Haris Sohail celebrates after scoring his maiden Test ton
Haris Sohail scored his maiden Test century on Monday as Pakistan piled up 482 runs in their first innings on the second day of the first Test against Australia. The 29-year-old left-hander scored a patient 110 off 240 balls with eight fours and two sixes before Pakistan were bowled out an hour before stumps.
Asad Shafiq missed out on a hundred but scored a fluent 80, adding 150 runs for the fifth-wicket stand with Sohail as Australia's bowlers toiled for nearly two days under hot and humid conditions on a flat wicket.
"I can't explain how happy I am to score my first Test hundred," Sohail said.
"My mother told me last night that she wanted to see me scoring a century today."
Australia negotiated the 13 overs and were 30/0 at stumps with Usman Khawaja not out on 17 and Aaron Finch batting on 13. Australia still trail Pakistan by 452 runs.
Resuming overnight at 255/3, both Sohail and Shafiq batted resolutely with Australia captain Tim Paine delaying the second new ball until lunch with Pakistan moving to 329/4.
Peter Siddle, pick of the Australian bowlers with 3/58, got the lone success in the first session when he had nightwatchman Mohammad Abbas clean bowled.
Both Pakistan batsmen batted more fluently against the second new ball in the afternoon session as Australia's bowlers couldn't trouble them with either seam or spin.
Part-time leg-spinner Marnus Labuschagne finally broke through just before the tea break when he lured Shafiq to drive the ball away from his body and got the thick outside edge to Paine behind the wickets.
Australia did well through some smart ground fielding in the last session as Pakistan lost its last five wickets for 64 runs with Babar Azam (4) and captain Sarfraz Ahmed (15) both getting run outs.
Finch dropped Ahmed in the first slip but made amends through a direct throw at the non-striker's end to run out the Pakistan captain.
Sohail, who raised his century off 223 balls, tried his favorite cut shot off Nathan Lyon (2-114) and was caught behind as Australia struck with regular intervals.
Mitchell Starc, who toiled for over 32 overs and gave away 90 runs, finally got his first wicket when last man Yasir Shah got a thin edge while Siddle had Bilal Asif clean bowled.
