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Anti-corruption officers have sought clarification from the Pakistan team management after a couple of their players were seen wearing what appeared to be smart watches

George Dobell at Lord's24-May-20180:34

Watches won’t be worn again – Hasan

Anti-corruption officials have told Pakistan’s players not to wear smart watches on the field after a couple of their players were seen with them on the first day at Lord’s.As per the ICC’s Player and Match Officials Area Regulations, wearing smart watches is prohibited on the field and areas designated as player and match official area [PMOA]. An ICC release on Friday confirmed that such devices must be surrendered, along with mobile devices, upon arrival at the ground on match days.”The ACSU officer came to speak to us and told us it’s not allowed to wear them so we won’t be wearing them,” Hasan Ali said after the day’s play.In an effort to combat corruption in cricket over the last few years, players and officials have been obliged to hand over their phones (and any other transmitting devices) to anti-corruption officials ahead of the start of play. They are then locked away and returned to them shortly after stumps.ICC regulations state that: “Communication devices are prohibited within the PMOA, barring specific exceptions. Without exception, no player shall be in possession of, or use a communication device (such as a mobile phone or a device which is connected to the internet), while in the PMOA.”Asad Shafiq checks his watch•Getty Images

An ICC spokesman told ESPNcricinfo: “Apple watches in any way connected to a phone/WiFi or in any way capable of receiving comms such as messages, are not allowed. In effect, it is considered a phone unless ‘disabled’ and just a watch.”There are several legitimate reasons to continue to wear such a watch when disabled. It still tells the time, for example – though there is also a large clock overlooking the playing area at Lord’s – while fitness data can all be recorded and stored on a disabled device.Asad Shafiq, who wore the watch on Thursday, had said in a pre-series interview with the commentator Ramiz Raja that players use the watch to track their daily exertions, and that they burn “around 3000 calories” on a regular day of Test cricket.”We definitely get an idea [of fitness measures],” Shafiq said. “If you wear it the whole day you get an idea, you get the results of your workout in front of you, and you can calculate your targets for the next day.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the ICC’s anti-corruption officer at the match, Peter O’Shea, was surprised by photographs appearing to show the devices and approached the Pakistan team management at the end of play. The ICC has the power to confiscate the devices and download all material from them in order to monitor recent activity.While there is no allegation of wrongdoing, the ICC on Friday stated that it will caution players against wearing such devices in order to avoid such confusion in the future. Their own regulations may well be tightened to reflect that stance.May 25, GMT 0600 The article was amended to include Asad Shafiq’s quotes.May 25, GMT 0745 The article was amended to reflect ICC’s PMOA regulations.

Dane Vilas top-scored for Lancashire with 74 while Haseeb Hameed proved his fitness after suffering an injury scare

