lunch Pakistan 75 for 4 (Masood 32*, Rizwan 12, Cummins 2-16) vs Australia
After Pakistan slumped to 47 for 4, captain Shaun Masood and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan survived until lunch.
Australia's quicks were once again at their best as Cummins continued his impressive streak, including the wicket of the struggling No.5 southpaw Shakeel. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood also picked up a wicket each as they swung at the new ball and went full length to devastating effect.
It was a bitter disappointment for Pakistan, who looked like they had won a crucial toss, and Masood did not hesitate to bat on a dry surface amid sunny conditions. After a painful defeat in the Boxing Day Test by 79 runs, Pakistan found a tonic for a big innings Tony, fighting bravely at times.
But Pakistan began the new year with the openers duking it out within the first eight balls of the match. Starc found sharp swing and dismissed opener Abdullah Shafiq on the second delivery of the innings, who swung loose and produced a thick outside edge at second slip.
After a promising start to the series, Shafiq proved a standout moment from his costly fall at first slip by all-rounder Mitchell Marsh on the third day of the Boxing Day Test.
The pressure fell on Babur, who had scored just 77 runs in the previous four innings, and fell to three star balls from Cummins and Hazlewood. He started cautiously at the SCG before unleashing his trademark card for a boundary and pounced on an increasingly distracted Starc.
Baber was confident on an innocuous surface, but faced Cummins, who had bowled him out spectacularly twice in Perth and Melbourne. Cummins added a third when a whooping inswinger caught the bobber, who survived early on, and the DRS changed the result, the ball hitting the leg stump after tracking the ball.
Shakeel arrived in Australia with a brilliant start to his Test career, but his struggles continued in the series as Cummins hit him on the helmet before catching a wide delivery at backward point.
Masood sought a proactive approach in the opening two Tests, particularly against offspinner Nathan Lyon. Rizwan, who had batted bravely in Melbourne after being recalled, decided to counter-attack before lunch and smashed Hazlewood.
The traditional New Year's Test in Sydney has been hit hard by bad weather in recent years, but the forecast for the match looks largely clear except for the afternoon of the second day.
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