then chipped in to bowl Saud Shakeel for nine and Cummins returned late in the session to have Agha Salman caught behind for five.
Mohammad Rizwan was unbeaten on 29 at the close of play with Aamer Jamal two not out from 26 balls at the other end.
“I thought we bowled decently before tea without too much reward; they obviously batted quite well,” said Cummins.
“It was good at the end there to get a few big wickets and we feel like we’re well into their order now.
“I thought our batters did well to get over 300, I think the pitch is just going to get better and better.”
The rain, which had disrupted the opening day of the Boxing Day test, stayed away, but conditions still favoured the bowlers, and Pakistan were able to wrap up Australia’s first innings before lunch.
Jamal led the way with 3-64 as the tourists, who have lost 15 successive tests in Australia since 1995, took the last seven wickets at the cost of 131 runs.
Marnus Labuschagne top scored with 63, but the 52 extras Pakistan conceded was a reminder of a sloppiness that Australia were always going to be happy to exploit.
Pakistan belied that tendency early in their innings, particularly as Shafique and Masood put on 90 runs for the second wicket with brave and disciplined batting in the face of Australia’s world-class pace attack.
Australia won the first test by an emphatic 360 runs in Perth two weeks ago. The third and final test will take place in Sydney in the new year.
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Tributes have poured in after the son of former Chelsea star Eddie Newton was found dead alongside his friend following a hike in the UAE, where temperatures soared to 50C.
Cassius Newton, 34, and his friend Aran Martinson, 33, were found by rescuers on July 18 after setting out on a hike in the mountainous Wadi Naqab region.
The pair, from Dorset and Essex respectively, both lived and worked in the UAE. Their bodies were discovered between 3km and 4km from their vehicle.
According to a report, Chelmsford area coroner Michelle Brown said their provisional causes of death included cardiac and respiratory arrest.
Cassius, a non-league footballer, was the son of former Chelsea midfielder and coach Eddie Newton, who spent more than a decade with the club.
His wife was in the UK when she became concerned after Cassius failed to contact her following the hike and reported him missing.
The two men had been living at a luxury resort in Ras Al Khaimah.
Tributes after desert tragedy
Tributes poured in after the deaths.
Aran’s wife described him as “incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious”, saying he had recently begun a new chapter in his career and was excited about the future.
Blackfield & Langley Football Club paid tribute to their former player, saying: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the passing of former player Cassius Newton; our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
National League club Eastleigh, where Cassius had previously played, said it was “deeply saddened” by his death.
Chelsea connection
Cassius’ father Eddie Newton played for Chelsea from 1990 to 2001 and famously scored in the club’s 1997 FA Cup final victory.
The former midfielder also represented Cardiff City, Birmingham City, Oxford United and Barnet.
After retiring as a player, Newton moved into coaching, working as assistant manager at MK Dons and West Brom before returning to Chelsea.
He later served as assistant manager under Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benítez.
(With inputs from BBC, The Sun)
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