Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith spearheaded an Australian comeback against a resolute Pakistan on day three of the second Test, after the hosts fell to 16-4 on Thursday. The visitors extended their lead to 161 at tea.
They trailed 107-4 at halftime, with Marsh on 57 and Smith not out on 26 in a pivotal 91-run partnership following a disastrous start on a pitch that was still quite challenging for the bowlers.
Following the dismissal of Pakistan for 264 in response to their initial innings score of 318 (with Nathan Lyon taking 4-73 and Pat Cummins taking 5-48), Australia were confronted with a challenging 15 minutes of the morning session.
Usman Khawaja, however, was dismissed for naught on the second delivery after being caught behind by Mohammad Rizwan off the bowling spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Once more, the aforementioned combination struck when Marnus Labuschagne was dismissed for five runs with a legside edge, resulting in a 6-2 deficit at lunch.
David Warner hit a boundary boundary off Afridi when they returned, but his innings was cut short when he dragged a Mir Hamza delivery onto his stumps on six.
At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he departed for the final time as a batsman to a standing ovation; the third Test in Sydney will mark the conclusion of his lengthy career.
The hosts’ situation deteriorated further when Travis Head was dismissed by Hamza with an inswinging yorker on the following delivery, leaving Australia in a state of disarray at 16-4.
Marsh, however, effectively blocked the hat-trick ball and, in conjunction with Smith, hunkered in to quieten the storm.
In order to further alleviate the strain, Marsh smashed three boundaries in four deliveries after Aamer Jamal entered the field.
Twenty runs into his seventh Test century, he was dropped in the slips by Abdullah Shafique, which was a catastrophic error, but he soon recovered his composure by amassing eight fours.
Pakistan resumed at 194-6 after a collapse from 124-1 in the final session of Wednesday due to an electrifying spell from Cummins; the Australian captain was back in the midst of the action on Thursday.
Rizwan, selected for his proficiency at the batting op over Sarfaraz Ahmed, began with assurance, adding 13 to his overnight total of 29.
However, he was unable to compete with the astute Cummins, who coaxed him into a pass that directly reached Warner, who had just been substituted for slip.
It severed Jamal and Afridi’s 45-run partnership, during which Jamal began to exchange strokes with his new companion as they gradually reduced the deficit.
Afridi, displaying ingenuity, cleared four boundaries prior to being undone by Lyon’s spin and caught behind for 21.
During his 33 not out, Jamal was in fine form, reaching for the fences three times in six balls at one stage.
Hasan Ali was bowled for two by Cummins, which was followed by Hamza being stranded for the same score by Lyon.