| First Test, Perth Stadium (day three of five): |
| Australia 487 (113.2 overs) & 84-2 (34 overs): |
| Pakistan 271 (101.5 overs): Imam 62 (199), Lyon 3-66 |
| Australia lead by 300 runs |
| Scorecard |
Nathan Lyon moved to 499 career Test wickets as Australia strengthened their control of the first Test against Pakistan on day three.
Lyon took 3-66 as Pakistan were bowled out for 271, having started the day 132-2.
Opener Imam ul-Haq top scored for the tourists in their first innings with 62 runs, coming off 199 balls.
Australia ended the day 84-2 in their second innings, leading Pakistan by 300 runs.
Australia put front foot forward to restrict Pakistan
Starting on an unbeaten 38 off 136 balls, Imam had to form a new partnership quickly after nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad was bowled by Australia captain Pat Cummins with the day’s third ball.
Imam was next joined by Babar Azam, making his first Test appearance since handing the captaincy to Shan Masood. The duo put on 49 together, Pakistan’s best stand of the day.
From there, the tourists’ attempt to get near Australia’s first innings total of 487 crumbled, falling from 181-3 to 271 all out, 216 runs behind the hosts.
Babar was dismissed on 21 by Mitchell Marsh, with Imam (62) soon following and the collapse beginning. Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman were the only remaining batters to show any level of resistance, scoring 28 runs each.
After dismissing opener Abdullah Shafique on day two, spinner Lyon followed up with the wickets of Imam and debutant Aamer Jamal, while Cummins and Mitchell Starc took two wickets each.
In response, Australia were very slow to get going and were 5-2 when David Warner (0) and Marnus Labuschagne (2) both top edged for easy catches off the bowling of debutant Shahzad. It was their lowest score after 10 overs of a Test innings in 30 years.
Shortly before his dismissal, Labuschagne suffered a blow to his hand after being hit by the ball, with Steve Smith also taking a hit to the arm once he came out to bat, with cracks starting to appear in the pitch.
But a 79-run partnership for the third wicket between Usman Khawaja and Smith helped Australia recover, and they ended the day in command.
‘We bowled better today’ – reaction
Australia bowler Josh Hazlewood told ABC’s Grandstand: “A pretty good day – we bowled a little bit better today. We got the ball a bit fuller, adapting from white ball to red ball cricket.
“I was told to warm up so I was desperately cheering Gaz [Nathan Lyon] to get his 500th wicket. It’s such a special achievement. Not many Australians or players around the world have got there.
“We lead by 300 already, if we bat half a day and have Travis Head coming out, we are hoping to set Pakistan a score starting with a four.”
