Labuschagne endures 52-ball nightmare as Bumrah bowls top class

Bumrah continued to trouble Labuschagne, who needed 23 balls to hit the target (the Perth crowd cheered ironically when he did). He gave up the attack and debutant Harshit Rana bowled Travis Head, then Mohammed Siraj caught Mitchell Marsh at slip and Labuschagne was lbw. South African-born Labuschagne scored two from 52 balls and made little attacking effort. To make matters worse, he took the review with him.

Pat Cummins, Australia’s captain, was the 17th wicket to fall on the day, behind the returning Bumrah, who had four for 17 from 10 overs at stumps. Australia’s leadership hopes rest with the in-form Alex Carey.

Bumrah cements his status as one of the greatest Test bowlers of all time. He now has 177 wickets at an average of 20.2. Only one bowler, the Englishman Sydney Barnes, who played between 1901 and 1914, has more wickets at a better average. Barnes scored 189 points at an extraordinary average of 16.4. What makes Bumrah’s achievements even more remarkable is that he hails from India, where his career coincided with innings that primarily favored spinners rather than pace bowlers.

Australia’s pace attack remains poor even though its batting order is poor. India’s 150 was well below par, with Josh Hazlewood the pick among the bowlers with four for 27. Mitchell Starc, Cummins and Marsh each had two wickets. Only the counter-attacking capabilities of Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy allowed India to reach 150 after they scored 73 for six.