Australia positioned themselves for another dominant showing in the opening session of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The partnership between David Warner and Usman Khawaja surpassed the 50-run mark, but their success was hard-won.
The host duo faced a challenging phase against Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and Hamza Mir, with Afridi particularly menacing. In an early over, Afridi induced a thick outside edge from Warner, nearly dismissing him. Unfortunately for Pakistan, their fielding let them down, granting Warner a reprieve.
Throughout the over, Afridi tested Warner persistently, nearly finding the outside edge before succeeding in the sixth delivery. Warner’s edge flew off his bat straight into Abdullah Shafique’s hands at first slip, but the fielder fumbled the catch, denying Afridi a deserved wicket.
The 24-year-old fielder failed to hold on to the ball, causing an embarrassing moment for Afridi, who had prematurely celebrated, expecting the catch to be taken.
David Warner gets a life on two! Shaheen Afridi gets the ball swinging and Abdullah Shafique puts it down at first slip #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/EJc4AptxJk
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 25, 2023
Interestingly, Shafique had previously dropped Usman Khawaja in a similar manner during the West Test’s first session, a game that resulted in a heavy defeat for Pakistan. Twitter users swiftly drew comparisons between the two dropped catches, highlighting Pakistan’s missed opportunities.