Top 3 Pakistan-Australia encounters

#2 Sydney, 2009: Pakistan self-destruct amid pink

After the disaster at Melbourne in the Boxing Day Test, Pakistan came back in a style only they could have, only to nosedive into depths greater than the heights they had attained.

Australia, following the suit of sanity, batted first at the SCG but were taken aback by the heat of the Pakistani bowling. Mohammad Sami, in his first four overs of the match, sent back to pavilion a top order comprising Shane Watson, Phil Hughes and Ricky Ponting for 6, 0 and 0. Mohammad Asif backed that up with a big of six wickets of his own as Australia mustered only 127, runs you would want in the first session of a Sydney Test.

A solid batting effort, highlighted by fifties from the openers Salman Butt and Imran Farhat, whose 109 run opening stand gave Pakistan a massive first innings lead of 206.

Despite Shane Watson's flamboyant 97, Australia were down and out against Danish Kaneria, having lost eight wickets with their lead only amounting to 51. Mike Hussey, the ultimate man to manage a disaster, scored an unbeaten 134, supported by Peter Siddle's 117 ball vigil for 37 runs.

Second Test - Australia v Pakistan: Day 4

Still, set only 176 to chase, Pakistan got off to a rollicking start, racing at a run a ball in the first six overs. After Mitchell Johnson's double breakthrough, Nathan Hauritz bowled a brave extended spell with the highlight being him enticing Pakistani batsmen to make errors despite it being a small chase.

As panic set in, Pakistan lost their last five wickets, four of them to Hauritz (who took a five-for), for 36 runs to stumble to 139 all out and recording one of their more freakish losses, as a pink painted Sydney relished an all-time classic pendulum encounter.