• Rain hampers first Test between Australia and Pakistan
• Teams’ departure from the hotel today was pushed back to 10:00am.
• The delay was due to overnight rain and a wet outfield.

The fourth day’s play of the first Test between Pakistan and Australia at the Pindi Cricket Stadium has been reduced and will start at 1 pm today due to the overnight rain and wet outfield.

The decision came after the umpires inspected the ground at 12:15 pm. In view of the delay and the weather’s situation, the umpires decided that a maximum of 67 overs play will be possible during today’s play.

Earlier, the match was scheduled to start at 09:45am.

On Sunday, the third day of the opening Test at the Pindi Cricket Stadium was called off early due to inclement weather.

Australia were 271-2, with Marnus Labuschagne undefeated on 69 and Steve Smith on 24, when the umpires took the players off the field due to bad light.

Australia are 205 runs behind Pakistan with eight wickets remaining after the hosts declared on 476-4 on Saturday.

The Aussies are visiting Pakistan for the first time in 24 years, having previously declined to visit due to security concerns. On the current tour, they will play three Tests, as many one-day internationals as possible, and a Twenty20 international.

Pindi pitch upsets fans

The majority of cricket fans who turned out for Australia’s historic Pindi Test against Pakistan expressed disappointment with the pitch prepared for the series opener, feeling that a more yielding surface would have been suitable for such an event.

According to ‘The News,’ fans who turned in numbers at the stadium over the last three days were surprised by the curator’s selection.

“Look, Test cricket is already dwindling in popularity as T20I and other limited-overs forms gain traction. There should be more pitches, not only the one at the Pindi Stadium, for this historic event,” Tehseen Ahmad, who travelled from Peshawar specifically to watch both sides in play, remarked.

Additional input from AFP