Watch: Babar Azam gets rare Test wicket as Alex Carey falls 7 short of maiden hundred

Pakistan captain Babar Azam unexpectedly ended up in the wickets column on Day two of the second Test against Australia in Karachi on Sunday. The 27-year old denied keeper-batter Alex Carey a maiden Test hundred.

The dismissal occurred in the third-last over of the day when Carey tried to sweep against a flighted delivery. While the shot proved highly productive before, it snuck underneath the bat on this occasion to hit the off-stump.

Although the left-hander missed the magical three-figure mark, he got Australia into a strong position by grinding the hosts down. Carey's 159-ball knock comprised seven fours and two sixes, with the South Australian's dismissal ending a mammoth 98-run partnership with Mitchell Starc.

Babar Azam picks up second Test wicket

Carey was Azam's only second Test victim. The classy right-handed batter, who bowls off-spin, dismissed Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Miraz in Mirpur in December 2021. Meanwhile, in the ongoing Test, the visitors hold the upper hand, reaching 505-8 at stumps on Day 2.

While Usman Khawaja could only add 33 runs to his overnight score of 127, Travis Head (23), Cameron Green (28), Carey (93) and Starc (28*) continued to pile on the runs. Sajid Khan and Faheem Ashraf have claimed two wickets apiece.

With the pitch slated to deteriorate and become difficult to bat on, it will be interesting to see how Pakistan fare.

The deck is unlikely to be a repeat of Rawalpindi's high-scoring game, where the home side amassed over 925 runs in two innings. Only 14 wickets fell across five days as batters of both teams made merry.

Australia, who managed only four wickets in the first Test, are likely to fare well on the Karachi track. All eyes will be on the visitors' declaration or Pakistan's ability to take the two remaining wickets early on Day three.