With three more days to play, Pakistan trailing by 301 runs and Azhar Ali and Abdullah Shafique looking to build on their unbeaten 70-run stand, the series-deciding third and final Test against Australia here at the Gaddafi Stadium looks evenly poised.
Pacers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi completed four-wicket hauls on Tuesday but Australia still managed to post 391 in their first innings thanks to a 135-run sixth-wicket stand between Cameron Green (79) and Alex Carey (67). Pakistan lost opener Imam-ul-Haq early on but Abdullah (45) and Azhar (30) ensured they ended the day without any further damage.
Read more: Pakistan dismiss Australia for 391 in third Test
“We have got a good start to our batting, so we need to take the total to 450-500 and then bowl our team to success,” Shaheen, who termed the pitch conducive for batting, told an online news conference.
Having wrapped up the Australian innings with a searing yorker that dismantled Mitchell Swepson’s stumps after lunch to finish with 4-79, Shaheen added Pakistan had to be patient in their search for wickets.
