PERTH: Pakistani seamer Aamer Jamal made a memorable debut on Friday, claiming a six-wicket haul to help bowl Australia out for 487 on day two of the first Test in Perth. Pakistan, in response, batted for 53 overs in the afternoon, reaching 132-2 at stumps.
Abdullah Shafique led the scoring with 42 as the visitors’ trail by 355 runs, following impressive innings by David Warner (164) and Mitchell Marsh (90) that built Australia’s formidable first-innings total.
“We were expecting from Aamer Jamal that he can bowl for us a long spell and good pace,” said bowling coach Umar Gul. “I think he did his job, and we are quite happy with him.”
Jamal, 27, displayed pace and confidence, taking crucial wickets and demonstrating his potential for the Pakistani team. Despite an expensive economy rate, he removed key players like Warner and Travis Head on day one. Jamal’s notable deliveries included uprooting the stumps of Alex Carey (34) and Mitchell Starc (12) in the morning session.
Fellow debutant Khurram Shahzad (2-83) bowled out Marsh on the first ball after lunch, setting the stage for Jamal to dismiss the tail. Captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon fell to Jamal’s deliveries in the slips for single-digit scores.
Pakistan Batting Against Australia
In response, Pakistan’s openers, Shafique and Imamul Haq (38 not out), adopted a cautious approach, frustrating the home side with a partnership of 74 runs. Spinner Nathan Lyon (1-40) broke the partnership by dismissing Shafique for 42, taking him to 497 test wickets.
New captain Shan Masood made an entertaining 30 before edging Starc (1-24) to Carey, leaving nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad (seven not out) to bat out the day with Imam.
Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey expressed satisfaction with their total, stating, “(We) would have liked a couple more wickets on the board, but we’ve got a total there which I guess we’d have been happy with at the start of play yesterday.”
Meanwhile, Australian spin maestro Nathan Lyon is on the brink of joining the exclusive 500-wicket club, needing just three more wickets to achieve this significant milestone in Test cricket.
