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'Bloody grim': Aussie batsmen decimated in Pakistan bloodbath

Andrew Reid

Australia A has suffered a horrendous batting collapse in the tour match against Pakistan, in concerning signs ahead of the first Test at the Gabba in under a fortnight.

Coming to the crease on day two in Perth after Pakistan had put on a whopping 428 first innings runs, the Aussies got off to the worst possible start.

Joe Burns' hopes of winning a Test recall suffered a major dent when he was removed by the impressive Imran Khan for a golden duck.

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In a game touted as a 'bat-off' for several players aiming to force their way into the first Test side, it couldn't have been a worse audition for the majority of the Aussie hopefuls.

The home side scraped to the dinner break with 73 runs to their name and one wicket in hand but even that figure disguised just how dire their opening session had been.

At one stage the Aussies had slumped to 9-57, with impressive paceman Imran Khan doing the damage with five wickets for the visitors.

Viewers couldn't believe what they were seeing, with Australia's woeful performance copping an absolute mauling on social media.

Golden duck ushers in horror Aussie collapse

Burns was clean-bowled for a golden duck and fellow Test hopefuls Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja,Travis Head and Will Pucovski also fell cheaply as Australia A endured a disastrous session on day two of the pink-ball clash.

Veteran seamer Khan snared 5-21, with the hosts limping to Tuesday's dinner break at Optus Stadium in reply to Pakistan's 428.

Cameron Bancroft, batting at No.6 after being added to the XI when Nic Maddinson withdrew on mental health grounds, dug in to be unbeaten on 23 alongside Riley Meredith (3no).

National coach Justin Langer and chief selector Trevor Hohns will sit down on Wednesday to pick their squad for the first Test, and the hosts' collapse after Pakistan had batted for four sessions is certain to cause them headaches.

Australia A's quicks had little assistance from the pitch or the pink ball on day one but the wicket appeared to have since livened up significantly.

Imran skittled Burns with his first delivery before left-arm quick Shaheen Afridi cleaned up Harris (16) with a superb off-cutter.

Harris is the incumbent Test opener but his inconsistency has potentially opened the door for Bancroft to partner David Warner at the Gabba.

Head (13) and Khawaja (6) both fell to the part-time offspin of Iftikhar Ahmed, Head picking out backward point and Khawaja caught behind.

Imran then found the edge of Pucovski (5), who had been duelling with Head to claim the vacant middle-order spot in Australia's Test side.

Pakistan ripped through Australia A's batting attack in Perth.
Australia A suffered a shocking batting collapse against Pakistan. Pic: Getty

Australia A skipper Alex Carey chopped on to an Imran delivery for a seventh-ball duck to give Pakistan a crack at the tail.

The collapse comes despite Pakistan being a bowler down with 16-year-old quick Naseem Shah withdrawn following the overnight death of his mother.

The tourists opted not to replace Naseem, preferring to retain the tour match's first-class status.

Led by tailender Yasir Shah (53), Pakistan added 92 runs in the opening session after Babar Azam (157) and Asad Shafiq (119) retired overnight.

Yasir was trapped lbw by Jhye Richardson (3-79) just before the tea break, bringing Pakistan's resistance to an end.

With AAP