Alan Gardner at Chelmsford07-Apr-2017
ScorecardThe first day of the season is as good a day as any to be reminded that Championship success is usually hard-won. Both Essex and Lancashire could feel satisfaction come the close at Chelmsford; both will know that further unstinting effort will be required to sway this contest over the coming days.Lancashire may feel they had the best of it, particularly after recovering from 160 for 6 to pass 300, thanks to a 51-run last-wicket stand between James Anderson and Kyle Jarvis, who then took a wicket apiece before the close. Nevertheless, Essex’s new-look attack acquitted themselves well by bowling out Lancashire after being put into the field. All but two Lancashire batsmen made starts but only Dane Vilas managed to pass fifty, as Neil Wagner and Aaron Beard – overseas pro and homegrown tyro – collected six wickets between them.No one faced more balls than Haseeb Hameed, who provided some proof of his fitness after sustaining a hand injury in Lancashire’s university match. Hameed was watched by James Whitaker, the national selector, and Mark Ramprakash, England’s batting coach, as well as his parents during his first significant innings since making a highly regarded Test debut in India over the winter.Hameed’s tour of India was cut short by a fracture to the little finger on his left hand, which required the insertion of a metal plate. He sustained a blow practising his fielding at short leg before play against Cambridge and then had to leave the field while batting; however, a scan detected no further damage and he batted without discomfort for just over two hours here before falling three runs short of fifty.”The finger’s fine, it was a bit of a freak incident, trapping it in the warm-up and then I tried batting and it got quite painful. So I think we made the right decision in getting it checked out and thankfully it was all okay,” he said.”The surgeon suggested, when there’s a bit of time off, it might be worth getting [the plate] out. But I think there’s a six-week recovery period from having that surgery to remove it, so it wouldn’t make sense now. If I’ve got a bit of time in the future, I probably will take it out.”Ryan ten Doeschate, Essex’s captain, suggested before the game that Lancashire’s batting might present a “chink in their armour” and that looked a shrewd assessment as the visitors experienced a middle-order slide of 4 for 42 on a pristine afternoon. However, Vilas, one of three new Kolpak signings on show, provided the grit that Lancashire desperately needed with 74 before a ticklish thrash between Anderson and Jarvis lifted them towards a more competitive total.For all the topics being discussed at the newly anointed Cloudfm County Ground on the first day of the new season – Hameed’s availability, Alastair Cook’s absence (depriving the crowd of a head-to-head with Anderson), the Kolpak issue, Essex’s survival chances (or Lancashire’s for that matter) – perhaps the closest to local hearts was the decision to drop James Foster for the first time in his 17-year Essex career. Adam Wheater, his replacement behind the stumps, has pedigree as a Division One batsman, as well as the advantage of being from the same east London manor (aka Gooch Country) but it will not be an easy gig.It is accepted around Chelmsford that Foster cannot go on forever but there were rueful shakes of the head when Wheater failed to get a hand on a stumping chance provided by Steven Croft in the first over after lunch. Croft and Hameed had quieted a healthy crowd during a third-wicket stand of 68 but there was a notable frisson of disappointment as the opportunity for Simon Harmer’s first Championship wicket zipped by.By then, Hameed had set about reassuring those nervous about the state of his delicate hands during a composed innings that featured several sumptuously timed drives. Barring a skittish swipe at the first ball he received from Wagner – a team-mate last season, back when Hameed was still a precocious talent smarting at missing out on the U-19 World Cup – he seemed to have everything in the right place, a sort of batting feng shui as he lined up the bowling with the precision displayed during his debut Test series in India. That is, until he fractionally misjudged a delivery from Jamie Porter that kept coming back in at him to clip the top of off stump the over after Croft’s reprieve.For a brief while, there was a vision of England’s possible batting future in the middle, as Liam Livingstone joined Hameed. Livingstone, now at first drop and with a chance to impress after batting in the lower-middle order during his debut season, showcased his revolving-door wrists with a second-ball four that rattled away to the deep midwicket rope and he stroked five more boundaries in between ducking Wagner’s head-hunting bouncers.Livingstone’s attacking instincts eventually got the better of him, a wild flash providing Beard with his first wicket – via a goalkeeper save from Tom Westley (second slip) that was collected on the dive by Varun Chopra (first). Beard also removed Vilas, as a leading edge sailed to mid-off, while Harmer did eventually get Croft, taken at short fine leg when sweeping. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, in his 43rd year and only in the country a few days, was run out after a mix-up with Vilas.

Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani feasted on a toothless Sri Lanka Women attack as Australia Women revived their World T20 campaign with a nine-wicket win in Delhi

The Report by Shashank Kishore in Delhi24-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMeg Lanning formed an unbeaten 98-run stand with Elyse Villani to take Australia home•IDI/Getty Images

Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani feasted on a toothless Sri Lanka Women attack to convert a tricky chase of 124 into a cakewalk as Australia Women revived their World T20 campaign with a nine-wicket win at the Feroze Shah Kotla in Delhi.The match was set up by legspinner Kristen Beams and Jess Jonassen, the left-arm spinner, who broke Sri Lanka’s back with the wickets of Dilani Manodara and Chamari Atapattu, who made 38 apiece. Then, an unbroken second-wicket stand of 98 that was studded with two belligerent half-centuries studded Australia’s dominance as they won with 14 balls to spare.Sri Lanka opted to bat, but didn’t help themselves by gifting wickets away on a platter after a platform was set by Atapattu and Manodara. The pair put together 75 off jut 61 balls as Sri Lanka’s hopes of touching 140 received a boost, before the slow bowlers, who were flat and fast to begin with, found their bearings to stem the run flow.Beams drew Manodara forward, only to deceive her in the air as a thin inside edge rattled into the stumps in the 11th over to give Australia brief respite. Then in her next over, she had Anushka Sanjeewani stumped as relief turned into delight for Australia. Atapattu’s wicket completed the collapse as Sri Lanka, motoring along at 75 for 1 hit a road block at 93 for 4.From there on, the innings was largely reduced to a struggle as the batsmen struggled to put bat to ball. Megan Schutt, was particularly impressive, as she brought out different variations of her cutters to pick up the wickets of Eshani Lokusuriyage and Prasadani Weerakkody to prevent a late onslaught. The last four overs yielded just 19 as Sri Lanka finished at least 15 short of what they looked set to get.Australia’s top order was blown away inside the first three overs in both their previous outings. But that had little bearing on their approach as Alyssa Healy and Villani came out playing shots. While Healy was bowled for 12 after being deceived by Inoka Ranaweera’s left-arm spin, Lanning threw the bowlers off guard by improvising on the face of a largely one-dimensional attack that failed to create enough opportunities.Eight boundaries in the first six overs gave Australia enough leg room to nurdle the bowling. But Lanning wasn’t in the mood for charity as she kept Australia in fourth gear throughout, displaying ability to not just bring out the big shots but also use her wrists and delicate dabs to pinch runs at every opportunity. Lanning’s effervescence seemed to rub off on Villani, whose belligerence left Sri Lanka with no answers, her fifty coming off just 36 balls, severely denting Sri Lanka’s net run-rate and with it their aspirations of a berth in the final four.

The casualty list among Australia’s fast bowlers has grown with Jackson Bird set to fly home from England with pain in his lower back

Brydon Coverdale22-Aug-2013The casualty list among Australia’s fast bowlers has grown with Jackson Bird set to fly home from England with pain in his lower back. Although the seriousness of Bird’s injury is not yet known, worryingly for the Australians this is the second overseas tour this year that has ended early for Bird due to a back problem, after he flew home from India during the first Test in Chennai in February.”Jackson has had low back pain over the past week of the Ashes tour and will return to Australia today to begin the process of investigating the source of the pain and rehabilitation,” the team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said on Thursday.Bird played the fourth Investec Test at Chester-le-Street and bowled well at times, collecting 2 for 58 in the first innings but also struggled for penetration in other spells and did not claim a wicket in the second innings. Bird, 26, has been highly effective for Tasmania at almost every venue in Australia and he could be an important bowler in the home Ashes if fit.Bird is the second Australia fast bowler to suffer a back problem on this tour after James Pattinson was diagnosed with a stress fracture early in the series. Australia’s fast-bowling stocks were also hit this week by the news that Pat Cummins would almost certainly miss a third consecutive domestic summer due to a back injury.

Rob Nicol’s hundred and James Fuller’s six wickets see Gloucestershire comfortably beat Netherlands in Amstelveen and keep their CB40 campaign on course

27-Jul-2012
ScorecardNew Zealand batsman Rob Nicol scored a century•Getty Images

Rob Nicol and James Fuller were the stars of the show as Gloucestershire boosted their hopes of making the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals with a comprehensive victory over high-flying Group A rivals Netherlands in Amstelveen.New Zealander Nicol scored a brilliant 133 with seven fours and seven sixes as Gloucestershire ran up an imposing 290 for 6 batting first, with his countryman and opening partner Hamish Marshall contributing 47 while Fuller added a quickfire 40 late on.Fuller, who conceded 38 off one over as Gloucestershire lost their Friends Life t20 quarter-final to Sussex on Tuesday, then shone with the ball, taking 6 for 35 off his six overs as Holland were bowled out for 146 in the 22nd over. A rain interruption had seen Netherlands’s victory target changed to 237 off 28 overs, but they never seriously threatened and ended up losing by 90 runs.Tom Cooper top-scored for the Dutch with 51 but he was part of a major Netherlands collapse which saw the home side lose their last eight wickets for 43 runs in under eight overs.Gloucestershire’s victory sees them join second-placed Netherlands on 11 points in Group A, one point behind leaders Middlesex but with the Westcountry side having played a game less than both their rivals. Lancashire are fourth in the group on 10 points but with two games still in hand on Gloucestershire, who they meet at Old Trafford on Monday.

