Australia defeated Pakistan 187-3 in Melbourne on the first day of the Boxing Day Test, which was disrupted by precipitation.
Travis Head is unblemished on 10, while Marnus Labuschagne was 44 not out, as the hosts attempt to clinch a series victory. David Warner and Usman Khawaja each scored 38, whereas Steve Smith was dismissed for 26.
After being penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the first test, in which he wore a black armband in support of Gaza’s population, Khawaja decorated his daughters’ names onto his cricket shoes. This was done in response to the fact that the ICC had penalised him for something. The 37-year-old player was not given permission to adhere a decal to his bat and shoes that depicted a black dove holding an olive branch. This decal was intended to be displayed during the second test.
ICC regulations prohibit the exhibition of political, religious, or ethnic messages by participants in international matches.
Nick Hockley, chief executive officer of Cricket Australia, stated that the organisation had advised Khawaja to don the dove emblem because he was “passionate about human rights.”
Hockley stated, “The ICC has its own regulations, and they exist for good reason; therefore, we must abide by them.” “However, I believe that addressing this primarily through effective collaboration and communication is essential.”
Khawaja, a devout Muslim, has stated that his message is not a political declaration but rather a “humanitarian appeal.” On Monday, Australia captain Pat Cummins expressed the group’s solidarity with Khawaja’s intention to demonstrate support for the Gaza Stripian people. “I am not well-versed in the application’s inner workings, but I believe it to be a dove.” “We are extremely for Uzzy.” His manner in standing up for his beliefs is extremely deferential, in my opinion.”
At the MCG, on a lush surface, the World Test winners Australia were given the ball as Pakistan attempted to rebound from their 360-run loss in Perth. Pakistan and Australia were competing against each other.
Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza, both left-arm seamers, were able to locate early movement. Warner, who was playing his penultimate test of the year, was knocked for two in the third over after releasing Afridi to Abdullah Shafique in the slips. Warner’s dismissal came after Warner had egged Afridi to Abdullah Shafique.
Babar Azam was ultimately successful in dismissing Warner, who had scored 164 runs in the first innings of the first Test match. Warner was eliminated after he edged a wide delivery from spinner Agha Salman.
Khawaja was also removed for errors, which resulted in Hassan Ali being caught by Salman. This occurred after six more overs had elapsed. The dismissal of Smith was reversed upon review after ball tracking data indicated that the delivery would have bypassed the stumps. Smith was removed leg before wicket to Afridi for 19 after a rain delay; however, the dismissal was reviewed.
Following an exhaustive inquiry carried out by Pakistan, which revealed only minimal margins of error, the former captain of Australia was ultimately removed for 26 runs, caught behind off Aamer Jamal. This came about as a result of the investigation by Pakistan.