Australia moved closer to securing the series during Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, displaying determined bowling that restrained Pakistan’s run chase. Despite the Men in Green being more than 150 runs shy of the 318-run target, with only three specialized batters left, they aimed for their first Test victory in Australia since 1995.
At a certain point, the visitors seemed to gain an edge with Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel building a strong partnership, crossing the thirty-run mark. However, their momentum was disrupted when Babar fell victim to a remarkable delivery from Josh Hazlewood during the final session of play.
The former Pakistan captain, who had struggled in the series previously, appeared to find his form as he confidently batted, comfortably facing the challenging Australian attack and surpassing 40 runs. Hazlewood posed the most significant challenge, consistently troubling Babar with outside edges and creating doubt in his mind by consistently bowling within a difficult line.
Hazlewood eventually succeeded in the 41st over, delivering a well-placed ball that landed on off-stump, exhibiting slight swing before sharply deviating off the pitch, breaching the gap between bat and pad, and dismissing Babar.
Huge moment in this chase! Josh Hazlewood gets the better of Babar Azam again! #OhWhatAFeeling | #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/umN26tZMq1
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 29, 2023
Interestingly, Babar fell prey to a similar delivery from Cummins, described later by the Australian captain as a ‘dream ball’. Despite seeming unplayable initially, both occasions capitalized on Babar’s inclination to play with his bat away from his body, resulting in a gap that was exploited. This observation was quickly highlighted by cricket fans.