After left-armer Afridi's two early wickets, Australia could have been in even deeper trouble but Pakistan failed to capitalise on chances offered by Khawaja and Smith.
Factbox on the four-Test series between Australia and India, which begins on Thursday
Trent Boult was named in the New Zealand squad for part of the upcoming Twenty20 series against Australia on Wednesday, indicating that the veteran fast bowler is still in the frame for the World Cup in June.
The all-rounder also speaks of how coach Ravi Shastri has inspired him and the challenge of opening in Test matches.
Shaun Marsh's name crops up as Australia look for right opening combo.
'...The players and staff deserve a lot of credit for the standard of cricket we have played over the past two years. It would be a great reward for everyone to finish as World Test Champions.'
IMAGES from Day 2 of the one-off Day-Night Pink Ball women's Test between Australia and India in Gold Coast on Friday.
IMAGES from Day 10 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Short of players, a nine-man Australia needed as many as four support staff members on the field, including chief selector and head coach, in their T20 World Cup warm-up against Namibia but that did not change the expected outcome of the game.
The 33-year-old has been in strong form in 50-overs cricket too and famously quipped "I'm back, baby" during an ODI against England in November after a successful technique tweak.
Brendon McCullum - playing his last Test match- produced a sensational display of stroke-play, blasting to the fastest hundred in Test cricket history. McCullum took 54 balls to reach the three-figure mark, two less than the previous record. Viv Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq held the previous record with 56-ball hundreds. In terms of time taken, McCullum's hundred in 78 minutes is the joint fourth fastest in Test cricket. Statistician Rajneesh Gupta glances at the records of the fastest hundreds in Test cricket:
Former Australia Test skipper Tim Paine reckons England lack the depth to go toe to toe with Pat Cummins and Co in the ongoing Ashes series.
India lost seven wickets for the addition of just 70 runs as they crumbled in the first session itself. Here's how the Day 5 panned out.
Kohli's deputy Ajinkya Rahane will lead India in the final three Tests.
The top two teams with most points as of April 30, 2021 will then contest in the WTC final in June 2021 in the UK.
'Me and Todd (Murphy) were in the MRF tour in Chennai probably six months ago and that left me in good stead to go well in these games.'
He will be back-up for Australia's regular wicketkeeper Alex Carey until Inglis returns to the squad for the rest of the five-Test series against England.
He felt Australia will get better as the series progresses.
India have recalled Ajinkya Rahane to reinforce their batting line-up, which will have to be at its best to negate the Australian attack.
Coming into the series at the back of a convincing series win over Pakistan, Australia will look to seal their seventh day-night Test win when they face New Zealand in the opening Test beginning in Perth on Thursday.
Boland experienced English conditions on a tour with an Indigenous team of cricketers in 2018 and Cummins said he was convinced the 34-year-old would not need to overhaul his bowling approach to succeed.
Stokes is also among the Test Cricket of the Year nominees alongside compatriot Jonny Bairstow, Australia opener Usman Khawaja and South Africa speedster Kagiso Rabada.
Australia limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has conceded that his Test career appears over, saying it is unrealistic for him to play red ball cricket again.
Johnson sidelined for Aus tour of UK
Former Pakistan bowlers, Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal have been appointed as the fast bowling and spin bowling coaches of the national squad for the upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Australia opener Marcus Harris was dropped from the Test squad and replaced by Queensland batsman Joe Burns for the upcoming two-match series against Pakistan.
Australia captain Pat Cummins is returning home to Sydney due to personal reasons but will rejoin the team for the last two Tests of the series in India.
'It's a hugely important series and after the year everyone had it is going to bring a huge amount of joy to cricketing fans.'
'We had one hour of chaos there and that cost us that Test match when we'd played pretty good cricket. We came here and doubled down on what we'd set out to achieve at the start of the tour.'
Signed playing shirts from the Boxing Day Test will be auctioned online from Thursday, with all proceeds also going to the Australian Red Cross.
The Australian players paid homage to Pat Cummins's mother who passed away on Thursday.
Images from Day 1 of the pink-ball first Test between Australia and India, in Adelaide, on Thursday.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell feels the potency of Australia's pace attack in English conditions gives them the edge in next month's World Test Championship final against India, who could be "badly affected" by the absence of injured Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant.
Images from Day 5 of the 2024 Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday.
With two senior pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (thigh injury) and Ishant Sharma (side strain) all but ruled out, Navdeep Saini will certainly be the fourth pacer after Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.
Australian head coach Andrew McDonald backed Mitchell Starc ahead of the Ashes series starting from June 16 at Edgbaston.
It will be the first ever Pink Ball Test the two sides play against each other.
Hardik Pandya's leadership skills and India's overall World Cup preparedness will be under focus
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 5th Ashes Test played between England and Australia at The Oval, London, on Sunday.
