[WATCH] Abdullah Shafique drops a sitter to worsen Pakistan's start in the 1st Test against Australia

Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique failed to hold onto a rare chance offered by the Australian openers on Day 1 of the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Thursday.

The Men in Green had an opportunity to dismiss Usman Khawaja in the 16th over when debutant pacer Aamir Jamal managed to get the top edge of the opening batter. Khawaja tried to go for the pull shot, but did not get into a good enough shape and the resulting edge caused the ball to loop behind him.

Shafique, stationed in the slip cordon, had to work his way backward to claim the catch. He got into a good position in time but failed to track the ball's trajectory, with potentially even the sun getting in his eye.

In the end, he did not even place a hand on the ball as it evaded through the gap between his outstretched palms and body. To make matters worse, the ball bounced away for a boundary as well.

Have a look at the poor piece of fielding right here:

Pakistan's fielding has been well below par on the opening day so far. A misfield by skipper Shan Masood early on in the innings set the trend.

---

Australian openers have made easy work of the inexperienced Pakistan bowling unit

Australia skipper Pat Cummins had no hesitation in opting to bat first after winning the toss. The visitors are yet to get a foothold in the contest so far, with the experienced opening pair of David Warner and Usman Khawaja scoring runs with ease.

The four-pronged Pakistan pace attack, comprising two debutants, has been largely inconsistent. Warner has been at his aggressive best. scoring a quickfire fifty to kickstart his farewell Test series while Khawaja has been a rock at the other end.

As of writing, the hosts have raced off to 95-0 after 19 overs of play. Pakistan are without a frontline spinner following Abrar Ahmed's injury. The Men in Green have included spin all-rounder Salman Ali Agha along with the four seamers.

How costly will Abdullah Shafique's drop prove to be in the grand scheme of things? Let us know what you think.