DUBAI: Dashing opener David Warner helped Australia get off to a solid start after wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed’s brilliant hundred guided Pakistan to a big first innings total of 454 in the first Test here on Thursday.

Warner smashed a quickfire 75 and fellow left-hander Chris Rogers was on 31 to take Australia to 113-0 at close of play on the second day, trailing by 341 runs with all 10 wickets standing.

Warner hit seven fours and a six in his eighth Test half-century, his sixth in succession, as Australia matched Pakistan’s batting at the Dubai International Stadium.

Pakistan could have removed Rogers on 13 in left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar’s first over but Younis Khan failed to hold a straightforward catch at slip.

Warner reverse-swept debutant leg-spinner Yasir Shah for his fifth boundary to reach his run-a-ball 50.

Earlier, Pakistan’s total had been lifted by the feisty Sarfraz.

Sarfraz picked up where he left off from his previous two Tests in Sri Lanka in August, when the wicket-keeper scored three half centuries and a century. He punished loose deliveries by Australia, and his second successive century in Tests came off 80 balls with an uppercut boundary off wicket less Mitchell Marsh in his debut Test

Sarfraz fell in the last over before tea, stumped off spinner Nathan Lyon for 109. He batted for 148 minutes and hit 14 boundaries in all.

He completed his hundred off just 80 balls, hitting paceman Mitchell Marsh over the slips for the fourth fastest century by a Pakistani.

Majid Khan holds the record for the fastest Test hundred by a Pakistani in terms of deliveries faced, on 74 balls, while Shahid Afridi hit hundreds off 78 balls on two occasions.

Sarfraz said he will be happy if his innings helps his team win.

“I played my natural game,” said the 27-year-old. “If this century helps the team win then I will be happier. We will come back tomorrow through our bowlers and if we manage a good lead then it is better.”

Pakistan added 235 runs after resuming on their overnight score of 219-4 with Sarfraz, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq all coming good on a flat pitch which had little for the bowlers.

Sarfraz added an important 124 runs in 128 balls for the sixth wicket with Asad (89) to build the innings after Asad added 93 with skipper Misbah, who made 69.

“Asad and I both have a very good understanding because we play in the same club back home,” Sarfraz said. “We decided to keep the scoreboard ticking and never missed singles, doubles and even threes.”

Misbah, under pressure to score after managing just 67 in the 2-0 Test defeat in Sri Lanka two months ago, hit two fours and two sixes during his 255-minute stay at the crease.

Lyon was unlucky not to have dismissed Asad off the first ball of the day’s second over when Alex Doolan failed to catch a bat-pad push at forward short-leg.

Misbah, who was 34 overnight, reached his first half-century in nine innings with a push for a single and then launched an attack, hitting Lyon for a six over long-on.

He also hit Smith for a six but played one shot too many, holing out much to the delight of the Australians.

Asad fell short of his hundred by 11 runs as he holed out to Steve O’Keefe, the left-armer’s first Test wicket, after hitting five fours and two sixes during his 151-ball stay.

Speedster Mitchell Johnson (3-39) led a hapless Australian attack with left-arm spinner O’Keefe struggling to take 2-107 while Lyon toiled hard for 1-148 in 36.4 overs.

ScoreboardPAKISTAN (1st Innings, overnight 219-4):

Ahmed Shehzad b Siddle 3Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Johnson 0Azhar Ali c Doolan b Johnson 53Younis Khan lbw b Johnson 106Misbah-ul-Haq c Johnson b Smith 69Asad Shafiq c Marsh b O’Keefe 89Sarfraz Ahmed st Haddin b Lyon 109Yasir Shah c Rogers b O’Keefe 2Zulfiqar Babar retired hurt 7Rahat Ali c Rogers b Lyon 0Imran Khan not out 0

EXTRAS (B-2, LB-14) 16

TOTAL (all out, 145 overs) 454

FALL OF WKTS: 1-1, 2-7, 3-115, 4-198, 5-291, 6-415, 7-442, 8-454, 9-454.

BOWLING: Johnson 31-18-39-3; Siddle 24-11-50-1; O’Keefe 30-3-107-2; Marsh 17-4-44-0; Lyon 37-4-148-2; Smith 6-0-50-1.

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings):

C.J.L. Rogers not out 31D.A. Warner not out 75

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-2, NB-1) 7

TOTAL (for no wkt, 31 overs) 113

TO BAT: A.J. Doolan, M.J. Clarke, S.P.D. Smith, M.R. Marsh, B.J. Haddin, M.G. Johnson, S.P.D. O’Keefe, P.M. Siddle, N.M. Lyon.

BOWLING (to-date): Rahat Ali 7-0-22-0; Mohammad Hafeez 10-3-18-0; Imran Khan 6-1-23-0; Zulfiqar Babar 5-0-25-0; Yasir Shah 3-0-19-0 (1nb).

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2014