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Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test (Source: Twitter)
The Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan on its third day experienced an unforeseen twist during the post-lunch session, as a peculiar delay unfolded. The source of the interruption was disclosed to be the third umpire, Richard Illingworth. He encountered difficulty reaching his designated cabin as he found himself stuck in a lift.
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Cricket Australia verified this unusual occurrence through their official social media handle. Upon resumption after lunch, both players and on-field umpires were taken aback to discover that Illingworth had not assumed his position in the third umpire's room as expected. After a brief delay, Illingworth who was also the English umpire who had recently officiated at the 2023 World Cup final successfully reclaimed his seat a few minutes later.
Despite the somewhat unusual incident, he maintained a cheerful demeanour and even greeted me with a wave as he headed back to the cabin. Cricket Australia shared a video capturing the seemingly perplexed Illingworth upon his arrival in the third umpire's room. This incident caught the eyes of several fans on Social media and the video went viral in no time.
Let us look at the viral video:
A wild Richard Illingworth appeared! #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/7Rsqci4whn
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 28, 2023
Shaheen Shah Afridi lead the Pakistan fight back
The second Test between Australia and Pakistan is inching towards an intriguing conclusion, especially after Pakistan claimed two quick wickets in the Australian second innings. Having been dismissed for 264 in response to the hosts' 318, Shaheen Afridi made an impact early, taking out the formidable Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne in the first three overs, leaving Australia struggling at 6/2 by lunch. Upon the restart, Mir Hamza further shook the Australian lineup by dismissing David Warner for six and Travis Head for a first-ball duck in successive deliveries.
On Thursday, Pat Cummins delivered an exceptional performance, securing a remarkable five-wicket haul with figures of 5/48, while Nathan Lyon contributed with four wickets. In the first innings for Pakistan, Abdullah Shafique stood out as the top run-scorer, accumulating an impressive 62 runs off 109 deliveries. On Day 3, Aamer Jamal displayed resilience, scoring an unbeaten 33 off 80 balls and aiding Pakistan in reducing Australia's lead in the first innings.
Australia currently leads the three-match series 1-0, courtesy of their impressive 360-run victory in Perth. On the other hand, Pakistan has not secured a Test win in Australia since 1995 and is still striving to clinch a series win in the longest format Down Under.