One of the more unusual cricketing stoppages left the commentators in disbelief at the SCG on the third day of the deciding Test.
Meanwhile, a brutal challenge in the outfield left a Pakistan fielder dishing out red cards (virtually) and another crucial drop looked like it had derailed Pakistan’s hopes of a first innings lead, before a stunning Australian collapse, that is.
Here are the five quick hits from day three of the SCG Test.
1. Shades of Simon Jones for Saim Ayub
Saim Ayub did not have a great time of things in the slips on day two, but he did prove himself more than adept as an outfielder on day three.
Twice he denied Marnus Labuschagne boundaries with his efforts at wide mid off, diving to stop one crunching drive and chasing down another inside the rope.
But he was desperately lucky to avoid serious injury soon after when his knee dug a hobbit-hole sized divot in the outfield as he chased down another off drive.
In a moment reminiscent of the sickening injury suffered by Simon Jones at the Gabba in 2002, Ayub was flipped upside down by the impact.
However, the 21-year-old debutant picked himself up, dusted himself off and, fortunately, appeared to show no ill effects.
2. ‘Ridiculous’: Tape stops play
Steve Smith is well known for his fastidious attention to detail when he is batting, matched only by Rafael Nadal in his requirement for everything to be perfect.
And that was in evidence again during Salman Agha Ali’s second over of the day when Smith delayed things due to a small piece of rolled up plastic tape on the sightscreen.
“Surely it’s not that little thing there is it?” former England skipper Michael Vaughan said on commentary.
“There’s no way that can be stopping play.”
Well…
“We’re guessing up here folks … because we’re trying not to make it sound as ridiculous as it is,” former New Zealand keeper Ian Smith said as a groundsman ran up the sightscreen to remove the offending object.
“I think I’ve seen everything now,” said Smith.
“I think there’s a few people who can’t believe it, including the Pakistan players,” commentator Harsha Bhogle added.
Perhaps it was impacting Smith — he smashed the second ball of the over to long off for four, after all.
But it doesn’t explain how the former Australian skipper managed to miss the fact that Pakistan placed two catching covers in position a couple of overs later, only for him to chip the ball straight to one of them to be out for 38.
3. Red card for Abdullah Shafique
The outfield was not being particularly kind to Pakistan, as it happened — but the next incident was all self inflicted.
Travis Head clipped the ball behind square on the leg side, where Aamir Jamal and Abdullah Shafique converged towards the ball.
Incredibly, Shafique slid on the ground and caught Jamal on the ankle — a clear red card offence.
Fortunately, Pakistan’s first-inning hero was able to get up after a brief grimace and then he motioned to his teammate that it would have been a red card, which he then reached for in his back pocket — had the imaginary referee been told to look at the VAR monitor.
4. Pakistan drops another one
Death, taxes, and Pakistan giving Australian batters lives.
It’s as inevitable as rain in Sydney, when a chance goes up while Pakistan is on top, at least one of them will go down, and so it proved again on day three.
Debutant opener Saim Ayub was the unfortunate fielder — again.
This time at mid off, the 21-year-old dived forward to claim a catch off the bat of Mitch Marsh after Salman Agha Ali had the ball sit up in front of the Australian number six.
And he dropped it.
Marsh was on seven and went on to score his fourth half century of the series.
It was the second life Marsh has been given from a poor drop in this series after he made an extra 76 runs after being dropped on 20 in Melbourne.
5. Aussies collapse to a deficit
Australia, through Mitch Marsh and Alex Carey’s superb six-wicket partnership of 84, had batted Australia to within a sniff of Pakistan’s first innings total.
Surely overhauling it would be matter of routine?
However, the surprise dismissal of Alex Carey on the stroke of tea sparked an extraordinary collapse.
Over the course 18 balls, Australia lost 5-10, including Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to two-ball ducks.
Incredibly, from being just 24 runs from matching the tourists’s score with five wickets in hand, Australia went into the innings break 14 runs behind.
Aamir Jamal took four of those wickets to earn a second Test six-wicket haul.
But I doubt he’d have thought that he’d be back batting himself later in the same session with Pakistan 7-67 following their own collapse.
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