Rainy conditions put a major dampener on the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan, with lengthy delays ruining the day.
T?he iconic Boxing Day Test festivities were dealt a major blow on Tuesday, with rainy conditions putting a dampener on the opening day between Australia and Pakistan at the MCG.
The visitors elected to bowl first at the toss and dropped an early chance to dismiss David Warner, who looked to make the most of it before playing a "lazy" shot to depart for 38 just moments before the lunch break.
His opening partner, Usman Khawaja, would also fail to turn his start into a bigger score, edging a delivery from Hasan Ali to second slip after the break and walking off for 42. ?
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As dark clouds hovered over the MCG, the threat of rain was very much real.
The lights were put on in the early afternoon, but Marnus Labuschagne wasn't satisfied.
?"Obviously the light's faded a little bit there, the clouds are coming over and it's swinging around a bit," he said on Fox Cricket.
"It's dark, let's just leave it at that.?"
However, his comments left a sour taste in the mouth of Australian great Mark Waugh, who questioned Labuschagne on commentary.
"He's got to stop worrying about the light and if they're gonna go off ... he's just got to focus on the next ball," he said.
"I actually think once the lights are on, you (players) stay on. Isn't that why you have the lights on? To make it not dark.
"I know it's not perfect conditions, but I just think it's a part of Test match cricket."
It wouldn't be long until the heavens would open up in Melbourne, forcing play to be halted for a number of hours.
After some back-and-forth between the ground staff and umpires, play ultimately resumed late in the afternoon, with Labuschagne and Steve Smith both at the crease.
Both batters started very slowly, with Labuschagne's mindset coming under the microscope from England great Michael Vaughan.
"?I just watch Marnus at the minute, I watched him at the Ashes in the UK, to me he's just trying to survive those channel of deliveries," he said on Fox Cricket.
"... at the minute I get a sense with Marnus that he's just about survival ... when you enjoy batting the most is when you're out there scoring runs."
A statistic provided proved Vaughan's point to an extent?.
In 2018-22 he averaged 64.7 in the channel outside off stump and in 2023 he averages 17.4.?
"In 2023 you can't tell me pitches have done so much more in the last 12 months," Vaughan added.
"He's really struggled."?
Labuschagne managed to remain at the crease at stumps ?with 44 not out, but his batting partner Smith wasn't with him.
The 34-year-old was removed just under an hour before the end of play, with Pakistan reviewing a caught behind decision off the bowling of Aamer Jamal.
Hot spot and snicko uncovered Smith had feathered the ball behind, as he left the field on 26.
Travis Head was next man in ?and finished 9 not out.