Mitchell Starc led the Australian pace attack with three wickets yesterday to put the visitors in the driving seat on day three of the second Test against Pakistan in Karachi.
The lanky left-armer took 3-29 as Pakistan were bundled out for a paltry 148 in reply to Australia’s mammoth first innings of 556-9 declared.
Despite a big 408-run lead, Australia did not enforce the follow-on and at the close on the third day were 81-1 in their second innings, leading by 489 with nine wickets intact.
Opener Usman Khawaja was unbeaten on 35 and Marnus Labuschagne 37 after David Warner fell to Hasan Ali for seven.
“It’s a much more abrasive wicket, few more cracks, and the square is so much drier and bare which played a factor in achieving the reverse swing,” said Starc.
“Over the last couple of days we knew the pitch would deteriorate to some degree, but we were not sure it would happen so quickly.”
Australia have two full days to enforce a big win and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, their first tour of Pakistan in 24 years.
Pakistan’s collapse in 53 overs was in complete contrast to Australia, who stayed out for 189 overs, plundering runs at ease.
Starc, who went wicketless in the drawn first Test in Rawalpindi last week, had Azhar Ali (14), Fawad Alam (nought) and Sajid Khan (five) out as Pakistan lost six wickets in the space of 62 runs after being 38-1 at lunch.
Debutant leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson finished with 2-32 including the wicket of Azam, who miscued a drive and was caught at long-off.
It all went wrong in the first over after lunch when Haq – who scored twin centuries in the opening Test – fell to a rash shot, lofting spinner Nathan Lyon to skipper Pat Cummins at mid-on.
Starc then had Azhar caught in the slips and next ball trapped Alam with a sharp in-dipping yorker. He almost had a hat-trick when Mohamed Rizwan was beaten neck and crop, but didn’t edge.

SCOREBOARD
Australia 1st innings  
D. Warner c Rizwan b Ashraf 36
Usman Khawaja b Sajid 160
M. Labuschagne run out 0
S. Smith c Ashraf b Hasan 72
N. Lyon b Ashraf 38
T. Head lbw b Sajid 23
C. Green b Nauman 28
A. Carey b Azam 93
M. Starc c Azhar b Shaheen 28
P. Cummins not out 34
M. Swepson not out 15
Extras (b10, lb7, nb7, w5) 29
Total (for nine wkts dec; 189 overs)  556
Fall of wickets: 1-82 (Warner), 2-91 (Labuschagne), 3-250 (Smith), 4-304 (Lyon), 5-347 (Head), 6-360 (Khawaja), 7-405 (Green), 8-503 (Carey), 9-505 (Starc)
Bowling: Shaheen 32-8-95-1 (nb4), Hasan 25-7-71-1 (nb2), Ashraf 21-4-55-2, Sajid 57-10-167-2 (w3), Nauman 48-6-134-1 (w2), Azam 4-0-7-1, Azhar 2-0-10-0 (nb1)

Pakistan 1st innings
A Shafique run out 13
Imam-ul-Haq c Cummins b Lyon 20
A  Ali c Green b Starc 14
B Azam c Khawaja b Swepson 36
F Alam lbw b Starc 0
M Rizwan c Carey b Cummins 6
F  Ashraf lbw b Green 4
S Khan c Carey b Starc 5
H  Ali run out 0
N  Ali not out 20
S Shah Afridi lbw b Swepson 19
Extras (b6, lb2, nb3) 11
Total (all out; 53 overs) 148
Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Shafique), 2-45 (Haq), 3-60 (Azhar), 4-60 (Alam), 5-76 (Rizwan), 6-81 (Ashraf), 7-97 (Sajid), 8-102 (Hasan), 9-118 (Azam), 10-148 (Shaheen)
Bowling: Starc 13-5-29-3 (nb2), Cummins 13-2-39-1, Lyon 9-5-13-1, Swepson 9-1-32-2, Green 8-1-23-1 (nb1), Labuschagne 1-0-4-0

Australia 2nd innings
Usman Khawaja not out 35
D. Warner c Alam b Hasan 7
M. Labuschagne not out 37
Extras: (b2) 2
Total (for one wkt; 17 overs) 81
Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Warner)
Bowling: Shaheen 4-0-14-0, Hasan 4-0-14-1, Sajid 5-0-31-0, Ashraf 3-0-13-0, Nauman 1-0-7-0
Toss: Australia
Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Ahsan