Australia v Pakistan: Boxing Day Test, day three – as it happened

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STUMPS Day 3: Australia 187 for 6 and leading by 241 runs.

A quirky end to a curious day’s cricket. First we had Pat Cummins wrap up the Pakistan innings with a typically sublime five-wicket haul. Then Pakistan hit back, obliterating Australia’s top four batters to have them on their knees at 16-4. It could have been worse for thr home side if Abdullah Shafique hadn’t dropped Mitchell Marsh at 47-4. Instead he spilled a regulation catch and the big allrounder, with Steve Smith, rattled off another 150 runs before snicking off four runs short of his century. Smith fell in the final over of the day to end a fierce and fantastic day’s cricket.

If Pakistan wrap up Australia’s tail for not many in the morning and keep the chase under 300 we may yet have a thrilling Test finish on our hands. But if the tail wags and the chase extends toward 400, Pakistan are at risk of folding like a cheap suit as they did in Perth. Either way, the fight is on and two proud cricket nations will duke it out afresh on the morrow.

Stand by for a match report, thanks for your company. See you on Day 4!

Updated at 03.03 EST

WICKET! Smith c Salman b Shaheen 50 (Australia 187-6)

A meek end to a marathon innings by Smith! Shaheen dug it in short and Smith fended it straight to Salman at short gully. Smith hadn’t scored in 23 balls and he looked ill at ease all day. A weird innings by him but a useful one for Australia and a good wicket for Pakistan to finish Day 3 on.

Updated at 02.33 EST

62nd over: Australia 187-5 (Smith 50, Carey 16) Carey is crouching low to Salman to snuff the spin and the tactic yields a beautiful boundary on the fourth ball as he steps out and smacks it past the bowler and along the ground all the way to the boundary. Lovely stuff!

61st over: Australia 183-5 (Smith 50, Carey 16) Carey is averaging 17 in his last nine innings but he’s looking good here. Smith isn’t exactly ticking the run-rate over in support – he hasn’t scored a single run in seven overs – but as the new man at the crease, Carey is slowly extending the lead to 250.

60th over: Australia 182-5 (Smith 50, Carey 11) Carey CRACKS Salman down the ground for FOUR to wake the crowd up and move into double figures. He then steals a single to make it a whopping five from the over.

59th over: Australia 176-5 (Smith 50, Carey 5) Australia’s lead is up to 230 but the river of runs Mitch Marsh had going has slowed to a turgid trickle since the big fella departed for 96 nine overs back. Instead we have a staring contest between Smith and Shaheen and precious few runs.

Updated at 02.19 EST

58th over: Australia 176-5 (Smith 50, Carey 5) The catcher turns bowler. Agha Salman, the master slipper, who has put his teammates to shame with his superb catching behind the wicket, has been given a trundle in the shadows of stumps. Smith sniffs at each delivery like a dog inspecting lamp posts but doesn’t deign to put his mark on any of them.

57th over: Australia 176-5 (Smith 50, Carey 5) Shaheen Shah Afridi, the rangy right-handed quick from Landi Kotal, is back for a late blast. He has Carey in his sights but the lefty from Glenelg is forward looking for runs. He can’t find any this 0ver though. Unlike Smith, he’s striking the ball cleanly. But like Smith, he’s not scoring.

Updated at 02.10 EST

56th over: Australia 176-5 (Smith 50, Carey 5) Carey might be under pressure but it’s not showing as he drives Hamza for a rapidly-run three. Hamza, the pick of the Pakistan bowlers today with 3-27 from 16 overs, gets Smith hopping on his fourth ball but he recovers to play another stalemate.

55th over: Australia 173-5 (Smith 50, Carey 2) Shaheen is into his 15th over but he’s hasn’t been able to match the 1-2 knockout combination he delivered this morning to dismiss David Warner and Usman Khawaja. Another maiden.

54th over: Australia 173-5 (Smith 50, Carey 2) Smith has stalled on 49. Hamza is bowling tight lines but a man averaging 58 should be scoring more freely. He picks up my Clue Phone and clips one of his left pocket for a single. That’s Smith’s 40th Test fifty and his ninth against Pakistan. It came from 153 balls at a strike rate of 32.7. Carey joins in the celebrations by darting one down to third man to get off the mark.

