Daily Times

ADELAIDE: Australia opener David Warner hit only the second Test double century of his career on Saturday, punishing poor bowling from a Pakistan attack that rarely threatened him.

The 33-year-old, playing in his 81st Test, began day two of the day-night second Test in Adelaide on 166 and wasted little time in racing to 200.

He reached the mark off 260 balls with a single from Shaheen Afridi, clattering 23 fours along the way.

Warner had been ably supported throughout his innings by Marnus Labuschagne, who was bowled by Afridi for 162 just minutes before he reached the milestone.

Warner’s highest Test score is 253 against New Zealand at Perth in 2015.

The opener;s heroics in Adelaide followed his 154 in the first Test at Brisbane last week — his first Test century since a year-long ban for ball-tampering.

It has been a big turnaround for the former Australian vice-captain, who managed just 95 runs in 10 innings during this year´s Ashes series in England.

Day 1

At the close on a rain-interrupted day, the home team were a dominant 302 for one with the pair building an ominous 294-run partnership, leaving Pakistan with a huge battle to stay in touch.

Warner was not out 166 and Labuschagne unbeaten on 126, following on from their 154 and 185 respectively in the first Test at Brisbane. Their Adelaide partnership was the highest ever in a day-night Test.

“It’s a bit surreal at the moment. It was just amazing to be out there with

Pakistan need to win to square the two-match series. The odds were heavily stacked against them before the game began, having lost 13 consecutive Tests in Australia, and their chances are even slimmer now.

Over the years, taking wickets in Australia has been a challenge for Pakistan and they shuffled their bowling attack for the pink-ball Test in a bid to make the most of the conditions.

Veteran seamer Mohammad Abbas, who tormented Australia when he took 17 wickets in two Tests in the UAE last October, returned in place of Imran Khan while 16-year-old pace sensation Naseem Shah was rested.

That handed a debut to 19-year-old medium-fast right-armer Muhammad Musa, but, like in the first Test at Brisbane, none of them could tame Warner and Labuschagne, with the ball hardly doing anything under the lights to trouble them.

After Australian skipper Tim Paine won the toss and chose to bat, Pakistan had a flicker of hope when Joe Burns was out for four, but a stubborn Warner and Labuschagne dug in and they went to tea at 70 for one.

Earlier, on an overcast afternoon and with the floodlights on from the first ball, Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan´s standout bowler, bagged the wicket of Burns.

With the ball moving off the seam, he got an edge to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps and was out for four, with that breakthrough proving to be the only ray of sunshine for the visitors.