Australia stayed in control of the opening Test against Pakistan despite an early stutter in the second innings after it didn’t enforce the follow-on Saturday.
Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja carried Australia to a watchful 84 for two in the last session on Day 3 for an overall lead of 300 after Pakistan collapsed to 271 all out at the stroke of tea and conceded a 216-run lead.
Smith was unbeaten on 43 and needed a brief on-field treatment after he was struck on the shoulder by a sharp Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ball late in the day with Khawaja not out on 34.
Nathan Lyon grabbed three for 66 and was just a wicket away from the elusive landmark of 500 Test wickets as Pakistan’s resistance faded in the first couple of sessions. Australia’s pacers bowled at a disciplined line and length and Lyon also squeezed the batters on a wicket which gave him some assistance.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh took the prized wicket of Babar Azam in the first session to go along with his spirited knock of 90 in Australia’s formidable first innings score of 487.
David Warner, who scored a century in the first innings, and Marnus Labuschagne both fell in an impressive opening spell of debutant fast bowler Khurram Shahzad as Australia slumped to five for two early in the last session.
Warner went without scoring as he holed out at mid-wicket off Shahzad’s short-pitched ball while Labuschagne also got a top edge against the pacer before Smith and Khawaja played out Pakistan pacers cautiously and put the home team in the driver’s seat in the opening test of the three-match series.
Earlier, the Australian pace trio of Mitchell Starc, captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood combined well with Lyon and broke Pakistan’s resistance in the first couple of sessions after Pakistan resumed on 132 for two.
The visitors lost nightwatchman Shahzad for seven in the first over to Cummins (2 for 35) after he survived a close run-out off the first ball when Travis Head missed the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Babar and the Imam-ul-Haq combined to steady Pakistan as the Pakistan skipper opened his account with his trademark cover-driven boundary.
