Australia moves with 5 wickets of series sweep of Pakistan

By Associated Press 02 December 2019, 12:00AM

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Australia moved within five wickets of a series sweep against Pakistan after Nathan Lyon broke a crucial 103-run partnership and removed both overnight batsmen during the first session on day four of the day-night test.

Pakistan was 167-5 at the first interval on Monday, still needing 120 runs to make Australia bat again and with five sessions remaining in the match.

Mohammad Rizwan (10) and Iftikhar Ahmed (10) were unbeaten at the break and needing a big partnership to give Pakistan hope of salvaging anything from the match at the Adelaide Oval.

Masood and Shafiq combined for almost 30 overs in a century stand for the fourth wicket, withstanding interruptions for rain delays and an overnight break before Lyon claimed his first wicket of the match to get the vital breakthrough for Australia.

Pakistan resumed at 39-9 on Monday after being forced to follow-on on day three, when the visitors were bowled out for 302 to surrender a 287-run first-innings lead.

Masood scored 68 in a determined, 127-ball stand that ended when he advanced to Lyon (2-49) and mis-judged a drive to mid-off, where Mitchell Starc took a simple catch to make the score 123-4.

Shafiq grafted his way to 57 from 112 balls before he was caught at leg-slip by David Warner, trying to work a Lyon delivery square, to make the total 154-5.

Pakistan has been on the back foot since Australia won the toss and batted at Adelaide, with Warner posting an unbeaten 335 before skipper Tim Paine declared with the total at 589-3.

Starc, who took 6-66 in the first innings, returned to have Azhar Ali caught behind as Pakistan slumped to 20-3 in the second innings, with Josh Hazlewood trapping Imam-ul-Haq in the fourth over and having Babar Azam caught behind in the 10th.

Australia won the first test in Brisbane by an innings and five runs.

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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

By Associated Press 02 December 2019, 12:00AM

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