Rain cut short yet another day at Melbourne as Pakistan continued their first innings batting, albeit in better fashion. The Pakistanis finished the day on 310/6 with Azhar Ali unbeaten on 139.
Australia had their task cut out against two gritty batsmen, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq as the duo made the Aussie bowlers pay for anything short or too full. They were content in playing out Josh Hazlewood, who bowled a remarkable spell of 26-11-33-2.
Jackson Bird finally got his groove back with the second new ball and sent back Shafiq, but not before he had made a 50 in an 115-run stand with Ali. Sarfraz followed soon edging Hazlewood to Renshaw but Amir thwarted any hopes for another session of Australia's dominance with some eye-catching strokes.
He remained unbeaten on 28 with Azhar Ali as rain hit MCG yet again, prompting an early finish to the day. With just three more days play remaining and the first innings yet to be concluded, a draw seems the likeliest result.
Here are the talking points from the day's play.
#5 Richard Illingworth signals out wrongly but reverses his decision
Azhar Ali was batting on 93 when Asad Shafiq drove Jackson Bird down the ground. Bird got a fingertip to the straight drive and the ball went on to hit the stumps with Ali, who was backing up struggling to make it back.
The Aussies appealed and the third umpire was called by S. Ravi, the onfield umpire. Replays clearly showed the ball touching Bird's fingers and hitting the stumps but it also showed that Azhar Ali was well inside his crease.
Richard Illingworth, the third umpire, however, gave Azhar Ali a second of shock as he pressed the wrong button by mistake, revealing a big OUT on the big screen, much to the amusement of the players. The cheerful crowd soon started booing as Illingworth corrected the decision by flashing NOT OUT seconds later.
#4 Shafiq plays the supporting role to perfection
After churning out a magnificent hundred at the Gabba to scare the Aussies to no end, Asad Shafiq was back to his familiar supporting act. Azhar Ali, was past his half-century when Misbah was dismissed by Bird and Shafiq walked in.
He played out Day 1 with an exhibition of his defensive technique and strong awareness of his off-stump. On Day 2, as Ali continued on to his hundred, Shafiq played the supporting role, helping his team-mate in a steady partnership.
The partnership was worth 115 and Shafiq had just reached his half-century when Jackson Bird got the second new ball talking. A perfect outswinger accounted for Shafiq as he edged to Steven Smith. But his partnership with Azhar Ali had put Pakistan in a good position after a debacle on Day 1.
#3 Hazlewood continues his miserly bowling
Josh Hazlewood has been a sensational find for Australia. He has a McGrath-esque touch to his bowling and revels in the line and length stuff with the odd ball nipping in or out to confuse the batsmen. He had bowled tirelessly for 42 overs in Pakistan's incredible fightback in Brisbane but barely showed his tiredness here.
At one point before the second new ball was taken, Hazlewood's figures read 19-7-23-1. He had bowled exceptional lines, giving nothing away to the batsmen. Not a single boundary had been scored off Hazlewood until the 97th over when Mohammad Amir edged him through Khawaja's hands at third slip.
Starc may be Australia's trump card and much-celebrated bowler, but Hazlewood has been a silent workhorse at the other end, chipping away crucial wickets with some traditional Test bowling.
#2 Mohammad Amir continues his drives
Amir showed that he could more than hold a bat at The Gabba in the first Test. He had made a gritty 21 in the first innings and a solid 48 in the second, falling two short of a landmark.
Today he was back at the crease and an early reprieve after Khawaja dropped him off Hazlewood seemed to have woken him up. He edged one more off Starc through the slips but in between that played a silken cover drive off the same bowler.
When Jackson Bird, Australia's best bowler in this Test thus far, pitched one up to Amir with a hint of away swing, Amir freed his arms and drove with the perfect pose through cover region to bring up Pakistan's 300. He remained unbeaten on 28 off a mere 23 balls with six fours.
#1 Azhar Ali piles on the runs
Azhar Ali has been a silent warrior in Pakistan's squad for quite some time. He is less celebrated unlike Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, however, a triple hundred against the Windies brought the ODI skipper back to the limelight.
On Day 1 at MCG, Ali showed his class as wickets kept tumbling around him. He remained unbeaten overnight with the stable Asad Shafiq for company. As Day 2 resumed, Ali was fluent and flourished as he got some help from Shafiq.
He played some audacious shots down the ground that included a mere push off Starc in the 100th over that raced to the fence. He remains unbeaten on 139 off 287 balls and looks set to add a double hundred to his repertoire. With Yasir Shah and Wahab Riaz to follow down the order, he has some capable batsmen to aid him.
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