Pakistan in driver’s seat in Rawalpindi

Pakistan’s Azhar Ali walks back to pavilion after scoring 184 during the second day of the first Test against Australia in Rawalpindi yesterday. (AFP)

Veteran batsman Azhar Ali and opener Imam-ul-Haq scored big hundreds to help Pakistan dominate Australia yesterday on the second day of the opening Test in Rawalpindi. Azhar knocked 185 and Haq a career-best 157 to guide Pakistan to 476-4 against a hapless Australian attack on a placid and unresponsive Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium pitch. Skipper Babar Azam declared an hour before the close in the hope of an early wicket, but Australia ended the day on five without loss after bad light stopped play with 15 overs remaining. Left-handed opener Usman Khawaja scored five, while David Warner was yet to get off the mark. Australia will need another 272 runs to avoid the follow-on against Pakistan’s wily spinners, who are used to the pitch conditions. Azhar was delighted at scoring a hundred against the visitors. “I always enjoy scoring runs against Australia as they are one of the top teams and they challenge your abilities,” he said. “It will be tough to bowl Australia out twice on this pitch, but I hope our bowlers do their best.” Australian Marnus Labuschagne, meanwhile, said his side had a tough fight ahead. “I think the only way you get yourself back into a game like this is by taking it day by day, over by over. “We know we can turn this game.” Pakistan added just 57 runs at snail’s pace in the morning session. Haq was the slowest of the Pakistan pair, adding just six runs in the first hour and not hitting a boundary until the 90th minute. He was lucky to survive a caught-behind appeal on 143 off Lyon that the Australians didn’t challenge, when replays showed it hit the bat. But Azhar put on a solid 208-run stand for the second wicket with Haq and then another 101 for the third wicket with Azam, who was run out for 36. Azhar was finally caught reverse sweeping Labuschagne after batting for just four minutes under nine hours. Mohamed Rizwan (29) and Iftikhar Ahmed (13) remained not out. For Australia’s pace-cum-spin attack it was a hard toil with Labuschagne (1-53), Cummins (1-62) and Nathan Lyon (1-161) among the wickets. Spearheads Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood went wicketless for 71 and 53 runs respectively. Pakistan lost only Imam-ul-Haq in the first two sessions as they added 149 runs after resuming the day on 245-1. Haq completed 150 before he was trapped leg-before by Cummins soon after lunch. Haq, who unsuccessfully reviewed the decision, batted for nearly nine hours and hit 16 boundaries and two sixes. The tourists will play three Tests, as many one-day internationals and a single Twenty20 match.SCOREDBOARD Pakistan 1st innings Asadullah Shafique c Cummins b Lyon    44 Imam-ul-Haq lbw b Cummins    157 Azhar Ali c Green b Labuschagne    185 Babar Azam run out    36 Mohamed  Rizwan not out     29 Iftikhar Ahmed not out     13 Extras (b4, lb7, nb1)     12 Total (four wickets, 162 overs)     476 Fall of wickets: 1-105 (Shafique), 2-313 (Haq), 3-414 (Azam), 4-442 (Azhar) Bowling: Starc 24-5-71-0, Hazlewood 26-6-53-0, Lyon 52-5-161-1, Cummins 28-5-62-1, Head 3-0-13-0, Green 15-3-47-0 (1nb), Labuschagne 12-0-53-1, Smith 2-0-5-0 Australia 1st innings Usman Khawaja not out    5 Dave Warner not out     0 Total (for no loss; 1 over)     5 Bowling: Sajid 1-0-5-0