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Australia ran riot against Pakistan in the first Test in Perth and began the three-match Test series with a dominant win by 360 runs. During the first innings of the Pakistan batting, former skipper Babar Azam was dismissed by Australia all-rounder Micthell Marsh, and Pakistan legend Wasim Akram, who was sitting in the commentary box, appeared to be frustrated with Babar's wicket at a cheap score.
Australia opener David Warner smashed 164 runs in the first inning to help his side register 487 runs on the board. After Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique's (42) first wicket on 74 runs, the Men in Green failed to reach a 50-run partnership throughout the innings as Imam-ul-Haq (62) was the only batter to score a half-century for the visitors.
In his 50th Test match, Babar Azam got off the mark with a boundary against Patt Cummins after playing 13 balls. However, the former Pakistan skipper's presence on the pitch was short-lived as all-rounder Mitchell Marsh edged him out to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
Watch Babar's dismissal:
Pakistan legend Wasim Akram was in the commentary box when Babar Azam was dismissed by Marsh and the 57-year-old appeared to be frustrated with the wicket.
Watch the video here:
After Babar Azam's wicket when Pakistan were at 181 runs, the team were bundled out after scoring just 90 runs as Nathan Lyon picked three wickets while Mitchell Starc and Patt Cummins picked up two wickets each. Australia declared their second innings on 233 runs at a loss of five wickets with Usman Khawaja's 90 runs and Marsh's unbeaten knock of 63 runs.
Ravi Shastri makes huge statement on Babar Azam
Ahead of the play of Day 4, former Indian head coach and current commentator, Ravi Shastri stated that Babar Azam should take the role of Shan Masood's deputy in the Pakistan Cricket Team. Masood replaced Babar as Test captain after the team's dismal run at the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
“I want Babar Azam to be Vice Captain, he has experience, he has some knowledge he can communicate with bowler and he should do. I can say it on his face that I don't wanna see quite Babar Azam on the field, there should be some communication, some aggression on the field,” Ravi Shastri said on Fox Sports.
While chasing a mammoth total of 449 runs, Pakistan failed to absorb the pressure and went on to deliver an even poorer performance than their first innings. The Men in Green were bundled out at 89 runs in the second innings with Nathan Lyon becoming the eighth bowler to pick 500 Test wickets.
