Australia cruised to 288/3 after they won the toss and opted to bat first on a good surface at the Gabba on the opening day of the first Test. Pakistan could not utilise the early swing on offer as Renshaw and Warner blunted the new pink ball with ease.
The dismissal of Warner and Khawaja in quick succession, however, enabled Pakistan to get a foothold in the match but any hopes of running through the middle order were soon thrown out the window as Renshaw and Steven Smith made them chase leather.
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Once an admirable innings from Renshaw was brought to an end by Wahab Riaz, Handscomb showed his class, along with his skipper. The 137-run stand between the two saw Smith complete his 16th ton and Handscomb score yet another half-century as Australia dominated day 1.
Also read: Australia vs Pakistan 1st Test Day 1 Stats: Steve Smith registers his third ton in a pink ball game
Interestingly, Smith was dropped on 53 by Sarfraz off Azhar Ali's part-time wrist spin and was also out caught behind off Amir on 97 but Pakistan did not appeal as no one spotted the edge!
Here are the talking points from an interesting day of cricket at the Gabba.
#5 Renshaw shows his class
Australia seemed to have found a strong opener when Renshaw batted against the Proteas in Adelaide. Today he furthered those claims with a terrific knock at the top of the order that helped the Aussies take an early lead in the game.
His 71 was highlighted by sound judgement outside the off-stump and strong shots down the ground. Renshaw eerily resembles former opener, Matthew Hayden, in his stance and initial movement. But the resemblance ends there. He is more defensive in nature even though he did show is attacking side today.
With David Warner in desperate need for a dependable opening partner, Australia finally seem to have found a long-term solution. He finally edged Wahab Riaz behind for a well made 71.
#4 Yasir's strange ploy accounts for Khawaja
Renshaw's strong start and partnership with Steven Smith forced Yasir Shah to bowl a large bulk of the overs early on, particularly since Rahat Ali was pretty expensive. Shah strangely bowled with a leg side field and had as many as 6 on the leg side for lefties Warner and Renshaw.
He was rewarded, though, when Usman Khawaja, who walked in after Warner was dismissed, flicked Yasir straight to Misbah-ul-Haq at short mid-wicket. It was a typical ODI style dismissal with Khawaja not bothering to keep his flick down.
The ploy was used to tempt the Australian batsmen to attack Yasir, and Khawaja fell into the trap.
#3 No debut for Sayers
Despite Chadd Sayers being given a high probability of playing in today’s match by experts, Australia chose to retain Lyon and sit out Sayers, who has been a phenomenal bowler with the pink ball in the Sheffield Shield.
Lyon, who was lucky not to be dropped for the Adelaide Test against the South Africans, showed good control in Adelaide and bowled exceptionally well to retain selectors faith.
Given the way the pink ball has behaved under lights, the spinners may not come into play until Day 4 or 5 and even that looks unlikely with the Gabba infamous for quickening up on Days 2 and 3. Given such a scenario it is a surprise that Australia chose to go with Lyon ahead of Sayers.
#2 Steven Smith's classy hundred
Steven Smith overcame some tough spells from Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz to crack his 16th Test hundred. After he eased into the 40s, a fine spell from Amir at one end and Yasir at the other had him stuck in a defensive mode.
Amir bowled six maidens on the trot and the pressure helped Azhar Ali eke out an edge off Smith but unfortunately for Pakistan the catch did not stick in Sarfraz's gloves. Smith made the opportunity count as he started with aplomb after the dinner break.
He swiftly moved past the 80s but once again got stuck close to a landmark as he spent nearly 10 overs in his 90s before breaking through with back to back boundaries off Amir to reach his hundred. An outside edge when he was on 97 off Amir's bowling went unnoticed by the Pakistanis and Smith made them pay.
#1 Peter Handscomb nails down his spot
Handscomb is widely believed to be the best batsman under lights in the Sheffield Shield. Boasting of an average above 60 in day-night games, the lean batsman had hit a convincing half century against the Proteas on debut.
He walked in with the team at 151/3 having lost Matt Renshaw. Handscomb wasted no time in getting into his groove as he stepped out and handled Yasir Shah with ease. With a tendency to stay on the back foot, Pakistan barely tested him with full balls allowing him to play easily square of the wicket.
He is also believed to be one of the better players of spin in the Australian side and proved as much today in the way he played Yasir Shah. Getting to the pitch of the ball and playing with the turn, Handscomb's batting was a sight to behold for perfectionists.
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