'I'm astonished by that': Cummins makes another huge call after Swepson and Starc destroy Pakistan, Aussies power ahead

Australia claimed a first innings lead of 408 on day three of the second Test against Pakistan but skipper Pat Cummins opted against enforcing the follow on in the final session.

Cummins’ refusal to declare Australia’s innings closed after a dominant first day caused a stir, and he was at it again late in the day. But the captain’s attacking mindset was on display from ball one on Monday and the tourists finally declared at 9-566.

Pakistan folded in reply – all out for 148 – but Cummins chose to bat again and the Aussies reached 1-81 at stumps, a lead of 489 with two days to play. Marnus Labuschagne is on 37 and Usman Khawaja on 35.

“I’m astonished by that,” said Mike Haysman on the TV commentary. “Pakistan trail by 408 and Australia are batting again. I don’t understand that at all. The workload has not been anything substantial at all. I’m stunned.”

Pakistan legend Waqar Younis was less surprised by Cummins’ decision.

“Modern day Test match cricketers don’t really give follow ons,” he said. “They want their bowlers to be rested properly, have a little break. There’s so much time left in this game. They can afford to bat tonight for 24 overs and come back tomorrow and bat for an hour or so.

“Pakistan have to play out of their skin to draw this game – they can’t it that’s for sure.”

Mitchell Swepson started the rout with a stunning run out, and took his first Test wicket, while Mitchell Starc’s fire left Pakistan’s batting in rubble, as Australia had a dream day two in Karachi.

Swatting sixes with abandon, Cummins belied his poor recent batting form to put on an unbroken 51-run stand with debutant Mitchell Swepson (15) for the tenth wicket, after Starc fell on the second ball of the morning.

Cummins called a halt at 9-556 and Pakistan’s chase was in trouble almost from the start.

First Test centurion Abdullah Shafique called Imam-ul-Haq for a near-suicidal single to short third man on the brink of lunch, only for Swepson to charge in and nail the stumps with a direct hit.

“What were they thinking,” an exasperated Waqar Younis said on Fox Cricket’s commentary.

“What were they doing? There was never a single there.”

After the opening pair had ground the Aussies into the dust in Rawalpindi, the jubilation was palpable – even more so when Imam followed in the first over of the second session with a brain fade of his own, chipping Nathan Lyon straight to mid on.

The Pakistan pair were quickly followed back into the sheds by the third centurion of the first Test, Azhar Ali wonderfully pouched low down by Cameron Green at second slip for Mitchell Starc’s first wicket of the series.

Having bowled 37 wicketless overs on the tour up to that point, scalps would prove like buses for the left-armer as Fawad Alam, who went without a hit in Rawalpindi, was trapped plumb in front first ball.

“That is excellent bowling,” enthused commentator Rob Key.

“As we all know, he’s got an odd set-up, has Fawad Alam. And that time, he couldn’t really get round and ready, the speed that Starc was bowling!”

Starc’s hat-trick attempt would result in the ‘ball of the series’ as well, according to Key, It was a vicious cutter angling in from around the wicket to the right-handed Mohammad Rizwan, and seaming too much to take the outside edge.

The Pakistani wicketkeeper would continue to live a charmed life, dropped by a diving Steve Smith at first slip in another instance of the cordon standing too close to Alex Carey. He’d then be given out LBW to Pat Cummins shouldering arms, only for the DRS to show the ball would have almost missed a second set of stumps outside off.

Not that it mattered for long: Cummins, bowling wonderfully, would produce a similar delivery to the ball that Smith dropped, once again enticing a Rizwan edge that this time found its way to Carey’s waiting gloves.

Following shortly after was all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, pinned in front as Cameron Green joined the party. At 6-81, the Aussies, extraordinarily, were into the tail.

Even the review system, so often a thorn in the visitors’ side, was working for them. With cracks beginning to open up on the previously benign surface, Carey’s confidence that Sajid Khan had got a thin edge to another Starc seamer convinced Cummins to go upstairs. Wouldn’t you know it, a murmur was detected on Snicko, and the seventh wicket was down.

Watching from the other end, occasionally picking off a sumptuous cover drive, was Pakistan captain Babar Azam, immovable as carnage unfolded in the middle. But after Starc removed Sajid Khan for five and Marnus Labuschange sparked the second run out of the innings, Swepson got his second memorable moment, removing Babar for 35.

Swepson had Nauman Ali dropped by Steve Smith with the total on 143 but five runs later took his second wicket to wrap up the innings.

Pakistan legend Waqar Younis said the hosts “went wrong everywhere.

“That middle session where Pakistan couldn’t really handle the pace, the swing, the control of the Australians – they were outstanding when they picked up the six wickets in the middle session.”