Sanath Jayasuriya will bring to an end a 22-year international career when he makes his final appearance for his country at the venue – The Oval – where he made his highest score against England in all formats: 213 off 278 balls in the one-off Test 13 yea

Sa'adi Thawfeeq at The Oval27-Jun-2011Sanath Jayasuriya will bring to an end a 22-year international career when he makes his final appearance for his country at the venue – The Oval – where he made his highest score against England in all formats: 213 off 278 balls in the one-off Test 13 years ago in 1998.Asked whether Sri Lanka had anything planned for him, stand-in captain Thilina Kandamby said, “We haven’t decided yet but we should do something. Sanath is one of the legends that we have ever produced, probably the best one-day player we have got in our country. I wish him all the best and I hope he will do well.”Any chance of Jayasuriya, who turns 42 on Thursday, changing his mind and staying back for the rest of the series was ruled out by Kandamby who is most likely to lead Sri Lanka in the opening ODI with a question mark still hanging over the fitness of captain Tillakaratne Dilshan.”Sanath won’t be staying on for the rest of the series. He has already decided to retire after the first one-day. That’s his call and we can’t help it,” said Kandamby. “If he makes a hundred tomorrow that’s the best farewell he can get but that’s not within our control.”Sanath is a brilliant guy so when you have someone like him in your side it gives us a lot of confidence. We know he can deliver with both bat and ball and he is a very important player to have in the team.”Sri Lanka used Jayasuriya’s wily spin to successfully probe on Kevin Pietersen’s weakness against left-arm bowlers during their nine-wicket win in the Twenty20 International against England in Bristol on Saturday. Pietersen had raced to 41 from 26 balls when Jayasuriya was introduced and it needed just two balls for him to disturb Pietersen’s stumps.”We have different plans for Pietersen. He has not been playing well against left-armers. We have that in the back of our mind and we hope that we can get him out early,” said Kandamby.Jayasuriya is the first ruling Member of Parliament to actively play international cricket after winning his seat at his hometown Matara at Sri Lanka’s general elections held last year. For England’s captain Alastair Cook, the circumstances of Jayasuriya’s recall were unexpected and he is one hoping the farewell isn’t too pleasant. “It’s slightly surprising for sure,” said Cook. “But he reinvented the way people play one-day cricket years ago. Hopefully we don’t send him out on a high.”Kandamby said that Dilshan has not been ruled out of tomorrow’s match and that there was a 50-50 chance of him playing. “We’ll take a decision after practice.”In the event of Dilshan being ruled out of the match, Kandamby said that Mahela Jayawardene would open the batting with Jayasuriya as he did in the Twenty20 at Bristol where he went onto score a match-winning 72 not out off 57 balls.

Surrey have signed Steven Cheetham, the Lancashire pace bowler, on loan for the remainder of the season to bolster their attack

Cricinfo staff04-Aug-2010Surrey have signed Steven Cheetham, the Lancashire pace bowler, on loan for the remainder of the season to bolster their attack.Cheetham, 22, hasn’t made any first-team appearances for Lancashire this summer and has just one first-class and five one-day games under his belt. Surrey have drafted him in after an injury to Andre Nel so that cricket manager Chris Adams can continue to rotate his fast bowlers.”Steven is a young bowler with terrific physical attributes, who bowls wicket to wicket and is very much at the start of his career,” Adams said. “Due to one or two injuries we need some seam bowling cover for the end of the season and this loan represents a big opportunity for him to enhance his first-class experience.”Cheetham has gone straight into the Surrey squad for Wednesday’s CB40 match against Glamorgan.

