Australia claw ahead with regular blows

Tea Pakistan 4 for 142 (Azhar 66*, Shafiq 4*) v AustraliaLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A fine delivery from Jackson Bird and an even better catch by Nic Maddinson at short leg put Australia in control of Pakistan’s first innings when an early tea was taken due to rain on day one of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

While Azhar Ali made it to the interval on a stubborn, unbeaten 66, Bird’s dismissals of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul Haq kept the hosts hopeful of ensuring Pakistan could not go on to a major first-innings tally on a slow but not unfriendly batting pitch.

Pakistan had lost Babar Azam on the stroke of lunch to offset a morning of steady accumulation after Misbah won an important toss.

Nathan Lyon’s capture of Sami Aslam’s wicket with his third ball caused a tumult of celebration for a festive season crowd of more than 50,000 spectators, but for the most part the Pakistan worked assiduously at building a platform on a surface that offered some seam movement and bounce, albeit at a lesser pace than Brisbane. Babar made it to …

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