Zero genuine pace, sitters dropped and David Warner carnage cap off a day of goof-ups for Pakistan vs Australia

Pakistan picked up 5 Australian wickets including that of the dangerous David Warner, but they could have had so much more to show for their bowling.

Pakistan's first Test under Shan Masood hasn't quite fared as per plan thus far. Lack of pace and dropped catches have highlighted their shoddy show in the first two sessions of Day 1 of the Perth Test. The moment Usman Khawaja took Shaheen Afridi for 14 in the first over of the match, Australia did not look back and blazed away to 117/0 at lunch in just 25 overs. If that wasn't brutal enough, the Aussies added another 93 to reach tea at 210/2. Although they lost two wickets, it hardly shifted any momentum towards Pakistan.

Shaheen Afridi appeals without success against David Warner (Getty)

But let's shift focus back to what transpired in the first two hours of the session. David Warner went on a boundary-hitting spree. Playing his final Test series, Warner was on beast mode and struck as he took Shaheen on and sent him cracking for 31 runs in just four overs. Warner did not spare Faheem Ashraf either, carting him for three boundaries in an over causing a bit of panic in the Pakistan camp.

But Masood and his men had only himself to blame. They could have seen the back of Usman Khawaja in the 16th over but Abdullah Shafique put down a regulation catch. The Australia opener had pulled a shortish delivery from Aamer Jamal, and Shafique, running backward made a mess of it as typical Pakistan memes returned to haunt them. Besides, lack of pace allowed Warner and Khawaja to go full toll. The absence of Naseem Shah was clearly visible as Shaheen, Khurram Shehzad and Jamal's pace dropped significantly. On the quickest and bounciest pitch in the world, there was no hint of it from Pakistan.

The single-greatest moment of the day however unfolded in the 22nd over of the day when Warner played the most unusual shot for six off Shaheen. Warner went down on one knee, and clubbed the ball over fine leg even as he lost his balance. T20 cricket on Day 1 of a Test match. Warner's strokeplay was a throwback to his initial days for Australia, when he would go hammer and tongs with similar destructive shot-making. "I think he already has played the shot of the series, off Shaheen Afridi. Call it a ram or a scoop. It was incredible," Wasim Akram later said on air.

It took Warner just 41 balls to notch up his half-century as Pakistan looked clueless. They finally tasted success with Shaheen getting Khawaja and Faheem Ashraf dismissing Marnus Labuschagne but the manner in which Warner kept going did nothing to aid Pakistan. With a boundary, Warner made his farewell series memorable by registering a 26th Test century off just 129 balls. As he approached his 150, Warner took his Test average against Pakistan to a mind-boggling 163.83 at home.

Things only went from bad to worse for Pakistan as they fumbled again on the field to let Warner of all people a reprieve. Batting on 104, Warner tried to clear the infield off Agha Salman when Shahzad at mid-on, put down the batter failing to time the jump well as the ball pierced through his hands and into the boundary. The third session brought some respite for Pakistan as Shahzad took out Steve Smith for his maiden Test wicket, but with vice-captain Travis Head and Warner forging a partnership of 66 runs meant that Pakistan were in for a long day.

Australia breached the 300-run mark in the 71st over, and looked set for 400 when tiredness finally crept into Warner. As Head departed by slashing to short third man, Warner tried to get as many more as possible with the second new ball loading. He cleared the ropes for a six but couldn't do it again and eventually perished for 164. Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey played out four overs of the new ball to take Australia to 346/5, and while Pakistan can take some heart from their bowling in the second and third sessions, it could have been a day worth so much more.