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WATCH: Abdullah Shafique shells catch of David Warner in third over of Boxing Day Test 2023
Abdullah Shafique dropped David Warner in the last ball of the third over in the Boxing Day Test match of 2023. Australia and Pakistan are facing each other on the big day of the calendar year in Test cricket at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. In the initial stages of the game, Pakistan showed its typical brilliance in the field by dropping the catch of Warner.
The Southpaw survived for the day against a quality bowler like Shaheen Afridi, who challenged him throughout the initial spell in the middle. It allowed Australia to get a good start in the game, on a wicket that has been swinging and seaming throughout the day. It was a costly drop as Warner went on to add 36 more runs in his stay in the middle from there.
Watch the footage of the dropped catch here:
Pak’s pathetic catching in full evidence. Can’t be a topnotch side with such poor skills. In the modern game, fielding excellence is non- negotiable https://t.co/4kmzXrXoFT
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) December 26, 2023
More importantly, Warner survived the initial challenge from the bowlers of Pakistan. The conditions were perfect for the bowlers to do the damage on the batters. But the Asian side failed to grab the advantage and played to the tones of the home side. Rain came as a saving grace for Pakistan, as they got an opportunity to regroup themselves to bowl and field with better intent.
Abdullah Shafique drops a dolly
Shaheen started very well for Pakistan. The leader of the attack got the ball to swing and seam. He troubled both the openers with his line and lengths. The left-arm pacer was always at the batters and did not let them get settled in the middle. In the last ball of the third over, Shaheen bowled at the right length and got the ball to move away from David Warner.
The 37-year-old was tempted to leave it but was forced to play due to the angle. The ball caught the edge of the willow and went straight to the first slip where Abdullah was stationed. Till that point, everything seemed perfect for Pakistan to claim the first wicket of the match. As it turned out, Shafique dropped a sitter and was disgusted with himself.