Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon put Australia in control of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday, leaving Pakistan down by 124 runs on day two.
After taking the important wickets of Abdullah Shafique (62) and Babar Azam (one), then Agha Salman (five), Mohammad Rizwan was on 29 and Aamer Jamal was not out two at stumps.
Lyon contributed by dismissing Imam-ul-Haq (10) and Shan Masood (54), while Josh Hazlewood dismissed Saud Shakeel for nine runs as Pakistan’s goal of a first Test victory in Australia since 1995 receded.
“I thought we bowled well before tea, but without much reward.” “They obviously batted very well,” remarked Cummins. “But it was good to get a few big wickets at the end there, and it feels like we’re well into their order now.”
“I was actually really happy,” he said of Australia’s batting display. “I thought our batters did a great job to get us to 300, it was hard work.”
The visitors took seven wickets in the first session on a seam and swinging track, limiting the hosts to 318.
After Australia started on 187-3 after being called into bat, Aamer Jamal led Pakistan’s attack with 3-64, with Marnus Labuschagne top-scoring on 63.
Openers Haq and Shafique got off to a good start, surviving a flurry of loud appeals.
But veteran spinner Lyon, who had just taken his 500th wicket in the first Test in Perth, was rewarded when Haq edged to Labuschagne at slip.
Undaunted, Pakistan increased their run rate after tea, with Shafique achieving his first Test fifty in Australia and sixth overall with a four off Mitchell Starc.
But Cummins ended Shafique’s stay by sticking out his left hand for a catch off his own bowling, ending his 90-run partnership with Masood.
He then clean bowled danger man Azam before Lyon returned to grab his second wicket when Masood miscued and Mitchell Marsh held a catch with the sun in his eyes.
Hazlewood dismissed Shakeel before Cummins returned to dismiss Salman, who was caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey, leaving Pakistan in difficulty.
“As a batting unit, it hurts,” Shafique said. “But I hope we will recover from this partnership that is going on now.”
– Jamal makes a strike –
On day one, Labuschagne was a rock, burrowing in for an overnight 44 off 120 balls.
With the sun blazing, he padded up beside Travis Head on nine, slamming a boundary off Shaheen Shah Afridi in the first over to signify Australia’s resolve.
The dynamite Head smashed Hasan Ali to the ropes with his opening ball and followed it up with another in the same over to get into a rhythm fast.
On 17, however, his flair cost him, as he lashed out at a wide Afridi ball that got a thick edge and was superbly collected by Salman in the slips.
Labuschagne, on the other hand, persisted on his quest for his 17th Test half-century.
Marsh was run out twice in two balls by West Indian umpire Joel Wilson during a heated Ali over when on seven. He survived after reviewing both rulings (lbw and caught behind).
But, just as Pakistan seemed to be losing the match, Jamal took the wicket of Labuschagne, who edged to Shafique at slip.
As Pakistan cashed in with a fresh ball, Carey and Starc rapidly followed, before Marsh holed out to Jamal off Mir Hamza on 41 and the tail collapsed.
Australia won the opening Test of the three-match series by 360 runs in Perth.