Brook came in for criticism during a relatively lean Test series against Sri Lanka but he has gas left in the tank after a long season

Matt Roller18-Sep-2024It tells you just how serenely Harry Brook’s international career has progressed that he came under scrutiny after averaging 30 in a series win. But by his own admission, Brook finds himself trying to avoid paralysis by overanalysis as he prepares to captain England for the first time at Trent Bridge on Thursday after his approach was questioned during Sri Lanka’s recent victory at The Oval.Brook made 19 and 3 in the final Test of the English season, having made between 32 and 56 in his first four innings of the series against Sri Lanka. If the scores were underwhelming, it was his manner at the crease that drew most attention: he grew visibly frustrated when Sri Lanka bowled wide outside his off stump, to the extent Michael Vaughan accused him of “taking the mick out of the game”.Related

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This has been a long season for Brook, who was England’s only ever-present across both June’s T20 World Cup and their six home Tests. He spent the three weeks between the West Indies and Sri Lanka series captaining Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, and will fly to Pakistan for October’s Test tour only three days after the fifth and final ODI of the Australia series.Brook seemed characteristically relaxed on the eve of his England captaincy debut at Trent Bridge, grinning through his pre-match press conference and laughing off the idea that he had ever craved leadership. He conceded that his Test summer had not quite gone to plan, but played down the suggestion that he was mentally drained after an intense season.”Because I wasn’t scoring the runs I wanted to, I probably was [feeling] a little bit [tired],” Brook said. “But if I’d have gone out and got two hundreds against Sri Lanka then I’d have been like, ‘I’ll just carry on’. But no, not really. I love playing cricket: I want to play as much as I possibly can. I do think breaks are important at certain times, but I was pretty chilled.”Obviously I didn’t do as well as I’d wanted. I want to get a hundred every innings, but it’s not going to happen, is it? Professional sport is not easy… I felt like I batted really well against West Indies and then didn’t play as well as I wanted to against Sri Lanka, but those things happen. You go away and think about it for a little bit, and hopefully come back stronger in Pakistan.”Harry Brook was in good spirits despite a long, busy season•Getty Images

Until the Hundred this year – where he oversaw five wins in six completed games – the majority of Brook’s captaincy experience came with England Under-19s, whom he led in 11 Youth ODIs, including five at the 2018 World Cup. Since then, he has played 50-over cricket only sporadically. Half of his 30 List A games have been full ODIs, and his record in them is underwhelming: 407 runs at 29.07, with three half-centuries.He will aim to keep things simple against Australia, batting at No. 4. “I’m just going to go out there and watch the ball as closely as possible,” he said. “If you have a few low scores here and there, you start thinking about different things and your technique and whatever. I’m just going to go out there, watch the ball as closely as I can and play on instinct.”Brook is only standing in as captain for Jos Buttler, who was with the squad on Wednesday as he continues his rehabilitation from a calf injury and will return for November’s Caribbean tour. “I might pick his brains here and there,” Brook said, “but he’s said I’ve got full rein to do whatever I want.”Buttler has challenged Brook to “identify those moments” in the field where he can change the game – something that Buttler himself has struggled with in ODIs. Brook showed signs of that instinct during the Hundred, and said that he would liberate his bowlers to make decisions: “Whatever you feel like doing, just do it. The only bad outcome is you could get hit for a boundary and the next ball could be a dot ball.”This ODI series is one of only three for England before February’s Champions Trophy, and the first since Rob Key announced that Brendon McCullum will take over as limited-overs coach as part of a “strategic restructure” of the senior set-up. The implication is that there will be greater convergence between formats, as evidenced by Ben Duckett’s promotion to open the batting on Thursday.Brook said that he has hardly spoken to McCullum, who has instead delegated responsibility to his Test assistant coach Marcus Trescothick. “It’s all going to merge into one at some point,” Brook predicted. “We want to go out there and entertain the crowd, take the game on, try to take wickets and put the pressure on their bowlers.”And after ending the Test summer on autopilot at The Oval, Brook hopes that this new challenge will prove reinvigorating. “I’ve only been here for two days, but the way the lads have gone about their business in training just seems so chilled at the minute. We’re all looking forward to going out there and having some fun.”

