Pakistan’s dismal tour of Australia took a nosedive in the opening moments of the traditional Pink Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, plummeting to 4/2 right from the start.
Attempting to rejig their lineup, the inclusion of T20 sensation Saib Ayum in place of the struggling Imam-ul-Haq made little impact against the formidable opening bowling partnership of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, both of whom wasted no time in making their presence felt.
Starc’s initial delivery proved successful as Shafique faced the first ball of the match. The left-arm quick delivered a sharply swinging ball into the right-handed batsman, hitting his thigh.
The subsequent delivery, angled wide off the stumps with a scrambled seam, induced an edge from Shafique’s bat straight into the hands of Steve Smith at second slip. Ayum faced a challenging introduction to Test cricket.
Hazlewood, steaming in from around the wicket, produced a delivery with impeccable length and accuracy, teasingly moving away from the new batter, resulting in an edge safely pouched by Alex Carey behind the stumps.
Starc in the first over!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 2, 2024
Dream start for Australia in Sydney #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/0QvwWTW3Mp
On social media, the disappointment among fans, expressed through Twitter, reflected the frustration and dismay at the lackluster performance of the Pakistani team.