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Marsh, Smith help Australia fight back against Pakistan – ARN News Centre
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Mitchell Marsh scored 96 in a partnership of 153 with Steve Smith to dig Australia out of a deep hole and help steer them to a lead of 241 over Pakistan at the end of the third day of the second test on Thursday.
Having dismissed the tourists for 264 in the opening session, Australia slumped to 16 for four as Pakistan’s seamers produced their best spell of bowling in the series to bring the tourists right back into the game at Melbourne.
Marsh, though, was dropped in the slips by Abdullah Shafique on 20 and went on to fall agonisingly short of his fourth test century, steadying the ship with Smith and helping Australia to 187 for six at stumps.
“To get a test match 100 would have been nice but ultimately I just wanted to extend that partnership as long as possible,” said Marsh.
“Our bowlers can bat and we’ve got a lot of faith in them and if we can sneak another 60 for a 300 lead in the fourth innings, it’ll be a great couple of days.”
Smith was dismissed for 50 with the final ball of the day, and Alex Carey (16 not out) will resume with a new partner on Friday, looking to blow out the lead and lay the platform for a victory that would seal the series with a test to spare.
Pakistan had blown a strong position on day two and even stiff tail-end resistance from Mohammad Rizwan (42), Aamer Jamal (33) and Shaheen Afridi (21) on Thursday morning did not inspire much confidence they could turn the match around.
Australia captain Pat Cummins (5-48) completed his 10th five-wicket haul to end the Pakistan innings three overs before lunch and hand his side a first-innings lead of 54.
Afridi (3-58) quickly made it appear extremely slender as he led a spellbinding display of swing and seam bowling from the Pakistan attack.
The seamer induced Usman Khawaja into an edge with the second delivery of the innings to send the Australia opener back for a duck and removed Marnus Labuschagne caught behind for four with the last ball before the break.
Australia went into lunch on 6-2 but the worst was not over for the home batsmen.
David Warner, playing his final test innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, edged a Mir Hamza delivery onto his own stumps and departed shaking his head with six runs to his name.
With the next ball, Hamza produced the delivery of the match so far, which nipped in and went straight through Travis Head’s defences to shatter the Australian’s stumps.
All-rounder Marsh watched Hamza’s hat-trick ball sail well wide of his off stump and set about rebuilding Australia’s innings with former captain Smith playing a supporting role.
Marsh rode his luck when Shafique dropped a standard slip catch – as the fielder had with Warner in the first innings – but there were few chances after that, until Hamza produced another peach and Agha Salman a fine catch at first slip.
It was the second time Marsh had fallen just short of a century in the series after he was dismissed for 90 during Australia’s 360-run victory in the first test in his home city of Perth.
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Indian chess star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced a brilliant final-round victory to win Norway Chess 2026, capping a dramatic finish to one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments.
Entering the final day half a point behind leader Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa knew only a win would give him a realistic chance of claiming the title. The 19-year-old delivered under pressure, defeating Vincent Keymer with the white pieces to secure the full three points and surge to first place.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, enough to overtake Wesley So and clinch the Norway Chess crown in Oslo.
So, who had led the standings heading into the final round, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja before winning the Armageddon tiebreak. However, the extra points were not enough to keep him ahead of the charging Indian grandmaster.
Firouzja completed a strong campaign to finish third overall.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen signed off in style with a classical victory over reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, delighting home fans with a final-round win.
Final Standings
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 18 points
- Wesley So – 17 points
- Alireza Firouzja – 15.5 points
Assaubayeva dominates women’s event
In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva completed a dominant campaign to secure the title after having already wrapped up first place with a round to spare.
The final day featured three decisive classical games, eliminating the need for Armageddon tiebreaks.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun handed Assaubayeva her first classical defeat of the tournament, while Zhu Jiner defeated Humpy Koneru to secure second place overall. Anna Muzychuk also ended her campaign on a high note with a victory over Divya Deshmukh to finish third.
Norway Chess women’s final standings
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – 16.5 points
- Zhu Jiner – 16 points
- Anna Muzychuk – 15 points
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph marks another major milestone in the young Indian grandmaster’s rapidly rising career and further strengthens India’s growing influence at the highest level of world chess.
The battle for the Norway Chess 2026 title is set for a thrilling finish after a dramatic Round 9 left three players firmly in contention heading into the final day in Oslo.
Tournament leader Wesley So maintained his narrow advantage after drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen before winning the Armageddon tiebreak to secure valuable extra points.
The standout result of the day came from Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three points and moved him to within half a point of the tournament lead.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja kept his championship hopes alive by overcoming Vincent Keymer in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw.
With one round remaining, Wesley So leads the standings on 15.5 points, followed by Praggnanandhaa on 15 points and Firouzja on 14.5 points, setting up a nail-biting conclusion to the tournament.
Assaubayeva seals women’s title
In the women’s competition, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk, who later claimed the Armageddon win. However, the result was enough to guarantee Assaubayeva an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
The only decisive classical result in the women’s event came from Zhu Jiner, who defeated Divya Deshmukh to move into second place.
Elsewhere, Humpy Koneru and Ju Wenjun drew their classical encounter before Ju Wenjun claimed the Armageddon victory.
After Round 9, Assaubayeva tops the women’s standings with 16.5 points, ahead of Zhu Jiner on 13 points and Anna Muzychuk on 12 points.
Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess 2026 title after stunning comeback
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