Usman Khawaja completes his century, while Steve Smith reaches the halfway point of his half-century. Pakistan staged a comeback to eliminate Marnus Labuschagne and David Warner in Karachi, and the two are continuing to create a good relationship.

With a paddle down leg side, the champion batsman added another 50 to his Test tally. He’s had a lot of success converting those into centuries. Usman Khawaja, on the other hand, has some business on that front on the other side of the ground.

The left-handed opening pair grabbed control early, electing to bat on a surface that will help spinners as the game goes. The seamers had some help in the opening hour, and the openers had a difficult few minutes to cope with – despite receiving a few outside edges and being pinged on the pads. However, as the session went, the pitch changed as well. From flat to sluggish, low, and twisting, there’s something for everyone.

Khawaja, who was untroubled in the first session, easily fended off a hefty attack from Shaheen Shah Afridi after lunch, who hasn’t quite reached top gear like he did in the series opener.

Pakistan were able to stifle the run rate late in the second session because to excellent bowling from Shaheen and Faheem Ashraf, who both started to generate reverse swing after Khawaja scored quickly in the first session.

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TOPICS: Australia vs Pakistan Steve Smith Test series