Australia set Pakistan victory target of 317 in second test
MELBOURNE : Pakistan were set an imposing victory target of 317 runs on the fourth day of the second test on Friday after bowling Australia out for 262 before lunch.
Players.bio is a large online platform sharing the best live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, Golf, Rugby, Cricket, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA, plus the latest sports news, transfers & scores. Exclusive interviews, fresh photos and videos, breaking news. Stay tuned to know everything you wish about your favorite stars 24/7. Check our daily updates and make sure you don't miss anything about celebrities' lives.

MELBOURNE : Pakistan were set an imposing victory target of 317 runs on the fourth day of the second test on Friday after bowling Australia out for 262 before lunch.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were quite busy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, engaging in intense battles with other franchises for their priority picks. While RCB couldn't land Australia captain Pat Cummins despite bidding over INR 20 crore for the star cricketer, they did manage to land Yash Dayal and Alazarri Joseph. RCB's decision to lodge high bids for both Dayal and Joseph didn't go down well with a section of fans who questioned the team's strategy at the auction.
Pakistan cricket team star Abdullah Shafique was once again criticised heavily after he dropped a sitter at first slip to provide a lifeline to Mitchell Marsh on Day 3 of the second Test match against Australia in Melbourne. It was a straightforward chance but he ended up closing his hands too soon and the ball bounced out much to the disappointment of Pakistan. Shafique had earlier dropped a catch from David Warner in the first innings and former Australia slip fielder Mark Waugh was not impressed.“Like a crocodile jaw trying to take a catch. Get him out of there,” Waugh said on commentary.
The start of play after lunch on Day 3 of the second Test match between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne was delayed for a bizarre reason. All the players and on-fielders umpires were out in the middle but the play could not start for a few minutes as third umpire Richard Illingworth was stuck in a lift and could not make his way back to his setup. The players were not clear regarding the delay and the on-field umpires informed them about the situation. However, it was resolved in some time as Illingworth took his position and the game was able to start with Pakistan in a dominant position for the time being.
NEW DELHI : Cricket got a glimpse into its future during a momentous 2023 but its present continues to be dominated by Australia, who bagged the test and 50-overs world titles under Pat Cummins's inspiring leadership.
Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test Day 3 Live: Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon put Australia in the driving seat of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday to leave Pakistan tottering at 194-6, still 124 runs behind on day two. At stumps, Mohammad Rizwan was on 29 and Aamer Jamal not out two after Cummins took the crucial wickets of Abdullah Shafique (62) and Babar Azam (one), then Agha Salman (five). Lyon chipped in by removing Imam-ul-Haq (10) and Shan Masood (54), while Josh Hazlewood bowled Saud Shakeel for nine as Pakistan's dream of a first Test win in Australia since 1995 faded. (LIVE SCORECARD)
Former Australia spinner Kerry O'Keeffe expressed his surprise at the Pakistan team for presenting Christmas gifts to the Pat Cummins-led side ahead of the second Test in Melbourne. Ahead of the start of the proceedings on Boxing Day, the Pakistan cricket team presented gifts for the Australian team. In a video uploaded by PCB, a member of the support staff was also seen distributing candies to children present during the indoor training session. Reacting to the video, O'Keeffe questioned if Sourav Ganguly would have done something similar for Steve Waugh during the previous era.
Pakistan's former skipper Babar Azam failed to contribute with the bat one more time as Australia skipper Pat Cummins cleaned him up for a score of just 1 run. Pakistan's top-order did well in tackling Australia's bowling attack, with the likes of Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood scoring half-centuries. Babar was expected to carry the momentum forward after the duo's dismissal but he could only score one run in 6 balls before Cummins bowled a ripper on the 7th delivery to send him packing.