Twin Centurions flay Australia

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Cricket365
October 30, 2014

Unbeaten hundreds by Younis Khan and Azhar Ali enabled Pakistan to reach a score of 304 for the loss of two wickets at stumps on the first day of the second Test against Australia at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Thursday.

After scoring two hundreds in the first Test last week, Younis joined Ali at the wicket shortly after lunch with the dismissal of Mohammad Hafeez (45) with the score on 96 for two and the day's play in the balance.

However, helped by some ineffective bowling from the Aussies – who called on eight different bowlers during the 88 overs they spent on the field on the day – the Pakistani numbers three and four added 208 runs in 53.4 overs at a run rate just shy of four to the over.

Predictably, Younis was the more fluent of the two and reached his third hundred in consecutive innings against the Aussies – the first batsman since Herbert Sutcliffe in 1924-25 – shortly after the tea break, with the slog sweep over mid-wicket and straight drives a trademark of his unbeaten knock of 111.

Ali (101 not out) was more circumspect and at times struggled to get the ball into the gaps left by Michael Clarke's sometimes odd field placing, but managed to reach his sixth Test ton and first against Australia in the final over before stumps was called.

For Australia, Mitchell Johnson was again the most threatening and finished the day with respectable figures of 1/50 in 18 overs, while Nathan Lyon picked up the wicket of Ahmed Shehzad (35) in the morning session to end with 1/86 in 23 overs.

Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle were ineffective, while the part-time spin of Glenn Maxwell, Clarke and Steve Smith, as well as the medium pacers of Mitchell Marsh offered plenty of run-scoring opportunities for the batsmen.

Earlier Pakistan named an unchanged side after winning the toss and electing to bat, while Australia made two changes: Starc coming in for left-arm orthodox spinner Steve O'Keefe and Alex Doolan making way for Maxwell.