53rd over: Australia 170-5 (Smith 49, Carey 0) Carey has the strike to Aamer and he’s desperate to get off his duck and start building an innings. After 26 Tests the 32-year-old former Aussie Rules prodigy has a Test average of 31, a strike rate of 57 and just the one century, sub-par numbers given his gifts for strokeplay. There’s a nervous moment on the final ball as one rears at him off a length but there’s no edge and despite half-an-appeal there’s no review either. A second straight maiden ensues.

52nd over: Australia 170-5 (Smith 49, Carey 0) Smith can give the crowd something to cheer if he reaches his fifty this over. His slowest half-century of the 39 he’s struck from 103 Tests has been from 154 deliveries so he needs a single in the next four balls to beat it. But he’s in no rush, playiong out a maiden from Hamza.

51st over: Australia 170-5 (Smith 49, Carey 0) With the gas zapped from the crowd at that dismissal of Mitch Marsh for 96, Alex Carey walks out for what needs to be a significant innings. Although his wicketkeeping has been sublime, his batsmanship has fallen away badly in the last two seasons. He fends five Aamer deliveries away as he gets his eye in.

WICKET! Marsh c Salman b Hamza 96 (Australia 169-5)

Nooooo! Marsh had moved within one shot of a fourth Test ton but instead he’s edged an uppish ball to Salman at first slip who dived to his right and took a really good catch down low. That’s Marsh’s second 90s score in two Tests and he’ll be shattered.

This is what’s happening between Marsh and the mirror as we speak…

Updated at 01.41 EST

50th over: Australia 163-4 (Smith 49, Marsh 96) BANG goes The Bison! Marsh launched himself at Hamza’s first ball and blazed it through covers. Power personified. But now he shows finesse, clipping off the hip for two more to go within a stroke of a fourth Test century. Nervous? We’ll see…

Updated at 01.38 EST

49th over: Australia 163-4 (Smith 49, Marsh 90) Shot Smudge! Aamer aimed it at his chin and Smith swivelled and smashed it square for FOUR. That’s only his third boundary of the innings but easily the prettiest. Australia lead by 217 and Pakistan shoulders are starting to slump.

48th over: Australia 159-4 (Smith 45, Marsh 90) Big step, big edge! It splits second slip and gully and runs away for four. Smith’s big head breaks into a grin as his father Geoff (50 Tests) and older brother Shaun (38 Tests) watch on from the grandstand. Hasan Ali keeps hurling them in at 125kph-plus but nothing is getting through these two at the moment.

In honour of Marsh entering the 90s let’s breathe in some Eu de Spirit 1991

Updated at 01.29 EST

47th over: Australia 152-4 (Smith 45, Marsh 86) Pakistan have to dig deep here but Marsh keeps attacking and Aamer can’t find the spark they need. He mashes Aamer past midwicket for two and then eases a single. Smith taps back the next three.

46th over: Australia 152-4 (Smith 45, Marsh 83) Marsh leans back and cuts Hasan but he can’t find the gap on the offside. He does better on the next but it’s only worth a single. No more runs but not much threat either.

45th over: Australia 151-4 (Smith 45, Marsh 82) Smith strikes! That was short from Aamer and he late cut it for four. Not a beautiful stroke but an effective one. That is just Smith’s second boundary from 125 deliveries. He leaves the next four, jamming down hard on the last as his spikes stick in the turf. I think that’s what happened. Given Smith is such a tangle of twitches it’s hard to tell when he’s being legitimately clumsy.

44th over: Australia 147-4 (Smith 41, Marsh 82) Marsh taps an easy single from Hasan’s first ball to take the lead beyond 200. We are now 100 runs down the track from Shafique dropping Marsh and making it 47-5.

43rd over: Australia 145-4 (Smith 40, Marsh 81) With Australia on the brink of a 200 lead, Pakistan turn back to Aamer Jamal. His seven overs have cost 40 runs so far this innings but his six wickets in the first dig at Perth was a quality Test debut so there’s hope. His third ball thumps into Smiths pads and draws an apeal. Onfield decision is NOT OUT but Pakistan review. Replays show no bat and the ball striking the knee roll of the front pad but the ball isn’t taking enough of leg stump to overturn the onfield call. Smith survives and celebrates with three lavish leaves to see out the over.

42nd over: Australia 137-4 (Smith 39, Marsh 74) CRACK! The Shaheen ball was fast but it was short and wide and Marsh leaned back and cut it to the fence. That’s his 11th four, ten more than Smith. Marsh clobbers the second delivery too but he doesn’t cream this one quite as sweetly. Still gets three runs. Shaheen fights back for the rest of the over, no more runs.

