A breathtaking knock from Steve Smith allowed Australia to set Pakistan 180 runs for victory on the third day of the second Test at Headingley.
In just his second Test, No.8 Smith (77) produced some exhilarating hitting and combined beautifully with the tail as Australia recovered from 5-164 to be all out for 349 in their second innings, a lead of 179.
The 21-year-old plundered nine fours and two sixes in the sunshine in his maiden Test half century in Leeds.
Spinner Danish Kaneria (2-74), who picked up Smith cheaply twice in the first Test, received some heavy treatment during the cavalier innings.
The New South Welshman advanced down the pitch and slapped the ball straight back over the spinner’s head for two consecutive sixes. The second time the ball stayed on the Football Stand end roof.
Pakistan have lost a record 13 Tests in a row against Australia and imploded chasing 176 runs to win against Australia at the SCG six months ago, losing by 36 runs.
Mohammad Aamer (4-86) put Australia on the ropes early on Friday by dismissing Ricky Ponting (66), Mike Hussey (8) and Marcus North (0) in the space of 16 balls as Australia crashed from 2-144 to 5-164.
After resuming at 2-136, the refreshed Pakistani pair of Aamer and Mohammad Asif (2-83) had Ponting and Michael Clarke (77) groping outside off stump from the outset.
It seemed just a matter of time before one of them fell and off the 16th ball of the day, Ponting ambitiously chased a wide, swinging ball from Aamer and was caught behind.
Hussey was Aamer’s next victim, the left-armer rolled his fingers across the ball and it jumped up on the West Australian, hitting the shoulder of his bat with Umar Akmal diving forward to take the catch at slip.
Just when Australia needed North to really stand up, the No.6 completed a miserable series and raised questions about his Test spot by chopping onto his stumps.
North’s departure left Australia at five down and still six runs in arrears.
Clarke and Tim Paine (33) steadily kept the runs coming, even if they failed to keep the scoreboard ticking over – a power outage keeping the board frozen at 5-179 for the best part of an hour.
With Australia ahead by just 30 runs, Paine survived a confident caught behind appeal on 10 off the bowling of Umar Gul (1-80).
After lunch, Clarke’s four-hour knock was ended by Asif’s bowling with a good length ball that just left him off the pitch.
Second Test players Smith and Paine put on 29 before the Tasmanian horribly miscued a long hop from Kaneria that ballooned off the bottom of his bat to cover.
The wicketkeeper’s head slumped and he barely moved at the crease for a few moments, realising what an error of judgment he had made before trudging off.
The new ball was taken with Australia 94 runs in front and Mitchell Johnson (12) became the first victim off it with Asif trapping him in front.
Some 37 had been put for the eighth wicket and Ben Hilfenhaus (17) and Smith added the same amount to hand Australia a reasonable target to defend.
Kaneria removed Hilfenhaus and Smith stepped up his hitting before eventually being bowled by Gul 23 runs short of a maiden hundred.
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