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losing by 360 runs in Perth, and they took advantage of a pitch offering seam and swing to claim seven Australia wickets in the morning session.

Aamer Jamal was the visitors’ top bowler, taking 3-64, but Cummins said he was satisfied to see Labuschagne’s dogged 63 from 155 balls help the hosts to a healthy enough score after they resumed on 187-3.

Mitchell Marsh weighed in with 41, surviving two dismissals on review after being given out twice by umpire Joel Wilson to successive Hasan Ali deliveries when on seven.

Labuschagne’s dismissal with the team score on 250, edging Jamal to Shafique, sparked a decline in Australian fortunes as the hosts went on to lose their final six wickets for 68 runs.

Nevertheless, Cummins said: “I was actually really happy. I thought our batters did a great job to get us to 300, it was hard work.”

Pakistan falter after promising start

Pakistan made a decent start to their reply, despite the loss of Imam for 10, caught by Labuschagne at slip off Lyon.

Shafique reached his first Test half-century in Australia, and his fifth overall alongside four hundreds, with a four off Mitchell Starc as the visitors upped the run rate after tea.

But his 90-run partnership with Masood was broken by Cummins, who showed sharp reflexes to catch Shafique off his own bowling.

The visitors went on to lose five wickets for 46 runs.

Cummins bowled the dangerous Babar for one before Masood fell to Lyon, caught by Marsh for 54.

Josh Hazlewood bowled Saud Shakeel for nine and Cummins accounted for Salman, caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey for five, to leave the tourists in trouble. (BBC Sport)

International Cricket Council (ICC) charged him for wearing a black armband in support of civilians in Gaza during the first Test.

The 37-year-old was denied permission to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the second Test.

Under ICC regulations, players cannot display messages of political, religious or racial causes during international matches.

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said it had supported Khawaja’s bid to wear the dove symbol, describing him as “passionate about human rights”.

“The ICC has its regulations and they are there for good reason so we have to respect those,” Hockley said.

“But I think the main way we deal with this is through good communication and working together.”

Khawaja, who is Muslim, has said his message is a “humanitarian appeal” and not a political statement.

Australia captain Pat Cummins said on Monday that the team were sympathetic to Khawaja’s desire to show his support to the people of Gaza.

“I don’t know the ins and outs of the application, but I think it is pretty vanilla, a dove,” he said.

“We really support Uzzy. I think he’s standing up for what he believes and I think he’s doing it really respectfully.”

World Test champions Australia were put into bat on a greenish wicket at the MCG as Pakistan looked to bounce back from their 360-run defeat in Perth.

Left-arm seamers Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza found early movement and Warner, playing the penultimate Test of his career, was dropped on two in the third over after edging Afridi to Abdullah Shafique in the slips.

Warner, who made 164 in the first innings of the first Test, eventually fell when edging a wide delivery from spinner Agha Salman to Babar Azam.

Khawaja lasted another six overs before he was also caught in the slips, edging Hassan Ali to Salman.

After a rain delay, Smith was given out lbw to Afridi for 19, but the decision was overturned on review after ball tracking showed the delivery would have gone over the stumps.

The former Australia captain was eventually given out for 26, caught behind off Aamer Jamal, after a successful review from Pakistan showed the faintest of edges. (BBC Sport)