Mitchell Marsh slams 96 against Pakistan in Boxing Day Test
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh missed out on his maiden Test century against Pakistan. He scored 96 in the third innings of the ongoing Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. The dasher played with remarkable intent and scored 96 off 130 balls (13 fours). Notably, he returned with twin half-centuries in the series opener in Perth. Here we look at his stellar stats.
A fine knock from Marsh
Australia were reeling at 16/4 in their second innings when Marsh arrived in the middle. He joined forces with Steve Smith and the duo bailed the team out of trouble with a 153-run stand. Marsh was the aggressor in the partnership as he gave a tough time to the likes of Aamer Jamal and Shaheen Afridi. He eventually fell to Mir Hamza.
Here are his stats
Each of Marsh's three Test centuries have come against England. Hence, this could have been his first Test ton against a non-England team. Marsh, who made his Test debut in 2014, has now raced to 1,800 runs from 37 Tests at 31.03. The tally also includes seven half-centuries. Versus Pakistan, Marsh has raced to 484 Test runs, averaging 44 (50s: 4).
50 Test wickets loading for Marsh
It must be noted that Marsh, who is a right-arm fast bowler, has also contributed decently with the ball. He owns 46 Test wickets at an average of 40. His lone Test fifer came against England in Ashes 2019. The 32-year-old got the price scalp of Babar Azam in the series opener in Perth, in Pakistan's first innings.
How has the match proceeded?
Australia posted 318 after being asked to bat first as Marnus Labuschagne scored 63. Usman Khawaja (42) and Mitchell Marsh (41) also played handy knocks. Pakistan made 264 in response thanks to fifties from Abdullah Shafique (62) and skipper Shan Masood (54). While Pat Cummins claimed five wickets, Nathan Lyon claimed a four-fer. Marsh and Smith have extended Australia's lead past 200 runs.
