Pakistan fight to avoid defeat against Australia in pink ball Test at Adelaide

Pakistan was battling to stave off defeat in day-night second Test against Australia on Sunday after being forced to follow on, with Tim Paine's men needing seven wickets to clinch series 2-0. visitors, who have lost 13 consecutive Tests in Australia, were in big trouble at 39 for three when rain forced an early end, 248 runs behind with two days left and ir top order decimated. y had resumed on an overcast and cold afteron teetering at 96 for six in ir first innings, in reply to Australia's 589 for three declared, built on back of David Warner's monumental 335 t out.

Yasir Shah smacked a dogged maiden Test century and Babar Azam hit 97 but y were all out for 302 and still 287 runs adrift, with Mitchell Starc hero, taking 6-66. Australian skipper Tim Paine enforced follow on and it started badly for Pakistan, whose first task was to survive intact for 15 minutes before dinner break. y failed with opener Imam-ul-Haq -- recalled after being overlooked for first Test in Brisbane, which y lost by an innings and five runs -- out lbw for a duck to Josh Hazlewood.

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It was quickly 11 for two with Starc tempting skipper Azhar Ali into a thick outside edge and Steve Smith taking a quality catch just seconds before a shower forced m off. rain had been threatening all day and when y returned after 30 minutes Hazlewood bagged key wicket of dangerman Azam for two, caught behind by Paine. But more rain soon blew in, to Australia's frustration, and umpires called it a day. Earlier, Yasir and Azam had kept Pakistan's slim hopes alive with disciplined first innings batting. Better kwn as a spin bowler, Yasir had never gone better than 42 in his previous 36 Tests, making his 113 against one of world's most fearsome pace attacks even more remarkable.

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Gloomy conditions

In a scintillating spell under lights on Sunday night, left-armer Starc snapped up four quick wickets and omens for Pakistan did t look good. But gloomy conditions at Adelaide Oval offered little for bowlers during daylight hours on Sunday and Azam and Yasir took advant. y put on a 105-run stand and Azam looked destined for a third Test century until Starc pounced again, with 25-year-old edging an attempted drive to Paine behind stumps on 97.

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Azam -- who scored a century in first Test at Brisbane and is rapidly emerging as his country's top batsman -- left field dejected but to a standing ovation. very next ball Starc grabbed his sixth, with Shaheen Afridi plumb lbw before Mohammad Abbas fended off hat-trick ball. Abbas made a gutsy 29 before he was undone by a Pat Cummins bouncer, caught at gully by Warner.

At or end, Yasir showed composure to compile his first-ever ton, bringing up milestone off 192 balls, clattering 12 fours and kissing turf in celebration. He had a near-miss off bowling of Marnus Labuschagne on 33. Steve Smith believed he caught him at slip and made a big appeal, but replays showed ball fell just short of his fingertips. Yasir was n dropped by Labuschagne off his own bowling on 43. He was finally out hooking a Cummins delivery to Nathan Lyon

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