SYDNEY, Jan 2: Pakistan lost eight wickets for just 87 runs to slump to 292 for nine and squander a brilliant start by Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed on the opening day of the third and final Test with Australia on Sunday.

Butt celebrated his maiden Test hundred with a fine 108 while Yasir blazed 58. However, their efforts were wasted when the tourists' batting crumbled yet again as it did in the previous two Tests which ended in heavy defeats.

Recalled leg-spinner Stuart MacGill captured five wickets while in-form pace man Glenn McGrath bagged three to leave the world champions in a strong position when play ended early at the Sydney Cricket Ground because of bad light.

"I was pretty nervous today. I haven't played for a long time and I didn't start the way I wanted to but things got better," MacGill said. "I think it's pretty important for us to get that final wicket tomorrow and start batting on day two because the wicket's going to get harder as the match goes on."

Butt and Yasir put on 102 for the opening stand and Butt also shared a 91-run partnership with Younis Khan to help the tourists race to 193-1 when the wheels suddenly fell off.

Younis departed for 46 when he drove MacGill straight to McGrath at mid-off, triggering a collapse that included the loss of three wickets in seven balls without any addition to the scoreboard.

MacGill, playing his first Test in nine months after he pulled out of Australia's tour of Zimbabwe last year on moral grounds, ripped through the opposition to finish the day with 5-87.

"I was definitely nervous but once I got that first wicket I started to relax," MacGill said. "When you're in my position and you haven't played for so long, it's pretty natural to be nervous but things worked out well in the end and to get five-for is great."

McGrath, who took career-best figures of 8-24 in the first Test in Perth, claimed 3-38 including two wickets in one over while Shane Warne took 1-84. With the team ravaged by injury, Pakistan were not expected to provide much opposition for the Australians but they defied the odds during the first two sessions with a determined display, albeit with a little bit of help from the Australians.

Yasir could not believe his good fortune when he was dropped on successive balls in the second over of the day from paceman Jason Gillespie. Warne spilled a straightforward chance at first slip off Gillespie's third delivery then wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist failed to hold a thick edge off the next ball.

Yasir, who made twin centuries on his Test debut against Bangladesh in August 2003 but has not reached three figures since, made the most of his let-off. He struck six boundaries and hooked Australian debutant Shane Watson for six to reach 54 at lunch.

He was dropped again on 56 but his luck eventually ran out on 58 when he top-edged a sweep from Warne to Michael Clarke with the total on 102. Butt was initially less aggressive than his partner but raised the tempo after lunch.

He brought up his second half-century of the series with a boundary off MacGill then reached his first Test hundred with a four off Warne, celebrating his achievement by kissing the pitch.

Pakistan lost Younis just before tea but were still in a strong position at 205-2 before their dismal collapse in the last session which cost them seven wickets. Stand-in captain Yousuf Youhana fell for eight then Butt's innings, which had spanned more than 4-1/2 hours and featured 16 fours, ended on 108 when he was caught by Gilchrist off McGrath.

MacGill removed Asim Kamal for 10 then Shahid Afridi for 12 after the one-day specialist got off the mark with a six then threw his wicket away by hitting a waist-high full toss to McGrath in the deep.

McGrath trapped Naved-ul-Hasan leg before wicket for a golden duck then clean bowled Shoaib Akhtar without scoring in the same over. MacGill completed his five- wicket haul when he had Danish Kaneria caught behind but wick-keeper Kamran Akmal at least kept the innings alive with an unbeaten 35 when the fading light forced the players off the field half an hour early.

SCOREBOARD