HOBART, Jan 14: Australian batsmen dominated the first day's play after losing three wickets on the score of 80 in the third and final Test here on Thursday.
unbeaten centuries of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke steered Australia to 302-3 on day one stumps. Pakistan started well pegging Australia back to 80-3 at lunch.
Ponting dropped by Amir on nought, ended the day on 137 to hit only his second Test century on his home ground at Bellerive Oval.
Australia have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, but things looked promising for the tourists in the opening session when, having lost the toss, they claimed the wickets of Simon Katich, Shane Watson and Mike Hussey.
Katich was the first to go, departing in the seventh over for 11 after being adjudged lbw on referral off Mohammad Asif.
Ponting should have followed without scoring when he was also tempted into a hook shot by Asif and skied the ball straight to young paceman Mohammad Aamer at fine leg.
Aamer did not have to move, but elected to take the ball at waist level rather than at head height.
Ponting punished the tourists heavily thereafter by producing his 39th Test century. Clarke was the quiet achiever with his chanceless century; he brought up his 13th Test century from 188 balls to end the day unbeaten on 111. Clarke also passed the 4,000 Test run milestone in his 58th Test.
The unbroken partnership of 231 between Ponting and Clarke broke Australia's fourth-wicket record against Pakistan, set by Greg Chappell and Graham Yallop at Faisalabad in 1980.
The series leading run-scorer Watson again looked a million dollars before he cut Umar Gull to gully just after the drinks break as Imran Farhat hung onto a sharp catch.
Hussey's defensive edge providing Sarfraz his first catch in Test cricket in the 21st over.
Later when asked for his thoughts when his hook sailed towards Aamer, Ponting said: “I was thinking about having a long day in the change rooms with not much to do and what paper I was going to read.
"Aamer didn't have to take a step but thankfully he put it down and it gave me another chance and 70 or 80 overs later I am still out there."
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