Fast bowler Aamer Jamal’s six-wicket haul helped Pakistan bowl out Australia for 299 in the first innings on the third day of the third Test in Sydney on Friday.
Australia trailed Pakistan by 14 runs when the hosts collapsed after tea, losing four wickets for 10 runs as paceman Aamer Jamal took 6-69.
The Sydney Cricket Ground is dry and rutted, with the result of the Test match in the balance with more than two days to play.
Mitchell Marsh scored his fourth half-century of the series to power Australia to a first-innings lead over Pakistan on the third day of the Test in Sydney on Friday.
Australia lost the wicket of Alex Carey for 38 in the final over and went to tea on 289-6 with Marsh unbeaten on 50 and trailing Pakistan by just 24 runs.
Marsh continued his rich run of form after scoring 90, 63 not out and 96 in the first two Tests.
Carey was bowled by Sajid Khan and played forward to the spinner with the ball brushing against his sweater to clear the leg bail.
The pair accounted for 84 runs to rebuild the innings after losing Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head earlier in the day at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Head failed to get going again when he was adjudged lbw to Aamer Jamal for 10, losing the rating in the process.
Head, one of the heroes of Australia’s World Cup final win over India this year, scored 40, 14, 17 and 0 in the first two Tests of the series, both won by the hosts.
Marsh had a big moment at number seven when he was dropped by Saim Ayub off the bowling of Agha Salman in a tough low chance.
The great all-rounder, known as ‘Bison’, also survived an lbw review for Hasan Ali when he was 31.
Pakistan grabbed the prized wickets of Smith and Labuschagne in the space of six balls in the extended morning session to seize the momentum before being uprooted.
Smith and Labuschagne, who both average over 70 in Tests at the SCG, looked well set for a stunning late double-wicket breakthrough.
Smith fell into a carefully laid Pakistan trap when he stacked a trio of fielders around short extra cover off the bowling of medium pacer Mir Hamza.
Smith duly went through the wicket and bowled the next ball but was caught overhead by Babar Azam.
Australia’s top batsman made 38 off 86 balls and looked dazed as he stared at a patch of pitch before walking off the ground bewildered.
He was soon followed by Labuschagne, who was bowled by Salman for 60 off 147 balls.
It was a well-deserved reward for the struggling Pakistanis, who fought back with disciplined bowling and determined fielding despite already losing the three-match series.
Australia clinched the series with a thrilling 79-run victory in the second Test in Melbourne.
