Smith ton puts Australia in command
SKIPPER Steve Smith scored a ton and rookies Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb half-centuries as Australia took an early grip on the pink-ball first test against Pakistan in Brisbane yesterday.
Smith, dropped on 53, showed the way as the Australians built the foundations for a sturdy first innings after winning the toss.
At the close before a first-day Gabba crowd of more than 26 000, the home side were 288 for three with Smith on 110 and Handscomb, playing in only his second test match, not out on 64.
Smith raised his 16th test century with a driven four off Mohammad Amir with three overs left in the day.
It came off 184 balls with 15 fours.
The pair put on an unbroken stand of 137 runs for the fourth wicket after opener Renshaw, 20, chipped in with an impressive 71, also playing his second test.
Smith was put down on 53 nearing the dinner break when an edge off spinner Azhar Ali went in and out of wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed’s gloves.
Smith and Handscomb batted through the entire final session when, statistically, most wickets tumble in pink-ball tests, to put Australia in a strong position.
Pakistan feared they might have lost their star pace bowler Mohammad Amir after he fell to the ground in the final session clutching his right knee after a misfield.
Amir jarred his knee after his right leg dug into the turf as the ball ran on to the boundary rope.
He was ferried off the ground, but remarkably returned to the field 30 minutes later and went on to finish the session bowling with the second new ball.
“His knee went into the ground and we all feared that he might be worse, but thank God he recovered quickly and he came back,” teammate Azhar Ali said.
Australia lost the wicket of Renshaw in the middle session after the dismissals of David Warner and Usman Khawaja in the opening session.
Renshaw did not put a foot wrong in an assured innings until the 44th over when he was caught behind off Wahab for 71 off 125 balls with nine fours. – AFP