MELBOURNE: Pakistan threatened to take charge of the second Test after dismissing Australia for 318 and were making a good start to their reply on Wednesday but were reduced to 194 for six at stumps after the intervention of home skipper Pat Cummins.
The tourists looked in fine shape at 124-1 an hour after tea but will resume on day three of the match 124 runs in arrears with hopes of a first Test win in Australia since 1995 to level the series at 1-1 fading fast.
Cummins (3-37) changed the day in two overs, brilliantly catching Abdullah Shafique for 62 off his own bowling and dismissing dangerman Babar Azam for one with a sublime delivery that had the Melbourne Cricket Ground crowd roaring in delight.
Off spinner Nathan Lyon also played a leading role in Australia's fightback, breaking an obdurate opening partnership between Imam-Ul-Haq and Shafique before returning to remove Shan Masood for 54.
Masood had played a gutsy captain's innings for his eighth Test half century but frittered all his good work away when he tried to club the ball back over Lyon's head only to balloon it to Mitch Marsh at point.
Josh Hazlewood then chipped in to bowl Saud Shakeel for nine and Cummins returned late in the session to have Agha Salman caught behind for five.
Mohammad Rizwan was unbeaten on 29 at the close of play with Aamer Jamal two not out from 26 balls at the other end.
"I thought we bowled decently before tea without too much reward, they obviously batted quite well," said Cummins.
"It was good at the end there to get a few big wickets and we feel like we're well into their order now.
"I thought our batters did well to get over 300, I think the pitch is just going to get better and better."
The rain which had disrupted the opening day of the Boxing Day Test stayed away but conditions still favoured the bowlers and Pakistan were able to wrap up Australia's first innings before lunch.
Jamal led the way with 3-64 as the tourists, who have lost 15 successive Tests in Australia since 1995, took the last seven wickets at the cost of 131 runs.
Marnus Labuschagne top scored with 63 but the 52 extras Pakistan conceded was a reminder of a sloppiness that Australia were always going to be happy to exploit.
Pakistan belied that tendency early in their innings, particularly as Shafique and Masood put on 90 runs for the second wicket with brave and disciplined batting in the face of Australia's world class pace attack.
Australia won the first Test by an emphatic 360 runs in Perth two weeks ago. The third and final Test will take place in Sydney in the new year. -- Reuters
scoreboard
Australia 1st innings
D Warner c Azam b Salman 38
U Khawaja c Salman b Ali 42
M Labuschagne c Shafique b Jamal 63
S Smith c Rizwan b Jamal 26
T Head c Salman b Afridi 17
M Marsh c Jamal b Hamza 41
A Carey c Rizwan b Afridi 4
P Cummins c Hamza b Jamal 13
N Lyon c Hamza b Ali 8
J Hazlewood not out 5
Extras (b20, lb15, nb2 w15) 52
Total (all out; 96.5 overs) 318
Fall of wickets: 1-90, 2-108, 3-154, 4-204, 5-250, 6-260, 7-275, 8-286, 9-308
Bowling: Shaheen Shah Afridi 27-5-85-2, Mir Hamza 22-5-51-2, Hasan Ali 23.5-7-61-2, Aamer Jamal 19-1-64-3, Agha Salman 5-0-22-1
Pakistan 1st innings
Abdullah Shafique c&b Cummins 62
Imam-ul-Haq c Labuschagne b Lyon 10
Shan Masood c Marsh b Lyon 54
Babar Azam b Cummins 1
Saud Shakeel b Hazlewood 9
Mohammad Rizwan not out 29
Agha Salman c Carey b Cummins 5
Aamer Jamal not out 2
Extras (b8, lb6, nb3 w5) 22
Total (for 6 wkts; 55 overs) 194
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-124, 3-131, 4-147, 5-151, 6-170
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 13-2-50-0, Josh Hazlewood 12-4-29-1, Pat Cummins 14-1-37-3, Nathan Lyon 13-1-48-2, Mitchell Marsh 3-0-16-0
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