Daily Times

Aamir Jamal insists Pakistan still has a shot at winning the third Test against Australia, believing the tourists’ late collapse could have happened to any team.

But a recovery from 7-68 at stumps on day three is likely to require more magic from Aamir himself, Pakistan’s shining light in a series shaping as a 3-0 whitewash for Australia.

Pakistan took a slim 14-run lead into their second innings at the crease after a late collapse of 5-10 helped them bowl Australia out for 299 in the final session at the SCG on Friday.

But the carnage proved a sign of things to come. Having struggled to handle the new ball all series, the tourists lost 2-1 in the first two overs.

A triple-wicket maiden from Josh Hazlewood sent them into a tailspin, and as long shadows fell on the ground, so too did Pakistan fall to 7-68 at stumps, their lead only 82 runs.

“I think it was about momentum,” Jamal said when asked to explain the rapid fall of wickets.

“Yes, (the pitch) has changed after the first innings, but I think it was momentum.”

Australia have ample time to bowl out the tourists and post the winning runs, and everything to play for, with David Warner set for his final Test innings.

But Aamir, Pakistan’s best player this series who took 6-69 in the first innings, is not yet writing off the tourists.

“I’m still pretty confident that we are in the game,” he said. “(The late collapse) could’ve happened to any team. It happened to us.”

The onus appears to be on Aamir and Mohammad Rizwan, the two unbeaten batters at the crease on Friday night.

The pair combined for 170 of Pakistan’s 313 runs in the first innings and are the side’s last recognised batters, before specialist bowlers Hasan Ali and Mir Hamza.

“We are still confident that if we can get to 150, 170, I think that will be a fighting total,” Aamir said.

“We will try to score as much as we can.”

Aamir’s second six-wicket haul made him the series’ equal-leading wicket taker, level with Australian captain and likely player-of-the-series Pat Cummins on 18 scalps from three matches.

No rookie bowler has ever taken more wickets for Pakistan in a three-match series.

Only minutes after tea on day three, Aamir dismissed Australia’s last recognised batter Mitch Marsh (54), who chipped the ball straight to Shan Masood at mid-off.

Aamir then mopped up Australia’s tail to take four of the five wickets in Australia’s 5-10 collapse, having previously trapped the dangerous Travis Head lbw for only 10 runs.

“My aim was to be the highest wicket taker of the series. Obviously I’ve been not that lucky as much as (Cummins) is,” Aamir said.

“I was just trying harder and harder to get as many wickets as I can.”