Pakistan started day 2 with 3 wickets down and 60 runs ahead. With a day to bury the demons of their 88-all out debacle, Australia clawed back early - Mitchell Johnson removed the dangerous Umar Akmal only 5 overs into the day for just 20, leaving Pakistan at 171/4. Umar Amin didn't last much longer, ducking a Ben Hilfenhaus bouncer but leaving his bat in the air. The ball clipped the exposed bat and gently looped to square leg, where Marcus North took one of the easier catches of his career. Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik took Pakistan to lunch (with Mike Hussey dropping a tough, but catchable chance off Kamran Akmal) at 218/5, a lead of 130.
Resuming play, Akmal hit Shane Watson for 4 for the first ball after lunch. But Watson had his revenge, inducing an edge from Akmal to Marcus North at first slip, then trapped a padding-up Mohammed Aamer first ball. Hawk-Eye guessed that the ball would have missed the off-stump, evening out the similar dismissal of Michael Hussey the previous day. Watson had figures of 8-3-16-4, and Pakistan slipped from a cautiously stable 218/5 to a weak 222/7. Watson picked up his 5th wicket (for a career-best, to follow from his 5-for in the previous Test match) by bowling Umar Gul for a duck. Pakistan 224/8, a lead of just 136. Much depended on Shoaib Malik, but he became Watson's 6th wicket, caught behind for 28 (234/9). The last-wicket pair of Danish Kaneria and Mohammed Asif resisted, putting on a 30-run partnership with some tail-end batting (ugly, but effective). The fun ended when Kaneria deemed run out after Asif had sent him back to a ball that fell an inch short of mid-off and both batsmen decided to take a run after the throw had broken the stumps. Pakistan ended at 258 all out, a lead of 170, with Shane Watson taking 6 wickets and Salman Butt's 45 on day 1 being the highest score.
A score of 258 won't win you too many Tests, but a lead of 170 is harder to argue with. It got harder for Australia when Simon Katich fell to Mohammed Aamer, bowled around his legs (again) for 11. It was the first time in 10 Test matches that Katich failed to make a half century, and Australia lost their first wicket still 155 runs in the hole. Ricky Ponting survived two massive appeals for LBW the first two balls he faced, with Hawk-Eye predicting that the first was on-target. Ponting made good of the reprieve with Shane Watson, nudging singles until Watson chopped an innocuous Umar Amin delivery onto his stumps for 24. Australia 55/2, still trailing by 115. Ponting scored his 12,000th Test run (second on the all-time list, behind Sachin Tendulkar), and brought up his 52nd Test 50 as Australia passed 100. Stumps were declared shortly after, with Ponting on 60*, Michael Clarke on 31*, and Australia at 136/2, trailing by 34.
Pakistan will be disappointed that their Watto-triggered batting collapse prevented them from sealing the deal in their first innings - but then again, with Pakistan, no one should be too surprised. Without being too harsh, only they could reduce Australia to 88 all out in the first innings and still not feel confident of victory. With Ponting looking good, Clarke at the crease and Michael Hussey to come, Pakistan know they have long fight ahead of them to compensate for their batting failure. Then again, not too many teams can say they knocked Australia down for 88. Can lightning strike twice?