Pakistan knuckle down in fight to save pink-ball Test

Australia, Dec 17, 2016 (AFP) - Pakistan were in a backs-to-the-wall struggle to save the day-night first Test as Australia took a strangle-hold on the third day at the Gabba on Saturday.

At the close, the tourists were hanging in at 70 for two with Azhar Ali not out 41 and 112-Test veteran Younis Khan yet to score after facing 19 balls. Pakistan trailed by 419 runs.

Pakistan made a much better fist of playing in the tricky twilight session with the pink ball losing just two wickets after their catastrophic seven for 24 in the first innings on the previous evening.

The openers lasted into the 12th over before Starc got Sami Aslam to edge to Matt Renshaw at first slip for 15.

Babar Azam fell to spinner Nathan Lyon in the final halfhour when he edged to Steve Smith at slip for 14.

It was slow going but at least the tourists were not shedding wickets in clumps to keep the Australians at bay and still with two long days to play.

Australia will be pressing S. Aslam c Wade b Bird ..............22 A. Ali c Khawaja b Starc ...............5 B. Azam c Smith b Hazlewood ....19 Y. Khan c Wade b Hazlewoood ......0 M. Ul-Haq c Renshaw b Bird.........4 A. Shafiq c Khawaja b Starc .........2 S. Ahmed not out .......................59 W. Riaz c and b Hazlewood...........1 Y. Shah c Khawaja b Starc ............1 M. Amir c Wade b Bird ...............21 R. Ali run out (Warner)..................4 Extras (lb3, w1) ............................4 Total (all out, 55 overs) .............142

1-6 (Ali), 2-43 (Azam), 3-43 (Khan), 4-48 (Misbah), 5-54 (Shafiq), 6-56 (Aslam), 7-66 (Wahab), 8-67 (Yasir), 9-121 (Amir), 10-142 (Rahat)

Starc 18-2-63-3 (1w), Hazlewood 14-1-22-3, Bird 12-6-233, Lyon 11-2-31-0 D. Warner c Wahab b Amir ........... 12 hard on Sunday's fourth day to win the series opener where they have yet to lose at the Gabba in 27 Tests stretching back to 1988. M. Renshaw c Younis b Rahat ........ 6 U. Khawaja c Misbah b Rahat ....... 74 S. Smith c Rahat b Yasir ................ 63 P. Handscomb not out ................... 35 N. Maddinson c Azam b Wahab ..... 4 M. Wade not out ............................ 1 Extras (b2, lb4, nb1) ....................... 7 Total (5 wickets declared, 39 overs) .......................................... 202

1-12 (Warner), 2-24 (Renshaw), 3-135 (Smith), 4-188 (Khawaja), 5-199 (Maddinson)

Amir 8-0-37-1, Rahat 10-1-40-2, Yasir 10-1-45-1, Wahab 7-1-47-1 (1nb), Ali 4-0-27-0 S. Aslam c Renshaw b Starc ......15 A. Ali not out ..............................41 B. Azam c Smith b Lyon ..............14 Y. Khan not out ..............................0 Extras ...........................................0 Total (2 wickts, 33 overs) ...........70

1-31 (Aslam), 2-54 (Azam)

Starc 8-3-28-1, Hazlewood 11-8-5-0, Bird 8-3-24-0, Lyon 6-213-1

The highest winning run chase in the fourth innings at the Gabba stands at 236 for seven by Australia against the West Indies in 1951.