To celebrate Mitch Marsh entering the 80 let’s Rick’n’roll shall we?

41st over: Australia 137-4 (Smith 39, Marsh 74) Big swing by Smith! He mistimes it but it was good intent even if badly executed. He tries again on the next ball and skies it. Up, up… but the ball lands safely and they run two. Smith has flicked a switch here. He drives at the next one but again the timing isn’t there. Pakistan sense some panic and pitch jup on the fifth. There’s a big shout for lbw but they don’t review. Smith steps out to drive the last but it hits the toe end of the bat and no run results.

40th over: Australia 135-4 (Smith 37, Marsh 74) Shaheen is coming around the wicket now, trying to throw Smith off balance. But how do you pierce the tangled defences of a batter like Steve Smith. Marsh inside edges a drive for two runs but is bailed up by the next one. Shaheen has a big holler for lbw and onfield decision is NOT OUT but Pakistan, desperate, decide to review. Bad call by them, good call by the umpire. It’s missing by plenty.

39th over: Australia 132-4 (Smith 36, Marsh 72) Smith clips three through midwicket and Marsh takes two past backward point as Australia extend their lead to 186. This Test is slipping away from Pakistan.

38th over: Australia 127-4 (Smith 33, Marsh 70) News just in that the Shane Warne Legacy Test has delivered over 23,000 free four-minute heart tests at the MCG over the three days so far. A wonderful result for the Warne family and a fitting tribute to the great man whose rebadged Great Southern Stand watches over the action today. Marsh does his bit to raise the pulse off the fifth ball, carving it square for his tenth four.

Updated at 00.43 EST

37th over: Australia 121-4 (Smith 32, Marsh 65) Marsh drops Hasan’s first ball into covers and jogs a single. Smith faces his 100th ball and is still without a boundary from his 28 runs. But just as I type those words he goes BANG! pulling a short ball over square leg for a sweet FOUR. There’s the Smudge we love and miss!

Updated at 00.33 EST

36th over: Australia 116-4 (Smith 28, Marsh 64) Pakistan have been frugal in this final session but they need wickets to expose Australia’s tail. Marsh and Smith hve the home side cruising to 200 and the Test is in the balance. Shaheen returns to the fray to double-down on his frown and the fielder recalibrates into a shape that says short bowling is imminent. Marsh knows it too, staying watchful to the first four before fending one into covers to bring up the century partnership for this pair. It has come from 183 balls and has survived some close shaves, but it could prove a matchwinner.

Updated at 00.29 EST

35th over: Australia 115-4 (Smith 28, Marsh 63) Hasan is bending his back to force a mistake from Smith. He’s hurtling in, varying the angle of his run-up each time to deliver from wide of the crease and then close into the stumps. But nothing is working against Smith who ducks and weaves five in a row. Another one-run over for Australia as the lead creeps to 169.

34th over: Australia 114-4 (Smith 28, Marsh 62) Australia remain circumspect so far. Perhaps their orders are to make it to stumps and slow grind Pakistan into the dust along the way then put pedal to the metal on Day 4? Just one lonely run to Marsh from this miserly Hamza over.

Updated at 00.21 EST

33rd over: Australia 113-4 (Smith 28, Marsh 61) Here come the runs at last as Marsh pounds Hasan past midwicket for three leaving Smith to take a couple from the next. Scott Boland, Boxing Day Test hero and Australia’s 12th man for this Test is on the fence signing autographs and a chant goes up: ‘Boland! Boland!’ in memory of his remarkable Test debut a couple of summers back when, age 32, he tore England to pieces with 6 for 7. Not a bad reception for a bloke carrying the drinks…

32nd over: Australia 108-4 (Smith 26, Marsh 58) First runs of the session as Marsh taps a single from Hamza to take Australia’s lead to 162. That total alone would challenge this Pakistan side but Australia have Smith and Marsh well set and another six batters to come, not to mention a mighty bowling attack to defend any second innings total. Just one from this over as Australia get their bearings for this session. Will they shut up shop or open the shoulders?

Updated at 00.13 EST

31st over: Australia 107-4 (Smith 26, Marsh 57) Here we go, cricket fans. Final session of a frenzied Day 3. It’s been a crazy two sessions of highs and lows – brilliant bowling by Pat Cummins to wrap up the Pakistan tail, gutsy batting by the visitors to get so close to Australia’s first innings total. Then we had Pakistan’s bowlers blowing apart Australia’s top order and reducing them to 16-4 before Smith and Marsh staged a counter-attack of their own. Who will finish Day 3 with their noses in front? Crucial overs coming up.

