Aussie batters dig deep on challenging day one

On a damp Melbourne day that saw almost a session lost to rain and bowlers revel in conditions that more closely resembled English summer, Australia can feel satisfied if not comfortable with a stumps scoreline of 3-187.

Whether or not that position can translate into one from which they can push for a series victory in the second NRMA Insurance Test rests heavily with unbeaten pair Marnus Labuschagne (44no off 120 balls faced) and Travis Head (10no).

Labuschagne survived almost three hours at the crease, plus the mid-afternoon rain break that cost around 90 minutes of playing time, to end the day in sight of a hard-earned half-century.

He was a watchful 14 not out from 47 balls faced when the downpour hit an hour after lunch, and withstood some quality seam bowling throughout his stay that did not yield a boundary until the 76th delivery he faced.

He added another when he belatedly decided to pull out of a shot against a short ball from Shaheen Shah Afridi that clipped the edge of his bat and soared above the keeper, and he then survived a hopeful lbw review (on 35) which was shown to be comprehensively missing leg stump.

But having endured a lean trot by his own exacting standards, during which he had failed to reach 20 in the four previous Test innings after his match-saving 111 in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford, Labuschagne again showed he is the man for tough conditions.

The battle faced by batters could be seen on a score sheet that showed all of Australia's top-order made starts – David Warner (38), Usman Khawaja (42) and Steve Smith (26) – with none able to push on to a half-century.

If Australia is to take solace into day two when the rain is forecast to be reduced to occasional showers, it comes from knowing their position might have been significantly more fraught had Pakistan's bowlers been on target from the day's outset.

The challenge they posed when they got it right after lunch could be seen by the difficulties faced by two of the foremost runs scorers in the modern Test game.

Prior to the first rain break, Smith and Labuschagne had laboured for almost 10 overs to chisel out six runs and Smith might have perished soon after the resumption if Babar Azam had been able to pluck a scorching, low chance diving to his right at extra cover when the prolific batter was on 10.

Smith was granted another reprieve on 19 when adjudged lbw by umpire Michael Gough, but the decision was overturned on the former captain's immediate review which confirmed his view the delivery from Shaheen was bouncing over leg stump.

However, the 34-year-old's fortune finally expired in the following over when Pakistan chose to review a speculative and unsuccessful decision for a catch behind the wicket with technology confirming the faintest edge to send Smith on his way for 26.

Head then celebrated his own slice of luck, although his came as a result of not being seriously injured by a head-high full toss that slipped from the hand of an apologetic Shaheen that slammed into the batter's right shoulder as he ducked in fear.

Should he repeat the dose during the remainder of Australia's first innings, Shaheen will be unable to bowl again until the second innings which would seriously damage his team's cause after they chose to field first.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins conceded at this morning's toss he would also have taken the bowling option had the coin landed in his favour, which was hardly surprising given he boasts a 100 per cent winning record as captain after sending in rivals at the MCG.

But despite the combination of clawing humidity after Melbourne copped 15mm of rain on Christmas Day, and a seam-friendly pitch that had spent 24 hours under covers, bat dominated ball for much of the 66 overs bowled on the unseasonal day.

Allowing for those variables, Pakistan's satisfaction at their fightback having gone wicketless for all but the final ball of the opening session would perhaps have been tempered by knowledge their position could easily have been even stronger.

As their captain Shan Masood prophetically noted having won the toss, teams to have fielded first have done well in recent years at the MCG before he added the qualifying caveat "we'd like to take every opportunity we can with the ball".

Those words were doubtless still ringing in the ears of his men when a priceless opportunity was presented, and inexcusably squandered.

The final delivery of spearhead Shaheen's second over saw Warner anchored to the crease and fending as the full ball shaped perfectly away with the resultant edge flying at knee height to first slip.

But so clumsy was Abdullah Shafique's attempt to claim the catch he didn't manage to lay a hand, and instead took the impact on his left wrist from where it rebounded to his waist then on to the turf.

It was a graphic symbol of Pakistan's tour to date, whereby every positive passage has been counter-balanced by their penchant for profligacy.

With their new-ball bowler from the opening Test, Khurram Shahzad, out of the series with a side strain and stress fracture, Pakistan deployed a new-look attack for this Test including recalled duo Mir Hamza and Hasan Ali.

It meant the first time since 2007-08 that Boxing Day saw two left-arm pace bowlers (back then it was India pair Zaheer Khan and R.P. Singh) start against a left-handed opening combination (Australia's Matthew Hayden and Phil Jacques).

But while conditions might have suited Pakistan's seamers and history suggested bowling first was the smart option – the past three MCG Tests have been won by teams batting second – apart from the muffed chance in the first 10 minutes, the visitors' attack at first seemed decidedly unthreatening.

The balls that threatened the stumps proved challenging for the veteran combination of Warner and Khawaja, but they were the exception rather than the rule and Pakistan's waywardness was exemplified by a scorecard showing 12 byes and a wide conceded in the first session.

In stark contrast to his memorable double-century against South Africa in his 100th Test appearance a year ago, Warner struggled to find fluency and several times threw his hands at deliveries he might well have left alone.

One of those resultant edges grazed the outstretched fingertips of second slip, and another inside edge off Hasan bounced marginally short of keeper Mohammad Rizwan who was preferred to fellow gloveman Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Warner's struggle was best illustrated by his attempted reprise of the audacious crouching lap-shot he unfurled in Perth, but the lower bounce and slower pace of the MCG pitch meant instead of clearing the fine leg fence, it instead dribbled from toe of his bat through mid-wicket.

Pakistan had hoped their four-pronged pace armoury would grab early wickets in the seam-friendly conditions, but it was the introduction of off-spinner Salman Ali Agha shortly before lunch that brought their much-needed breakthrough.

With what proved to be the final ball before the break, Salman floated a wide offering that Warner tried to muscle through the off-side with feet anchored to the crease and managed only to slice a looping head-high catch to slip.

His 90-run opening stand with Khawaja proved an invaluable foundation as the weather closed in during the afternoon session, and batting became increasingly problematic as the light dramatically deteriorated.

Khawaja seemed destined for his 10th score of 50 or above in his 23rd innings of 2023, but added just six to his lunch score from 21 balls faced after the break before he also fell in trying to lift the scoring rate.

In the midst of an impressive post-lunch spell from Hasan, the left-hander attempted a dab to third from a delivery pitched too close and which bounced more than he expected with the catch he presented to second slip resembling the pre-match drills performed by fielding coaches.

Over the next 40 minutes, Hasan and Shaheen pressed repeatedly for a follow-up breakthrough as the ball began to swing beneath the heavy cloud with the MCG floodlights ablaze and severe weather warnings flashing from the ground's electronic scoreboards.

Despite playing and missing a number of times and demonstrably showing their frustration at the difficulties they faced in combating the moving ball in the gathering gloom, Smith and Labuschagne remained unbeaten if not unfazed when the rain first arrived at 2.23pm with Australia 2-114.

NRMA Insurance Test series v Pakistan

First Test: Australia won by 360 runs

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG (10.30am AEDT)

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (10.30am AEDT)

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi