On day one of the ongoing Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, tensions flared between Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne. Shaheen’s fiery spell led to a tense exchange of words during the second session, testing Labuschagne mettle, though the batsman maintained his cool under pressure.
Social media buzzed with images and videos capturing their intense battle. The clash added an extra layer of drama to the unfolding match.
Amidst the charged atmosphere, Pakistan made headway by dismissing David Warner and Usman Khawaja, keeping the game finely poised before rain intervened, prompting an early tea break. At the break, Australia stood at 114-2, with Labuschagne on 14 and Steve Smith on two.
Pakistan’s decision to bowl first, led by captain Shan Masood, proved strategic, exploiting seam-friendly conditions. Despite early opportunities missed, notably a dropped catch and a fortunate edge by Warner, Pakistan’s bowlers, spearheaded by Shaheen, displayed significant movement.
Australia ended the rain-disrupted day at 187-3 by stumps, setting the stage for Labuschagne (44) and Travis Head (9) to resume their batting on day two.
Aamer Jamal claimed the prized wicket of Steve Smith, adding to the disruptions caused by rain. Agha Salman and Hasan Ali also contributed with a wicket each.