Australia batter should be fine to play in next week’s final, despite taking a hit to his left elbow in nets a couple of days ago

Osman Samiuddin03-Jun-2023David Warner would like to see the World Test Championship (WTC) final played as a three-Test series instead of a one-off game.Australia take on India at The Oval from June 7, the first step in a big six months for them as they challenge for the Test title, the Ashes and then the ODI World Cup. Warner has played in World Cup finals before – has won them too – but is looking forward to a first five-day title.”I think it’s great,” he said ahead of a training session in Beckenham. “I have been – I won’t say critical – but I do think it should be at least a three-game series with Test cricket only. You play two years of good cricket, then you play on a neutral venue against an opposition. We’ve all played here before but [this game is] not against the same [host] nation.Related

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“It’s a great reward for the two best teams. Two world-class bowling attacks bowling with a Dukes ball on foreign land. It’s great and we’re excited for that.”Given an increasingly cramped calendar and the demands on a schedule a three-Test series will make on any host nation, it is unlikely Warner’s wish will become reality anytime soon. Speaking last week, the ICC’s general manager cricket, Wasim Khan said that though there is constant review of the structure, the current feedback from members was that the league and one-off final was “continuing to work as it is”.Members have committed to the league and final for the next eight-year cycle.

Warner cops blow on elbow but he’s good to go

Warner should be fine to play in the final, despite taking another hit to his left elbow in nets a couple of days ago. It hit him on the same spot as the Mohammed Siraj delivery in the second innings of the Delhi Test earlier this year. That blow resulted in a hairline fracture which ruled him out of the remaining two Tests of the series.”It was sore, it got me right on the same point from a different angle,” he said. “It went numb, had to get it strapped. It’s fine now, a little bit sore. Luckily it didn’t hit me on top.”The last one hit from above and had a hairline fracture. This one was a straight blow on the corner of the elbow which was quite sore. Just one of those things, you get hit, you get hit, can’t do anything about it.”Warner goes into the final with questions around his Test form. He averages 26 since the start of 2022 but said he’d been batting in the nets better than he ever remembers.”I remember 2013, I was in the nets and copping it left, right and centre in the media about getting bowled by Mitchell Starc and all the other guys and how I wasn’t in form in the nets. I found that a bit bizarre because I’m probably one of the worst netters going around. But here, I’ve actually been superb, in terms of how my feet have been moving. My energy’s been moving, I’ve been up and about. I’m probably batting better than I ever have in the nets.”David Warner gets cracking as Australia get ready for the WTC final•ICC via Getty Images

With a Test underway at Lord’s already and the Ashes to start in just under two weeks, the WTC final – in England but without England – has had to fight a little for its share of the attention. Warner, at least, was clear about his immediate priorities: Stuart Broad later, Mohammed Shami and Co for now.”I haven’t really worked on that [plans for Broad] yet,” he said. “I’m concentrating on the WTC final. Mohammed Shami and [Mohammed] Siraj and Shardul Thakur is what’s on my mind first. That’s what important to us right now, then I’ll switch on and worry about Stuart Broad if they select him for the first Test this time.””We’ve played some outstanding cricket over the last 18-24 months. We know what India will bring to the table. It’s a great neutral venue, two world-class bowling attacks with a Dukes ball and from a batter’s perspective, I can’t wait to get out there.”

