Australia v Pakistan: Pace blitz puts Australia on brink of victory in first Test at Gabba

ORDERED to unleash a short-pitched assault on Pakistan, Josh Hazlewood delivered with a merciless bouncer barrage that fired Australia to the cusp of first Test victory at the Gabba.

ORDERED to unleash a short-pitched assault on Pakistan, Josh Hazlewood delivered with a merciless bouncer barrage that fired Australia to the cusp of first Test victory at the Gabba.

Hazlewood twice struck helpless opener Sami Aslam on the helmet and pushed one of the greatest players of his era Younis Khan to the brink of retirement in a savage session under lights.

Australia could now conceivably finish off Pakistan on Saturday if they choose to enforce the follow-on, after Hazlewood (3-19 off 11), Mitchell Starc and Jackson Bird brutally tore the rattled tourists to shreds to leave them 8-97 at stumps on day two.

After a tough start to the summer for Australian cricket, this time it was the other team’s turn to feel the wrath of a crippling batting collapse as Pakistan at one stage lost 7-24 in 15 overs.

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Peter Handscomb scored a maiden Test century to give his side a platform of 429 first innings runs to defend, and then it was over to Australia’s world class bowling unit to execute the strict pre-match instructions set out by coach Darren Lehmann to target Pakistan with a bumper blitzkrieg.

Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood (centre) celebrates with teammates after he took the wicket of Pakistan’s Younis Khan on Friday night.

Australia’s catching has been poor for some time, but on Friday night night the new-look slip-cordon of Usman Khawaja, Matt Renshaw and Steve Smith – who also made 130 – snapped up everything that moved.

The only failure was a poor missed stumping by Matthew Wade at the death off the bowling of spinner Nathan Lyon, prompting Mike Hussey to declare on Macquarie radio that selectors will have to review their keeping situation before February’s tour of India.

LISTEN: Robert Craddock and Cate McGregor discuss Pakistan’s stunning collapse on day two of the first Test in Brisbane, with Australia closing in on a crushing win.

Australia lead by mammoth 332 and Pakistan – still 132 from the follow-on mark – face a tidal wave of pressure if they’re to even take this match into a fourth day.

Hazlewood is now just three victims shy of 100 Test wickets at the venue where he debuted only two years ago, and if he can bring up the milestone this match he will have done it at a faster rate (24 matches) than greats like Reid, Lawson, Alderman, Lindwall, Starc, Hughes, Lee and McDermott.

The ultra-reliable spearhead was bolting there at a rate of knots as he knocked over Babar Azam and Khan in successive deliveries to put himself on a hat-trick and work another healthy Gabba crowd of 23,344 into a frenzy.

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc (second right) celebrates taking the wicker of Pakistan batsman Yasir Shah at the Gabba on Friday night.

Centurion Peter Handscomb was confident Australia’s fast men could get the job done on Saturday.

“There’s no indication as yet (on follow-on) but I’m a big believer if we give the bowlers time to rest, time to put their feet up they’ll win us the game. If we can get them in the ice baths ... they’ll come out firing and hopefully rattle through them,” said Handscomb, who praised the expert bowling of Hazlewood.

“He’s definitely up there (with the best). He’s able to land it on a five cent coin pretty much all the time now and he’s been doing that for plenty of games.

“He’s definitely one of our strike bowlers if not the best bowler in the country so he’s doing a great job and he’s awesome.”

At 39 years of age, Khan was always going to find the going tough starting his innings under lights and he was lured blindly into pushing at a wide Hazlewood delivery to continue a horror Oceania tour which started with him racking up four successive failures of 2, 1, 2 and 11 against New Zealand.

The Aussies will remember all too well how Khan annihilated them with two centuries and a double ton in the UAE back in 2014 – but last night it was payback time and at this rate the champion veteran may struggle to make it through the tour.

Captain Misbah ul-Haq was another to torture Australia two years ago with what was then the fastest century of all time but at 42 years of age he too must be nearing the end.

Ul-Haq survived the Hazlewood hat-trick ball but had his bags packed soon after by the ultra-impressive Bird who after plenty of false starts has cemented his place as the third prong of this attack.

Bird claimed a second scalp when he finally got rid of left-handed Aslam, who had survived 100 balls and a battered helmet to make a stoic but fruitless 22.

Hazlewood banged one in short to Aslam early only for the young batsman to completely take his eyes off the ball and cop a blow to the side of the head – which he appeared to shrug off with minimal distress.

Australian captain Steve Smith leads his players from the field on Friday night after they moved to the cusp of victory over Pakistan in the first Test in Brisbane.

Then in the 24th over, Aslam copped another one, this time on the back of his helmet, after again turning his head to Hazlewood and leaving himself vulnerable.

Hazlewood on both occasions checked on Aslam’s welfare, but this was a plan.

After watching Pakistan melt to the short stuff in New Zealand, Australia locked in their uncompromising tactics early.

Starc perhaps bowled a little too short at times, but the left-armer bowls more wicket-taking deliveries than perhaps anyone in world cricket – and he roared to another convincing haul of 3-45.

It was Starc who fired up early before the dinner break to nick off Pakistan opener Azhar Ali and get Australia off to a flyer ahead of the night time session.

Lyon didn’t take a wicket, but his standing as one of Australia’s most popular cricketers was confirmed last night as the Gabba faithful chanted his nickname “Garry” as they demanded Smith put him onto bowl.