Australia will be looking for a series clean sweep of Pakistan when the two countries face off in Sydney this week.
It was an improved performance from Pakistan in Melbourne as the Australians walked away with a win by just 79 runs.
There is no reason to believe there won't be another competitive match within David Warner's farewell Test.
Follow all the events from day one.
Warner Snr criticizes the loose green thief as the chase continues
-Ben Horn
David Warner's baggy green hats failed to turn up ahead of his farewell Test, with his father taking aim at the 'scoundrel' who stole them from his son's bag this week.
Warner has issued a desperate plea to anyone who took the backpack containing his loose vegetables from his luggage on his way from Melbourne to Sydney, to return their prized hats, no questions asked.
Qantas has launched a wide-ranging search for video footage that may give clues to how the bag disappeared, and Australian Cricketers' Association and players' union presidents have also added their voices to Warner's appeals to return the items.
Speaking on SEN Radio with Jamie Smith and Michael Karayiannis, Warner's father Howard speculated his son's hats would end up somewhere stolen by the thief.
“I haven't heard anything this morning. His video has gone viral, I know that much – everyone in Australia knows about the baggy green,” Howard Warner said on SEN.
“Whatever the scum took, they'll have to do without it pretty soon. They'll find it lying around somewhere.”
Howard Warner said his son was emotional about the theft, as the loose green is a sacred item to most Australian cricketers.
It is unusual that he would disappear days before his last test.
“I know he's emotional. He likes to go out in baggy green,” Howard said.
“(But) if he can't, he can't. Again, what do you do.”
Former Test captain Kim Hughes said the disappearing caps were a “kick in the guts” for Warner ahead of his 112th and final Test.
'Distraction' in loose green won't beat David Warner
– Jacob Corybe
Kerry O'Keefe has backed David Warner to overcome the loss to the Loose Green in his final Test match.
Warner took to Instagram on the eve of the Test match to demand the return of his baggy green caps, and confirmed on Fox Cricket before Day 1 that he was still waiting for good news.
O'Keeffe had no doubt the loose green loss would weigh heavily on Warner's mind, but he expects the opener to continue firing at the SCG.
“It's a distraction, because your baggy green is your membership card to an exclusive club,” O'Keefe said on Fox Sports News.
“The only piece of memorabilia in my house is the loose green – No. 253. I cherish it because of the tens of millions of Australians who have started playing cricket, fewer than 500 have taken that cap.
“Davy Warner has the ability to ignore outside noise, but this is a distraction. He values this cap above all else and losing him on the eve of his final Test match will hurt him.”
“But we know with Dave how strong his character is and how simple his character is, and he has to be able to get through it.”
The Pakistan captain is open to moving players' slip-ups
– Julian Linden
Pakistan's hard-nosed skipper has warned his players against finger slips that they could find themselves patrolling various parts of the Sydney Cricket Ground for the third and final Test against Australia.
Already 2-0 down, the tourists were left wondering what could have been after they contributed to their downfall with their own sloppy play, including several catches that proved decisive.
They made two changes to the starting side, dropping opener Imam-ul-Haq and resting left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Saim Ayyub will make his debut at the top of the order while specialist spinner Sajid Khan comes in for Shaheen.
One of the main culprits was Abdullah Shafiq, who was fielding from first slip.
Usually viewed as a safe pair of hands, he was guilty of taking a number of chances, including a sitter by Mitch Marsh that proved crucial in the Boxing Day Test.
Under pressure to replace Shafiq at the slip cordon, Pakistan captain Shan Masood was keeping his cards close to his chest when asked if he needed to shuffle his fielders behind the stumps.
“Abdullah Shafiq has been a good man for us, and these are the people who train for hours every day,” Masoud said.
“So, if you change someone based on one or two catches, you also destroy trust.
“But sometimes, like you do with batsmen or bowlers, they need some time away from it and then you give them that time and allow them to come back in.”
When pressed on whether he might consider replacing Shafiq with Babar Azam in the first over, Masood – who also dropped a catcher in the second Test – said he was tempted but might see if he could find a diplomatic solution before wielding the axe.
“(Shafiq) is a great player. He has age on his side. “You will see him standing in the slips a lot of times,” Masoud said.
“But I think if he doesn't feel comfortable, Babar will be a decent first-rounder, so we'll put Babar in there. Babar had a great catch there too.
“You also have to see, I think maybe on this track you might not need three slips all the time. So this might make our decision a little easier, and we'll see again how Abdullah feels.
“In the game, your hands are tied because the slips are very specialized. A lot of the fielding places in Test cricket are very specialized. You can't move people to the slips. We had four very fast bowlers, so it was difficult to keep them off target.”
Pakistani team for the third test – Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Sajid Khan, Hassan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamir Jamal.