Visitors ended Day 3 with an overall lead of 489 after a first-innings lead of 408

Tristan Lavalette14-Mar-2022Stumps Captain Pat Cummins resisted enforcing the follow-on after rampant quick Mitchell Starc delivered a reverse swing masterclass against a hapless Pakistan batting order to power Australia into an almost impregnable position in the second Test.In their second innings, the visitors reached stumps on day three at 81 for 1 with an overall lead of 489. Marnus Labuschagne was 37* and Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 35 as Australia capped an almost flawless day’s play to be well poised to draw first blood in this historic series, the first played between the teams in Pakistan since 1998.Cummins raised some eyebrows when he opted to bat again even though Australia had a massive first-innings lead of 408 after routing Pakistan for 148. It was Pakistan’s largest ever first-innings deficit, but Australia preferred sticking with their well-worn strategy of grinding the hosts into the ground as Cummins’ earlier decision to bat into day three appeared a masterstroke.Even though Australia’s bowlers had a relatively light workload, Cummins might have been influenced by oppressive conditions in Karachi, where the temperature again hovered in the mid-30s as he sought to give his bowlers a rest.It provided a chance for Australia’s batters to get an extra hit under little pressure, but opener David Warner’s relatively lean start to the series continued when he fell for 7. Khawaja, who has hit three tons in six innings since his Test recall in January, received a life just before stumps when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan on 30, while Labuschagne played fluently, aiming to erase the memories of being run-out for a duck in the first innings.They toyed with Pakistan’s flagging bowlers, who probably still couldn’t quite believe they had to return to the field so soon. Australia will look to continue breaking Pakistan’s back before an inevitable declaration on day four when they will unleash their bowlers who relished a deteriorating pitch to leave behind the ghosts of Rawalpindi.With plenty of runs on the board against weary opponents, Australia’s attack bounced back brilliantly after taking just four wickets in 217.1 overs in the first Test amid a stale draw. In response to Australia’s marathon first innings of 556 for 9 declared, a weary Pakistan crumbled against relentless quicks Cummins and Starc, who conjured spectacular reverse-swing as he hit speeds of near 150kph.Mitchell Swepson claimed his maiden Test wicket when he dismissed captain Babar Azam•AFP/Getty Images

Justifying his selection over Josh Hazlewood, Starc was rewarded for his rapid bowling with the wicket of first-Test centurion Azhar Ali, who edged a full and wide delivery to Cameron Green at second slip. He then had Fawad Alam lbw for a golden duck with a searing yorker in the first delivery faced by the batter in the series.The red-hot Starc, who went wicketless in Rawalpindi, almost completed a hat-trick when he beat Rizwan with a pearler of a good length delivery that swerved past the edge. But Cummins removed Rizwan shortly after with a gem, and was unlucky to finish with a solitary wicket.Debutant legspinner Mitchell Swepson wasn’t greatly required but claimed his maiden Test wicket when he dismissed captain Babar Azam who miscued a well-flighted legbreak.The 28-year-old, who is Australia’s first specialist Test legspinner since Bryce McGain in 2009, added another to finish with 2 for 32, but his most important contribution was running out opener Abdullah Shafique with a brilliant direct hit to start Pakistan’s rot.All of Australia’s frontline bowlers shared in the spoils, with Green claiming his first Test wicket overseas when he trapped Faheem Ashraf lbw for 4. Even though they faced menacing bowling, Pakistan contributed to their demise with two disastrous run -outs and several reckless strokes, including in-form opener Imam-ul-Haq holing out on 20 straight after lunch in a tame dismissal against spinner Nathan Lyon.Babar played a lone hand as he batted through the type of carnage reminiscent of Pakistan’s woes in Australia during the past two decades. Underlining their batting horror show, tailenders Nauman Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s tenth wicket stand of 30 was Pakistan’s highest partnership of a feeble innings.Australia dominated from the start of day three, with Cummins and Swepson adding a quickfire half-century partnership for the last wicket to frustrate Pakistan further. Cummins finally declared after 189 overs in their highest number of overs in an innings in Asia since 2000.After Cummins won a crucial toss, Australia made the most of batting-friendly conditions in an innings dominated by Khawaja’s brilliant 160 off 369 balls in the city his family hails from, while Alex Carey with 93 and Steven Smith with 72 notched half-centuries.Khawaja may have the chance on day four to complete twin centuries in a Test for the second time in four matches before Australia’s bowlers look to put the final nail in Pakistan’s coffin.