David Warner produced an outstanding 164 on the first day of play of the first Test at Perth Stadium, to give Australia an ideal start to the Benaud-Qadir Trophy. The home side chalked up 346 runs in 84 overs while losing five scalps in the day, which all came courtesy of the Pakistan pace attack. The visitors, who fielded a bowling attack of four pace options, saw each of their fast bowlers return with at least a wicket each.
Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat first on the Perth wicket. Left-handed openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner batted through the first session to give a solid start to Australia, who crossed the 100-run mark without loss of a wicket.
The 126-run commanding partnership mounted pressure on the visitors until left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi struck to take out Khawaja, who had to walk back to the pavilion after scoring 41 from 98 including six boundaries.
Next batter in, Marnus Labuschagne managed 16 off 25, with just a solitary four, before right-arm seamer Faheem Ashraf trapped him LBW. Warner was then joined by Steven Smith, who walked out to bat in the 38th over with the scorecard reading 159-2.
The two batted together to add 79 more to the total with Smith contributing 31 off 60 deliveries, including four boundaries. He was caught behind off right-arm pacer Khurram Shahzad, marking the debutant’s maiden Test wicket.
Following the fall of the third wicket, Travis Head got off the mark with a boundary on the second ball he faced, setting the tone for the rest of his knock. He hit a quick 53-ball 40, showcasing six fours, which was cut short when he was caught by Salman Ali Agha off Aamir Jamal’s bowling for the latter’s first Test scalp.
Warner, who remained on the crease for the majority of the day’s play, struck the most noteworthy performance of the day. He constructed a solid knock that yielded 164 runs off 211 deliveries, smashing 16 boundaries and four maximums.
Aamir struck again, shortly after removing Head, to claim the prized wicket of Warner, dismissing him on the last ball of the 75th over.
All-rounder Mitch Marsh (15 not out, 31b, 2x4s) and wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey (14 not out, 32b, 1×4) remained on the crease, with Australia at 346-5 in 84 overs at the close of play on the first day.
The second day’s play will resume at Perth Stadium from 7:20 PKT on 15 December.
Scores in brief:
Australia 346-5, 84 overs (David Warner 164, Usman Khawaja 41, Travis Head 40; Aamir Jamal 2-63, Khurram Shahzad 1-62, Faheem Ashraf 1-65, Shaheen Shah Afridi 1-75)
