Australia is in a position to save the match thanks to Marsh’s 96 after Pakistan’s rout

In the second Test at the MCG, Mir Hamza and Shaheen Shah Afridi each claimed three wickets.

MELBOURNE: Australia rallied to take control of the second Test against Pakistan on Thursday, building a 241-run lead thanks to a fighting partnership of 153 runs between Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith.

In response to Australia’s first innings 318, the hosts dismissed Pakistan for 264, but they were struggling at 16-4 in Melbourne after a shaky start to the second innings.

However, Marsh (96) and Smith worked hard to put together a partnership that might save the match.

The hosts were 187-6 at stumps on day three after Smith was dismissed for 50, off 176 balls, in the final over of the day, leaving Alex Carey undefeated on 16.

Mir Hamza and Shaheen Shah Afridi both claimed three wickets.

When Marsh was on 20, Abdullah Shafique revealed a legal catch in the slips, but it could have been a different story.

Marsh was eventually dismissed four runs short of a well-earned century, but not before Agha Salman produced an incredible one-handed diving catch at slip.

“It hurts at the end, obviously,” Marsh remarked regarding Smith’s termination. “However, from 16–4, we would have accepted a 240–run lead at the conclusion of the game if you had told us.

He went on, “It’s evenly poised.” “As we saw, I think there’s still enough in the wicket so add a few more runs tomorrow and we’ll give it our all.”

Following Pakistan’s defeat by Cummins (5-48) and Nathan Lyon (4-73), Australia had to navigate a challenging 15-minute morning session.

However, Usman Khawaja was dismissed for a duck on the second ball after spearhead Afridi was caught behind by Mohammad Rizwan.

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At lunch, the hosts were down 6-2 as Marnus Labuschagne scored a legside five, using the same combination of strokes once more.

David Warner opened the scoring with a drive to the boundary off Afridi when they came back, but he was out of luck as he was hit by a ball from Mir Hamza onto his stumps at six.

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The Melbourne Cricket Ground gave him a standing ovation as he left the field for the final time as a batsman. His lengthy career is expected to come to an end with the third Test in Sydney.

The hosts’ situation worsened when Travis Head was removed by Hamza’s inswinging yorker, leaving Australia at 16-4.

However, Marsh stopped the hat-trick attempt and, working with Smith, dug in to lessen the attack’s pain.