Electrical storm cuts short Pakistan warm-up ahead of Australia Tests
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Pakistan's only warm-up match ahead of their three-Test series against Australia was cut short Saturday after a freak storm prevented further play.
The Prime Minister's XI trailed the tourists by 24 runs at 367-4 on day three of the four-day fixture when an electrical storm lashed Canberra late Friday.
It blew the covers off the Manuka Oval pitch, exposing it to rain, with the umpires abandoning the clash as a draw without any further action on Saturday.
The post-match presentation ceremony highlights đĽ
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 9, 2023
Pakistan captain @shani_official was adjudged player of the match for his stellar first-innings effort đŻđŻ#PMXIvPAK | #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/ofsudfxbTw
The decision denied Australia's Matt Renshaw the chance to build on his unbeaten 136 in the race to replace opener David Warner when he quits Test cricket.
Pakistan had declared at 391-9 on the back of skipper Shan Masood's 201 not out.
The first Test starts in Perth on Thursday before moving to Melbourne and then Sydney, where 37-year-old Warner has indicated he plans to draw the curtain on his long Test career.
Pakistan's tour match against the Prime Minister's XI is over after overnight rain pounded the Manuka Oval pitch #PMXIvPAK https://t.co/i3ePJ9eiVf
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 9, 2023
Pakistanâs preparations for their upcoming Test series were hampered big time after the fourth and final day of their warm-up match was washed off. Overnight rain at the Manuka Oval in Canberra meant that not a single ball could be bowled on the final day as the match ended in a draw.
A huge storm of 55km/h blew the covers at the venue, exposing the pitch to heavy rain. On Saturday, the match was called off, keeping in mind the safety concerns of players.
Pakistan would be relatively satisfied with how they batted, led by skipper Shan Masood, who scored his third double hundred in first-class cricket. Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Abdullah Shafique also got useful scores under their belt.
Day 4ď¸âŁ called off due to wet outfield! The four-day game against PM's XI is drawn đ@shani_official is named player of the match for his superb double ton đ#PMXIvPAK | #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/q5B44bbSoz
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 9, 2023
But their bowlers struggled big time as the Prime Ministerâs XI racked up 367 for the loss of four wickets in 141 overs, Matt Renshaw scored 136 off 337 balls to make the Pakistani bowlers toil for success.
Mir Hamza and Aamer Jamal bowled 22 and 21 overs respectively, but without any success. Khurram Shehzad looked accurate after he finished with figures of 23-4-50-1.
Pakistan, in the meantime, are scratching their heads with an injury concern of their premier spinner Abrar Ahmed. The off-spinner bowled only eight overs on Day 3 before going for scans, the results of which are yet to be made public.
If Abrar is unable to get fit, then itâs highly likely that left-armer Noman Ali will play in the opening Test. Earlier, captain Masood hinted that Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan may lead the bowling attack, being the senior members of the team.
PCB update on Ibrar injury
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared an update about Abrar Ahmedâs health after the leg-spinner complained of discomfort in his right leg after bowling eight overs on the third day of four-day game against Prime Ministerâs XI.
The 25-year-old spinner was taken off the field and was sent for a MRI scan.
The board said that it will share further details after medical panel assess the MRI reports.