30th over: Australia 107-4 (Smith 26, Marsh 57) Hamza’s economy rate is 1.28 today and this tenth over typifies his spell – tight lines and effort balls that Smith wants no part of. He chips a single from the last to deny Hamza a sixth maiden. That’ll be tea, folks. See you in 20 hot minutes.

29th over: Australia 106-4 (Smith 25, Marsh 57) Lights are on at the MCG as we close on the tea break. Australia’s lead is up over 150 now and Shaheen is thundering in, trying to find a wicket ball. Smith cuffs one around the corner for a single and Marsh skips and clips for another two to bring up the 100 for Australia. He celebrates by cleaving a short ball square for a magnificent four.

28th over: Australia 96-4 (Smith 24, Marsh 50) Hamza is challenging Smith with his line and bounce and Smith is hopping around, parrying and prodding but rarely scoring. He leaves a close one on ball five and there’s a shout but no review. Another maiden for Hamza, his fifth from nine overs.

27th over: Australia 95-4 (Smith 24, Marsh 50) Smith, always fidgety and a bit cranky today, swats two through covers. He has scrambled to 23 from over 60 deliveries and still looks a long way from the form that delivered him a 60+ average and the “best since Bradman” plaudits some years back. He adds three to his total from this Shaheen over.

26th over: Australia 93-4 (Smith 21, Marsh 50) Marsh pushes a single to reach his half-century and Smith picks off another. Marsh’s fifty comes from 70 deliveries and features eight fours at a strike-rate of 71.4.

Updated at 23.28 EST

FIFTY for Mitchell Marsh! (Australia 92 for 4)

That’s Marsh’s third half-century of the series after displacing Cameron Green for the all-rounder’s spot in the Australian XI. It comes from 870 deliveries and could be a match-turning innings to go with his man of the match performance in the first Test at Perth.

Mitchell Marsh raises his bat to mark his half century. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Updated at 23.55 EST

25th over: Australia 90-4 (Smith 20, Marsh 49) An edge? A FOUR! Marsh jumped out to meet Shaheen on the up and his defensive stroke deflected through slips to the fence at third man. We have a weird break as the umpire sneaks off for what we assume is an urgent bathroom break. Marsh drops anchor himself, bashing Shaheen down the ground for another four. There’s a shout on the last but no one’s interested, not least the umpires who are doing a handover after that hasty dunny visit.

Updated at 23.24 EST

24th over: Australia 82-4 (Smith 19, Marsh 41) Trying to arrest this flow of runs and shake Pakistan out of its fielding funk, Masood turns to Hamza, the big quick who removed Travis Head and David Warner with such flourish. The big 31-year-old late bloomer from Karachi enters his seventh over with 2-9 and Smith shows him the respect those statistics deserve, playing out a maiden.

23rd over: Australia 82-4 (Smith 19, Marsh 41) Shaheen puts it full and wide and Marsh meets it on the up. Doesn’t get it all but two runs result. He gets plenty of the fifth delivery, dropping down to drive at high speed past poor Hamza and notch a sixth boundary from his 62 balls so far.

Updated at 23.13 EST

22nd over: Australia 76-4 (Smith 19, Marsh 36) Smith pounces on a poor opening delivery from Aamer to take two and then scampers a single on the next to turn the screws on Pakistan’s infield. Marsh swats at the third and it squirts away for a couple more then swipes another three runs to deep midwicket. Productive over for Australia. They lead by 130 runs.

21st over: Australia 67-4 (Smith 16, Marsh 30) Pakistan need to regain the initiative so they’ve turned to their mercurial destroyer Shaheen for a breakthrough. He rolls in around the wicket this time for a sixth over with 2-14 against his name and the scalps of Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne on his belt. Two good first balls are undone by a misfield on the third as captain Masood fumbles at mid-off and allows Marsh a single. Then there’s another bye on the last. After a fantastic day in the field yesterday where they took every chance, Pakistan are fraying at the edges and literally letting the Test slip through their fingers on Day 3.

20th over: Australia 66-4 (Smith 16, Marsh 29) Aamer rolls in for a fourth over and Marsh digs out two runs through midwicket and then a single through the same gap. Smith unfurls a cover drive on the fourth but the timing is a bit bung and only two runs result. He does better on the next, clipping a straight one off his toes to bring up the 50-partnership. It came from 87 balls and got a life on 46-4 when Shafique dropped his lollies.