Demolition Men: Warner, Labuschagne hammer Pakistan

David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne rewrote the admittedly new-release record book for day-night Test cricket with an unprecedented domination of the pink ball, and another batting demolition of a demoralised Pakistan.

With tandem centuries to individually savour, the duo also shared the highest partnership for any wicket in the day-night Test format that was pioneered in Adelaide four years ago with an unbeaten 294 for the second wicket in the second Domain Test.

No swing, too short: Warner reflects on day one

It lifted Australia's total to an imperious 1-302 at the end of a rain-interrupted day one, and once more with the whip hand having won the two-match series opener at the Gabba by an innings and five runs.

The previous benchmark among all comers in the 12 pink-ball Tests played worldwide to date was 248 by England's past and present captains, Alastair Cook and Joe Root, against the West Indies at Edgbaston in 2017.

The best partnership at Adelaide's floodlit stadium, rated recently by Australia's pacemen as the premier bowling pitch in the country, was the 137 that Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith compiled for the third wicket against South Africa three summers ago.

Warner goes back-to-back with brilliant hundred

Today's effort also represented a record second-wicket partnership for all Tests played at Adelaide over 135 years – day or night; red ball or pink – surpassing Colin McDonald and Lindsay Hassett's 275 also against South Africa in 1952-53.

The question now is how high the union might climb tomorrow … and whether Australia's top-ranked batter Steve Smith will get a hit.

Warner (166 not out) and Labuschagne (126 not out) punished an uninspired and unimaginative Pakistan who, despite fielding a couple of fresh bowlers and armed with the pink ball that legend suggests is kryptonite to batters, were flogged to all parts of Adelaide Oval.

Not even the presence of heavy cloud and a rain delay that accounted for the entire middle session this afternoon could quell the Australia pair who resumed the superiority they had wielded over a different-looking, but equally impotent rival under sunny skies in Brisbane.

#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/ZwSe1YoBvO David Warner's timing was excellent all day, but none better than the crisp cover drive to bring up his 150! 👌 @mastercardau November 29, 2019

As the more fluent of the pair in the early stages of their union, Warner reached his century first to install himself alongside men's team coach and fellow left-handed opener Justin Langer on 23 Test hundreds for Australia – equal-ninth among all to have donned the Baggy Green Cap.

More instructively, it was his 17th Test century on home turf and only three players – his mentor Ricky Ponting (23), another opener Matthew Hayden (21) and the incomparable Don Bradman (18) – have completed more hundreds here.

However, Warner seemed to take even greater delight when Labuschagne also completed his second century in as many innings – and the second of his already glittering Test tenure – as they embraced mid-pitch, and the former vice-captain was lifted off his feet by his younger teammate.

Labuschagne felt he might have cracked three figures a couple of balls earlier than he did, when on 94 his exquisitely struck lofted off-drive landed on the boundary rope rather than a few centimetres beyond it, which much detailed examination of slow-motion video eventually ascertained.

Consecutive centuries for marvellous Marnus

The 25-year-old, whose first-class career-best 185 came in the first Domain Test on his home track last weekend, wasn't made to wait long for another memorabilia moment as he knocked leg spinner Yasir Shah through mid-wicket two balls later, in the same seemingly effortless manner that had characterised much of their partnership.

The ease with which Warner and Labuschagne were able to find gaps, steal singles and blaze boundaries made a mockery of the advantages that day-night conditions, the pink ball and the recall of veteran seamer Mohammad Abbas (alongside a pair of teenage quicks) was supposed to deliver Pakistan.

Warner and his opening sidekick Joe Burns – with whom he had previously claimed to hold a 'special relationship' – had begun the day by engaging in a game of 'rock, paper, scissors' as they sat in the changeroom tunnel, awaiting their walk to the middle.

It was not immediately clear whether, as the winner of that contest, Warner was able to nominate who faced the opening delivery (it was the left-hander), but Burns soon emerged as the day's loser.

The delivery after he pocketed his first runs courtesy of a sweet cover drive to the boundary, he was lured into playing at a ball from left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi that he felt would shape back into him, only to find it angling across.

The resultant edge nestled into keeper Muhammad Rizwan's gloves, and the 19-year-old bowler set off upon a victory run that saw him finish alongside the square leg umpire before his exultant teammates could catch him.

It would prove a lone high note on a hard day's night.

Afridi was the best of Pakistan's quicks with the new ball, and initially presented problems for Labuschagne who was challenged outside his off stump and, at the first drinks break, had managed a solitary scoring shot from 32 balls faced.

But while Labuschagne was cautiously conservative, Warner was perpetual motion.

In a ploy to throw the usually metronomic Abbas off his nagging length, Warner started batting outside his crease which, in turn, forced Rizwan to stand up at the stumps when the leader of Pakistan's attack returned for his second spell.

When he was afforded width, Warner slapped boundaries through or in front of point, and when he wasn't finding the fence he was scurrying between wickets to seize every possible run and apply extra heat to the lukewarm bowling outfit.

As a result of the pressure that Warner relentlessly applied, Labuschagne was soon able to find his rhythm as he and his partner – with whom he shared a 129-run second-wicket stand in Brisbane a week earlier – took to debutant paceman Musa Khan.

Not only did the 19-year-old right-armer leak runs at more than six per over in his opening spell in Test cricket, he was thrice called for over-stepping as the game increasingly slipped away from the tourists.

Leading run-scorers in Test cricket in 2019: 779* - Marnus Labuschange (AUS) 778 - Steve Smith (AUS) 754- Mayank Agarwal (IND) 746 - Ben Stokes (ENG) 642 - Ajinkya Rahane (IND) #AUSvPAK November 29, 2019

There was no more graphic illustration of the teams' disparate positions than the 'six' that Warner collected to reach 50, the hard-run two that would have carried him to 49 augmented by a wayward throw that yielded a bonus boundary, and a milestone.

It was the first time Warner had scored a half-century in his fifth day-night Test outing, and such dominance had he asserted either side of the rain break it seemed inevitable that achievement would be at least doubled.

The fact that Labuschagne seemed set to catch his batting buddy after gifting him a sizeable head start – come the dinner break, he was not out 60 with Warner on 72 – reflected the junior partner's growing surety rather than any suggestion Warner was finding the going tougher.

As the pair departed for the interval, Warner told Fox Cricket that the biggest challenge that loomed after overcome the new-ball period would be having to resume their respective innings under the full glare of floodlights.

That potential problem was lessened when Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali opted to employ part-time finger spinner Iftikhar Ahmed upon resumption, and both Warner and Labuschagne were able to settle into the changed environment with little or no duress.

Not only was the bowling modest, the fielders lacked intent and were seemingly cowed by the batters' aggressive running as singles were accumulated at will.

Fittingly, having played out a maiden over from Abbas when on 99, Warner grasped his 23rd Test ton with a cheeky run off Yasir, at the completion of which he dropped his bat as he lunged for the safety of the bowler's end crease.

Trademark Warner leaps for Test ton No.23

It meant the 33-year-old completed his trademark celebratory leap with batting helmet in hand as his only prop.

But in every other sense, it was a carbon copy of the triumph he enjoyed a week earlier.

Australia XI: David Warner, Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Tim Paine (c & wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Pakistan XI: Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali (c), Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi, Musa Khan

Domain Test Series v Pakistan

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Azhar Ali (c), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah.

First Test: Australia won by an innings and five runs.

Second Test: November 29 – December 3, Adelaide (d/n) (Seven, Fox & Kayo)