Pat Cummins finally declared after the visitors had added a further 51 runs
Pakistan 38 for 1 trail Australia 556 for 9 dec (Khawaja 160, Carey 93, Smith 72) by 518
Debutant Mitchell Swepson produced a brilliant run out before lunch to dismiss in-form opener Abdullah Shafique, as Pakistan’s response to Australia’s mammoth first innings started poorly on day three of the second Test.
Moments after bowling his long-awaited first over in Tests, Swepson nailed a sidearm throw from backward point to run out Shafique, who scored an effortless second innings ton in Rawalpindi, for 13 after the Pakistan openers attempted a risky single.
In response to Australia’s marathon first innings of 556 for 9, Pakistan reached lunch at 38 for 1 with Imam-ul-Haq on 20 and Azhar Ali 13 not out. With the Karachi pitch still favouring batting, Shafique’s wicket was a confidence boost for 28-year-old Swepson.
After being around Australia’s Test squad since 2017, Swepson’s moment of truth arrived when the legspinner came into the attack in the 13th over. He had a nervous start with the ball and couldn’t quite find his length before resorting to around the wicket against left-handed Imam, who scored twin hundreds in a player of the match effort in Rawalpindi.
Swepson, who is Australia’s first specialist legspinner since Bryce McGain in 2009, bowled in tandem with frontline spinner Nathan Lyon before lunch, but there were few concerns for the Pakistan batters.
With plenty of runs on the board against weary opponents, Australia’s pumped-up attack aimed to bounce back after taking just four wickets in 217.1 overs in the first Test amid a stale draw. Quick Mitchell Starc, who was preferred as the second seamer over Josh Hazlewood, looked in good rhythm and bowled rapidly to hit speeds in the mid-140kph/90mph.
Captain Pat Cummins was miserly in trademark fashion and produced several deliveries that stayed low in an ominous sign for Pakistan, who face the daunting prospect of mustering a strong batting effort after a lengthy stint in the field.
Despite some scrutiny in their decision to bat into the third day, Australia preferred grinding Pakistan into the ground and make full use of the batting-friendly conditions on a Karachi pitch expected to deteriorate. They seemingly only want to bat once on a pitch showcasing occasional inconsistent bounce, reverse swing and turn.
After resisting the temptation late on day two, Cummins finally declared Australia’s innings after 189 overs. Pakistan were made to toil for 35 minutes on day three with Cummins smashing a breezy unbeaten 34 marked by three sixes with the last of them signalling the close of the innings. Swepson finished 15 not out as the pair frustrated Pakistan with a half-century partnership.
Starc, who slowly batted through the final session on day two, failed to add to his overnight score of 28 after being dismissed on the second ball of the day’s play.
Offspinner Sajid Khan, who conjured menacing turn on day two, did a lot of the heavy lifting through the innings for Pakistan and finished with 2 for 167 from 57 overs.
After Cummins won a crucial toss, Australia’s innings was dominated by opener Usman Khawaja’s brilliant 160 off 369 balls in the city his family hails from, while Alex Carey (93) and Steve Smith (72) notched half-centuries.
Once again, the temperature in Karachi is expected to hover in the mid-30s and the heat is on Pakistan’s batters to claw into Australia’s big total.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth