Hard yakka as Starc, Hazlewood get Australia back within striking distance, WA Test attendance record under threat

Australia is back within striking distance of India, after the visitors threatened to have the hosts out for under 100 on day two of the first Test.

Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon fell quickly this morning, with Jasprit Bumrah adding to an impressive opening tally while Harsit Rana grabbed his second wicket to continue a positive start to his career.

However, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood navigated India’s bowling attack, putting together the best partnership of the innings to get Australia over the century mark and cut the margin to 46, with Starc out just shy of lunch to see Australia post 104.

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Last men standing keep Aussies in the fight

It has been slow going this morning, but Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood showed that, if patient enough, you can survive on this erratic Perth wicket.

Producing a handy 25-run partnership, the Aussies also are the first partnership of either team to last more than 100 deliveries – showing how tough going batting has been on the Optus Stadium deck.

Starc’s 26 showcased a brilliant example of farming the strike, with Hazlewood surviving an onslaught from several fronts at the Indians tried to wrap up affairs quickly. Eventually, the ever-reliable Bumrah proved the deciding factor, with Starc getting out trying to force the run rate before lunch.

Despite the disappointment, the patience shown by both batters suggests that runs are out there – if patient enough.

While the match sees a more even state of affairs, those 46 runs on a deck like this could prove the difference, with the visitors likely wary as the pitch starts to wear down going into the afternoon.

Jasprit Bumrah cleaned up the Aussie tale after some resistance (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Empty seats galore at Optus Stadium

Conditions look stunning in Perth this weekend and with a five-match Test series against one of Australia’s greatest rivals, many expected crowd numbers to grow after the opening day at Optus Stadium, with over 24,000 turning out at the start of play during yesterday’s play.

Numbers built throughout the day to over 30,000, breaking a Test match attendance record at the stadium in a single day.

However, the morning session on day two has seen numbers decrease significantly, with less than expected turning out despite the perfect conditions and the Saturday slot.

While it is likely that numbers will grow similarly throughout the day, before the start of the match it was expected that over 85,000 would turn out for the opening three days of the Test match, breaking the previous Test match attendance record set in 2018, when 81,104 turned out for the first-ever Test at the venue, also against India.

However, should numbers stay down during today and the Test match struggle to get to a third day, that record will stay intact.

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