Melbourne: Invited to bat first by Pakistan, Australia reached 90-1 at lunch Tuesday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the second Test of the three-match series.
Spinner Agha Salman claimed the key wicket of opener David Warner for 38 in the final over before lunch, caught at slip.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood won the toss and elected to bowl first in overcast conditions, opting for a four-man pace attack.
Australian openers Usman Khawaja and Warner both advanced down the pitch in the opening five overs in a bid to counter the seam movement of Pakistan’s new-ball attack.
Warner, on 2, offered a simple chance to first slip off the bowling of Shaheen Shah Afridi in the third over, but it was put down by Abdullah Shafique.
The 111-Test veteran Warner, aged 37 and appearing in his farewell Test series, played at a wide ball in the 28th over and offered an edge to slip in the only breakthrough for the session.
In a watchful innings, Khawaja was unbeaten on 36 off 80 balls at lunch, as Pakistan failed to expose Australia’s middle-order batting in the morning session while the pitch was offering seam movement.
Australia, fresh from a 360-run win in the first Test in Perth, named an unchanged side. Pakistan made three changes. Wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed has been dropped, making way for the return of Mohammad Rizwan.
Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad, who claimed five wickets on debut in Perth, was ruled out of the Melbourne Test due to a rib injury.
Medium-pacer Faheem Ashraf was dropped, as Hasan Ali and Mir Hamza return to the side. Specialist spinner Sajid Khan was named in a 12-man squad but overlooked for the Melbourne Test.
The third Test in the series is scheduled to begin Jan. 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Pakistan won its last Test in Australia nearly 30 years ago.