Everyone in attendance at the SCG on Thursday morning wanted to see David Warner finish his Test career with a century – even the members of Pakistan’s slips cordon.
Pakistan debutant Saim Ayub has given Warner a generous farewell gift in his final Test match, dropping a regulation catch at first slip on day two of the New Year’s Test in Sydney.
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Warner was on 20 when he pressed at a length delivery from Pakistan seamer Aamir Jamal, with the Kookaburra sailing towards Ayub in the slips cordon. However, the 21-year-old grassed the simple chance, which has become a worrying theme for Pakistan throughout the series.
Babar Azam sunk to his knees, while wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan buried his head in his gloves. The SCG crowd moaned in disbelief when replays appeared on the big screen, but Ayub couldn’t watch.
Azam and Salman Ali Agha, who was off the ground when the dropped catch occurred, have been superb in the slips cordon throughout the series, but for whatever reason, the unproven debutant was standing next to Rizwan when the chance went begging.
“My goodness me, I cannot believe it,” former Australian batter Michael Hussey said on Fox Cricket commentary.
“Genuine nick, perfect height, that should be taken nice times out of ten.
“Pakistan, they just have to take their chances today. That’s just such a let-off for David Warner.”
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Australian legend Adam Gilchrist continued: “That’s as easy as it gets at first slip.”
“It was just bad timing that Babar wasn’t at first and Agha wasn’t at second,” former Australian batter Mark Waugh said.
“It’s an absolute sitter. It’s as regulation as you can get.
“He didn’t mean to drop it, but you have got to take those ones.”
Pakistan legend Wasim Akram continued: “It’s the kind of drop where you hope you can wake up the next morning and discover it didn’t really happen, that it was nightmare.”
Former New Zealand wicketkeeper Ian Smith declared on SEN: “It’s less than club cricket, that catching performance.”
It marked the third time Warner has been dropped in the three-match series. On day one of last week’s Boxing Day Test, Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique put down a regulation chance at first slip off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling, with Warner surviving on 2.
During the series opener in Perth, Warner was cruising on 104 when he chipped a chance towards mid-on, with Pakistan debutant Khurram Shahzad misjudging the catch. The veteran opener ended up scoring 164.
Meanwhile, Ayub’s Test career has gotten off to a horror start, with the left-hander falling victim to Australian sesames Josh Hazlewood for a second-ball duck on day one.