Azhar ton powers Pakistan to 394-2 v Australia

ISLAMABAD :Pat Cummins dismissed Imam-ul-Haq for 157 to break a mammoth stand, but Azhar Ali's patient century powered Pakistan to a commanding 394 for two against Australia on day two of the opening test in Rawalpindi on Saturday.

Azhar was batting on 151, his 19th test hundred, at the tea break having featured in a 208-run stand for the second wicket with Imam.

Skipper Babar Azam, who was on 33, may well be pleased with the strong top-order response to his decision to bat on a flat track that had little for the bowlers in it.

His counterpart Cummins may take some solace in the discipline shown by his bowling attack, even though wickets were not easy to come by.

Earlier, the players observed a moment's silence before play on the second day in memory of Shane Warne and the victims of Friday's attack in a mosque in Peshawar.

Cummins employed a full eight bowlers to try and make inroads into the Pakistan top order, and he resorted to short deliveries after Pakistan resumed on 245 for one.

Imam was on 143 when Australia made a timid caught-behind appeal against him, which was turned down.

Australia chose not to review the decision but UltraEdge showed a spike as the Nathan Lyon delivery passed the bat.

Cummins then wasted a review trying to get Azhar caught behind in the post-lunch session.

Three balls later, Imam wasted one of his own trying to overturn an lbw decision against him. The bespectacled opener had to go, however, as replays confirmed the Cummins delivery would have gone on to hit the middle stump.

Imam's maiden test century was studded with 16 boundaries and two sixes.

Australia are visiting Pakistan after a 24-year gap to play three tests, three one-dayers and a Twenty20 International.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in