Australia vs Pakistan 3rd Test Day 3 Live Score

Hasan Ali to Steven Smith, Honing in and around the off stump line, pretty full again, Steven Smith with another slight shuffle and block off the middle of the bat.

Hasan Ali to Steven Smith, Pitches this one up right at the stumps, just angling in a bit, Steven Smith gets across and keeps it out with a straight bat.

Hasan Ali to Steven Smith, Keeps it full and bowls it a bit closer to the off stump line, Steven Smith gets on the front foot and blocks it out.

Hasan Ali to Steven Smith, Comes from over the wicket and begins with a bit of a loosener as this is bowled full and wide and dying on its way to the keeper. Steven Smith doesn't play at it.

Hasan Ali to operate from the other end.

Mir Hamza to Marnus Labuschagne, Goes wider on the crease and angles it in sharply on a fuller length onto off and middle, Labuschagne covers the line well and defends it down the deck.

Mir Hamza to Marnus Labuschagne, A shade full and on the fifth stump line, going straight on, Labuschagne leaves it alone.

Mir Hamza to Marnus Labuschagne, FOUR! Tucked away with class and timing! Fuller delivery angling into the legs, Labuschagne uses his wrists and flicks it away just in front of the diving mid-wicket fielder to bring up the first boundary of the day.

Mir Hamza to Marnus Labuschagne, On a nagging length and in the channel, angling back in late, Marnus Labuschagne makes a good leave.

Mir Hamza to Steven Smith, Nice and full again outside off, Steven Smith leans on and edges it down with soft hands well wide of the slip cordon and picks up a single to get going on Day 3.

Mir Hamza to Steven Smith, Starts from around the wicket and serves a full delivery at just 128 clicks, angling it in from outside off, Steven Smith drives it away to extra cover.

All in readiness for the start of Day 3! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of Pakistan who can be seen in a huddle. Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are all set to resume their overnight stay on the crease. Mir Hamza will begin proceedings with the ball here. 98 overs to be bowled in the day, let's play...

Pakistan on the other hand have done well to not let the Aussies get away in terms of the scoring rate but will be hoping to pick up early wickets in the first session to make things really interesting. There's still a long way to go in this Test match and the opening session on Day 3 could well shape up to be a crucial one. Don't go anywhere as cricketing action is set to begin real soon.

Australia come into Day 3 having lost just a couple of wickets but are still 197 runs behind and with a huge chunk of overs lost on Day 2, they will look to score a bit more freely and look to bat for the entirety of Day 3 on a pitch that seems excellent for batting but there might be some cracks opening up now.

Hello and a very warm welcome to one and all. We are at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the 3rd and final Test match between Australia and Pakistan and it is now time for Day 3. After Day 2 was well short due to Bad Light and then a persistent drizzle, Day 3 becomes the much more important.

... DAY 3, SESSION 1 ...

Right then, the officials have waited long enough but the race against time has been lost and Day 2 has been called off due to bad light and some persistent rain. After an intriguing Day 1 of the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stage was set for another exciting day of cricket. Day 2 saw a steady battle between bat and ball with Australia not giving an inch to the Pakistani bowlers who bowled tight lines but just couldn't get the reward. There were a couple of dropped catches but Agha Salman did get the wicket of David Warner with a ripper of a delivery and that might be the last time we see 'The Bull' batting in a Test match. Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne remained resolute but Khawaja soon got bogged down and fell in the forties. Pakistan will be pleased but would have wanted the game to carry on. Australia trail Pakistan by 197 runs but have plenty of batting to come and will look to improve the scoring rate on Day 3. Given we lost a huge amount of overs on Day 2, Day 3 will begin at 4.30 am IST (11 pm GMT) on Friday which is half an hour earlier but you can join us for the build-up much sooner than that. Let's hope for a rain-free and well-contested Day 3. Cheers!

UPDATE 10.45 am IST (5.15 am GMT) - Nothing new to update here as it is still drizzling in Sydney and the covers are on. If this persists for a bit more, we might have an official word soon. Stick around for more updates. There is one update from the Australian squad though as Scott Boland has been released and will be available for the Melbourne Stars for their next Big Bash League game against Sydney Sixers.

UPDATE 10.10 am IST (4.40 am GMT) - Right then, it is still raining in Sydney and the radar shows that it is there to stay. Also, given that initially, the play was stopped for bad light, the chances of a resumption on Day 2 look very small even if the rain subsides. Let's still hope for the best but the forecast for the remaining 3 days looks solid. Stick around for further news.

UPDATE 9.40 am IST (4.10 am GMT) - Well, what we dreaded not to happen, has happened and it has started raining. It is not pelting down and is a drizzle but the covers are on and this will only delay proceedings further. Stay tuned for more updates.

Pakistan on the other hand, started off with spin from Agha Salman and pace from the other end, but couldn't trouble the batters in the first hour or so and also didn't let the hosts get away with the bat. Aamer Jamal, who is having a fantastic debut series continued to bowl on tight lines and lengths and provided another breakthrough for Pakistan by dismissing Usman Khawaja on a faint edge and creating an opening for the visitors to sneak into the game. Everyone is hoping for the weather to get cleared and so that the play resumes as soon as possible. Stay tuned with us as we bring you further updates on the weather and the next session of play.

It is official as early Tea has been taken! A good decision this to not wait for things to improve and take the break when play isn't possible. Australia has looked pretty sedate and cautious with their approach since the first ball of the session. Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne both took their time to settle in and looked unbothered. Both of them were sluggish with the bat but they were barred from playing any risky shots and also negotiated the spin pretty well as well. Usman Khawaja perished on 47 in the middle of the session. Steven Smith and Labushagne are in the middle for the hosts as Australia still trail by 197 runs.

