Oz rule after Shah heroics

Adelaide, December 1

Australia moved toward a dominant victory and a series whitewash after leaving Pakistan wobbling at 39/3 in their second innings on Day 3 of the second Test today. Pakistan need another 248 runs to make the hosts bat again. Opener Shan Masood was batting on 14 and Asad Shafiq on 8 when rain brought an early end to play in the Day/Night Test at a floodlit Adelaide Oval.

After bowling Pakistan out for 302 before dinner, Australia enforced the follow-on and Josh Hazlewood duly rewarded skipper Tim Paine with two early wickets, with Mitchell Starc chipping in with one. Hazlewood trapped opener Imam-ul-Haq lbw for a duck on the cusp of dinner and later returned to have Babar Azam caught behind for eight. Starc grabbed his seventh wicket for the Test by dismissing Pakistan captain Azhar Ali for nine, with Steve Smith diving for a fine catch in the slips.

Shah’s ton

After Pakistan began the day at 89/6, Australia were made to work hard for the remaining wickets as Yasir Shah dug in for an unlikely century. The stocky leg-spinner was eventually caught in the deep for 113 but not before warming hearts from Peshawar to Karachi as he defiantly clung on to record his maiden Test ton. — Reuters