Steve Smith century gives Australia narrow lead over Pakistan
Thursday 29 December 2016 08:16, UK
Skipper Steve Smith scored his 17th Test century to give Australia a 22-run lead over Pakistan as rain again disrupted play in Melbourne.
Smith reached his fourth Test hundred of the year before a storm lashed the MCG just before tea and forced the rest of the fourth day's play to be abandoned.
Smith was unbeaten on 100 with Mitchell Starc not out on seven in Australia's 465-6.
With just a day left the second Test is heading for a draw.
The Australians were hoping to build a 100-plus run lead to try and put the tourists under pressure on the final day in the weather-disrupted Test.
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Smith passed 1,000 runs in a calendar year for the third time in a row during his knock, taking his 2016 total to 1,040 at 67.60 with his patient century coming off 168 balls with nine boundaries.
Usman Khawaja was dismissed three runs short of his century early in the day, the second time this season that the Pakistan-born batsman has been dismissed on 97.
Khawaja had added just two runs to his overnight 95 off 12 balls when he edged Wahab Riaz to wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed in the day's fifth over.
The Australians lost the wickets of under-pressure pair Nic Maddinson and Matthew Wade in the middle session.
Maddinson, fighting to nail down his Test spot, failed again, deceived by wrist-spinner Yasir Shah's flight and was bowled off-stump for 22 off 55 balls.
Wicketkeeper Wade again missed out - this time he was caught in the slips for just nine after a slash outside off-stump at Sohail Khan.
Peter Handscomb claimed his third half-century in three Tests to push along the Australian scoring, but he went for 54 when he found Sami Aslam at point off Sohail.
Mitchell Starc smashed Shah for a mighty six - measured at 103 metres - high into the stands to get off the mark and will resume on Friday with Smith.
Azhar Ali, who scored an unbeaten 205 in Pakistan's 443-9, was fielding at short leg when he received a fearsome blow on the helmet off Wade's full-blooded pull shot and was taken from the field for observation for concussion.
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