Oh wait, the umpires are having a chat with the players and it looks like the light is not good enough to continue further. Here we go, the players are off the field as the sky has turned out to be too gloomy and overcast at SCG. Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistan coach is seen having a chat with the Pakistani skipper Shan Masood near the ropes. The umpires are still out there in the middle and having a detailed discussion before eventually heading off. A bit strange given there was no indication of any harm to the batters as of yet but Shan Masood was asked to bowl spin from both ends which he didn't want to do and wanted to keep Aamer Jamal on from one end. All we can do now is wait and hope for things to get better but there is a bit of rain on the horizon as well which could make things worse. Stick around for further updates.

Sajid Khan to Marnus Labuschagne, Bowls near the off stump line on a fuller length, Marnus Labuschagne presses ahead and defends it to mid-wicket.

Sajid Khan to Marnus Labuschagne, Too full and a good amount of spin on that, Marnus Labuschagne goes for a reverse sweep and gets an inside edge back to the pad. Mohammad Rizwan is the lone person to appeal on that one but Sajid Khan clarifies that the bat was involved.

Sajid Khan to Steven Smith, Drags his length a bit this time and gets a hint of purchase off the deck, Steven Smith turns across and works it towards square leg for a single.

Sajid Khan to Steven Smith, Full and turns after pitching around off, Steven Smith defends it back to the bowler.

Sajid Khan to Marnus Labuschagne, Airs the bowl on a fullish length outside off, Marnus Labuschagne pushes it square of the wicket to the off side for a single.

Sajid Khan to Steven Smith, Bowls on a fuller length from over the wicket around off, Steven Smith shimmies down the track and plays it with the turn towards short mid-wicket where the skipper Shan Masood fumbles to pick it up cleanly. The batters steal a single.

Aamer Jamal to Marnus Labuschagne, Pitches this on up and straight with pace. Marnus Labuschagne takes the front foot out and blocks the ball back to the bowler. A good contest going on right now for the viewers.

Aamer Jamal to Marnus Labuschagne, A very well-executed bouncer just on top of the off stump line. Marnus Labuschagne looks to pull the ball away on the leg side but is beaten by the extra pace and bounce of the ball.

Aamer Jamal to Marnus Labuschagne, Another good bouncer on the line of the stumps. Marnus Labuschagne ducks down and lets the ball go through.

Aamer Jamal to Marnus Labuschagne, Short ball again just outside the line of the off stump. Marnus Labuschagne walks across and taps the ball down to backward square leg. Another dot ball.

Aamer Jamal to Marnus Labuschagne, Another short ball on top of the off stump line. Marnus Labuschagne jumps up on the crease and blocks the ball off.

Aamer Jamal to Marnus Labuschagne, Short ball again around 138 clicks, on top of the middle stump line. Marnus Labuschagne flicks the ball straight to square leg off the back foot.

Drinks! Right then, another good session in the field for Pakistan as they haven't let Australia get away here and have managed to pick up a wicket as well. With the deficit still 200 runs, a lot will depend on the pair of Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith for the Aussies.

Sajid Khan to Steven Smith, Flights it and drops it on full and outside off, Steven Smith prods ahead and works it towards cover to end the over. And it will be Drinks.

Sajid Khan to Marnus Labuschagne, Shortish and outside off which turns sharply into the batter from the rough, Marnus Labuschagne rocks back and cuts it with soft hands towards widish point and steals a single.

Sajid Khan to Marnus Labuschagne, Fuller again and around the off stump line, Marnus Labuschagne blocks it off the front foot.

Sajid Khan to Marnus Labuschagne, Fuller and well tossed up delivery at middle and off-channel, Marnus Labuschagne presses forward and clips it to the leg side.

Sajid Khan to Marnus Labuschagne, Sluggish delivery in front of the stumps, Marnus Labuschagne rocks back and defends it off the back foot.

Sajid Khan to Marnus Labuschagne, Drops it on a fuller length around the off pole, Marnus Labuschagne strides ahead and defends it well.

Aamer Jamal to Steven Smith, Another short ball at around 140 clicks angling away from Steven Smith. The batter lets the ball go through to end the over.

Aamer Jamal to Steven Smith, FOUR! Welcome to the crease by Steven Smith. Absolutely creams it along the ground for four runs. Another short ball by Aamer Jamal with pace at the batter. Steven Smith stands tall and pulls the ball between short square leg and short backward square leg for a superb boundary.

Aamer Jamal to Steven Smith, Bangs it in short at the batter. Steven Smith ducks down and lets the ball to through.

Steven Smith is the next batter in.

Aamer Jamal to Usman Khawaja, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Huge appeal for Caught Behind. The umpire says no. Pakistan want to check it up. Shan Masood takes a review. Short ball doing the trick in the end for Aamer Jamal. Usman Khawaja looks to pull it through square leg and gets a faint edge of his gloves through to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps. The Umpire says No, but there is a spike seen on Hotspot that confirms that Usman Khawaja has hit the ball. Australia lose another set batter.

Aamer Jamal to Marnus Labuschagne, Short ball again at the body of the batter. Marnus Labuschagne pulls it away along the ground to deep square leg for a single.

Aamer Jamal to Marnus Labuschagne, A good short ball around 135 clicks to start off with. Marnus Labuschagne pulls it away rolling the wrists to keep it down straight to mid-wicket.

Sajid Khan to Usman Khawaja, Flatter and quicker this time down the leg stump, Usman Khawaja employs the paddle shot but misses to connect it.