KARACHI, Pakistan— Skipper Babar Azam cracked a fighting
century with great support from opener
Abdullah Shafique Tuesday as Pakistan
thwarted Australia's hopes of a quick win in the second Test in Karachi.
اضافة اعلان
Set a daunting 506-run target, Azam knocked
his sixth Test century — and second against Australia — to guide Pakistan to
192–2 and raise hopes of an improbable victory, or even a fighting draw.
At the close Azam was unbeaten on 102 and
Shafique 71 as the pair added 171 for the third wicket, leaving the home team
needing another 314 runs in the 90 overs of the final day for a win, or bat out
three sessions for the draw.
Pakistan lost
Imam-ul-Haq (one) and Azhar
Ali (six) before Shafique and Azam led the fightback, leaving Australia
wicketless in the last session — despite taking the second new ball after 80
overs.
Azam top-edged a sweep off-spinner
Mitchell Swepson towards short fine-leg for two to reach the three-figure mark, his
first in 21 innings since his 143 against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi in February
2020.
Azam's hundred came in 247 minutes with 12
boundaries.
Shafique was as solid as his skipper, having
so far hit four boundaries and a six as he and Azam batted defiantly for 265
minutes.
No team has ever chased more than the 418–7
that West Indies did against Australia at Antigua in 2003, while Pakistan's
highest successful chase was 377 against
Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2015.
Australia, resuming their second innings at
81–1, batted for just 26 minutes at the start of play to add 16 runs before
declaring on 97–2.
The visitors scored 556–9 declared in their
first innings then dismissed
Pakistan for 148.
The home team had hoped Azhar would anchor
the second innings but the senior batsman was trapped lbw by
Cameron Green when
trying to evade a short-pitched delivery.
Azhar chose not to review as he trudged off
but was left to regret it as television replays showed he had gloved the ball.
At 21–2, Australia seemed to have the upper
edge and were looking to take a 1–0 lead in the three-match series but their
efforts were thwarted by a slow turning pitch and the brilliance of
Pakistan's
batting pair.
Australia could have had Shafique on 20 but
the experienced Steve Smith spilled a straightforward catch in the slips off
pacer Pat Cummins.
Despite cracks on the National Cricket
Stadium pitch, Australian spinners Nathan Lyon and Swepson failed to get
vicious turn.
Earlier, Haq and Shafique were all caution
as it took them until the fifth over to score the first run, before Lyon
struck.
The in-form Haq, who scored a hundred in
each innings of the drawn first Test in
Rawalpindi, was trapped lbw for one as
he failed to connect with a sliding delivery.
Earlier,
Marnus Labuschagne was bowled off a
sharp Shaheen Shah Afridi delivery for 44 to prompt skipper Cummins to call the
innings to a close with first-innings century-maker Usman Khawaja, who was born
in Pakistan, remaining 44 not out.
Australia are on their first tour of
Pakistan since 1998, having previously refused to tour the country because of
security fears.
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