Marcus Harris should be next in line as Test opener, says David Warner

Since the pitches were reinvigorated, his next four innings resulted in a top score of 16 before an 85 against South Africa last summer.

The pillar of Australia’s batting line-up, Smith, 34, has only days left to turn a middling 2023 into something more impressive. With one potential innings remaining this year, Smith has 879 runs at 42 from 13 Tests with three centuries.

While most batsmen would be pleased with such a return, Smith is officially rated as the best since Bradman by International Cricket Council rankings. His average peaked at 65 during a phenomenal Ashes tour four years ago, when he made 774 runs at 110 in four Tests. This year, his Ashes return was 244 runs at 30.5 with no centuries, and his overall average is now 58.

It may have been Boxing Day but Christmas spirit abounded. First Pakistan won the toss and sent Australia in on a grassy pitch under heavy skies, then sprayed the ball around.

Like the first Test in Perth, Pakistan had ideal bowling conditions, picked a four-pronged pace attack, and were unable to exploit them.

It took just three overs for the first extension of Christmas when Warner, on two, nicked a ball that left him from Pakistan’s only world-class bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, straight to Abdullah Shafique at first slip. Shafique made a dreadful mess of a sitter, but then he did something similar during the first Test in Perth.

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And like Perth, Australia looked set to be in the remarkable position of going to lunch without losing a wicket, until Warner repaid his earlier good fortune by wafting at a wide ball from occasional off-spinner Agha Salman. It flew to Babar Azam at slip, who took a nice catch, leaving Australia 1-90 at lunch and still ahead of the game.

After the break, Usman Khawaja was handing out gifts of his own as Pakistan’s seamers regrouped with greater haste than they managed in Perth, when they didn’t get it right until the second day. He attempted to guide a delivery from Hasan Ali wide of second slip and was comfortably caught by Agha Salman for 42.