Abbas tears into Aussies

PAKISTAN seamer Mohammad Abbas ripped through Australia’s batting lineup with a five-wicket haul last night as the visitors were bowled out for 145 on the second day of the second cricket test.

Australia conceded a massive 137-run lead as Abbas finished with 5-33 when he had Mitchell Starc (34) lbw and Australia was dismissed an hour after lunch.

Abbas had reduced Australia to 2-20 overnight after Pakistan recovered well to post 282 through identical knocks of 94 runs each by captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Fakhar Zaman on the first day.

Abbas picked up his third and fourth wickets inside the first hour on Wednesday when he found the outside edges of Shaun Marsh and Travis Head.

Mitchell Marsh fell to legspinner Yasir Shah and offspinner Bilal Asif (3-23) struck twice by removing opener Aaron Finch (39) and captain Tim Paine (3) in quick succession as Australia slipped to 91-7 in first session.

Marnus Labuschagne (25) and Starc put on the best partnership of the innings when they contributed 37 runs for the eighth wicket stand before Labuschagne fell to a bizarre run out.

Labuschagne watched the ball hit the stumps at the nonstriker’s end while his bat was in the air as legspinner Shah got tips of his fingers off Starc’s drive. Just before the first session ended, Paine was adjudged lbw to another sharply turning delivery from Asif and had his umpire decision review rejected on a TV referral.