Aus Pak T 2 Days 1 & 2 Stumps: Pak Have Massive Lead after Asif's Sixer

Mohammad Asif once again made matters easy for Pakistan by wrecking Australia on the first day of the second Test. But it was the turn of the batsmen to turn on the heat on day two.

mohammad asif appeals

Australia's fears of a Pakistan backlash turned all too real on the first two days of the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney.

Australian captain, Ricky Ponting's decision to bat first proved disastrous as Asif struck at the heart of the Australian batting backbone, demolishing the hosts for just 127.

But the downfall was triggered by Mohammad Sami who decimated the top three batsmen in the first eight overs of the match, reducing Australia to three down for ten!

Asif thereafter took after with deadly effect. Michael Hussey was the only one amongst the top six batsmen to reach double digits, twenty-eight runs, before being done by the six wicket man, Asif, who used the grass on the pitch to perfection, giving a huge boost to the visitors who suffered a crushing defeat in the first Test at the MCG.

Mitchell Johnson hung around for thirty-eight runs as did Nathan Hauritz for twenty-one runs in a partnership that nearly added forty runs after Australia were reduced to seven for sixty-two.

Pakistan, on the other hand, could not have had a more contrasting start. A 109 run partnership for the opening wicket between Imran Farhat and Salman Butt laid the foundation for the 204 run lead at the end of the day when Pakistan found themselves at 331 for nine, this despite Doug Bollinger sticking to his job and plucking three wickets for the effort.

What Bollinger did was to shake up the middle order to nullify that opening partnership to an extent, but not before Umar Akmal showed plenty of enterprise for forty-nine.

What really gave Pakistan the positive advantage was Butt's seventy-one and Farhat's half century followed by the Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf's forty-six runs.

Pakistan may have lost a few too many wickets through their belligerence but it will be hard to argue with the team that has a lead of over 200 runs and is in firm command when play was called on day two.

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