Waughsome comeback by Steve

Australian captain Steve Waugh roared back to form with a spectacular century as the world champions left Pakistan facing defeat in the fina...

Australian captain Steve Waugh roared back to form with a spectacular century as the world champions left Pakistan facing defeat in the final Test here today.

Waugh hit an unbeaten 103, his 28th Test century and the first after 16 barren innings, as Australia amassed 444 and reduced Pakistan to 163 for six by stumps on the second day.

SCOREBOARD

Australia (1st innings): (Overnight 298/3) J Langer b Waqar 4, M Hayden c Faisal b Saqlain 89, R Ponting b Waqar 150, M Waugh c Rashid b Saqlain 23, S Waugh not out 103, D Martyn lbw Waqar 0, A Gilchrist c Rashid b Kaneria 34, S Warne lbw Kaneria 11, B Lee run out 1, A Bichel c Taufeeq b Kaneria 9, G McGrath c Rashid b Waqar 3.
Extras (b-4, lb-10, nb-3): 17
Total: 444
Fall of wickets: 1-4 2-188, 3-233, 4-308, 5-308, 6-363, 7-403, 8-404, 9-418
Bowling: Waqar Younis 17.3-5-55-4, Mohammed Sami 28-6-81-0, Saqlain Mushtaq 45-5-159-2, Danish Kaneria 36-8-128-3, Taufeeq Umar 2-0-7-0

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Pakistan (1st innings): Taufeeq Umar lbw McGrath 5, Imran Farhat lbw Warne 29, Younis Khan c Gilchrist b McGrath 5, Faisal Iqbal c Gilchrist b Warne 9, Misba-ul Haq lbw Bichel 11, Hasan Raza not out 37, Rashid Latif c Mark Waugh b Warne 17, Saqlain Mushtaq not out 27.
Extras (b-3, lb-10, nb-8, w-2): 23
Total: 163/6 in 44 overs.
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-50, 3-50, 4-70, 5-76, 6-100
Bowling: McGrath 9-2-29-2, Lee 9-1-36-0, Warne 17-3-57-3, Bichel 4-0-13-1, Mark Waugh 4-0-10-0, Ponting 1-0-5-0.

Pakistan still need 82 runs to avert the follow-on with four wickets in hand.

Their hopes rest on the two batsmen at the crease, Hasan Raza and Saqlain Mushtaq, who have so far put on 63 for the seventh wicket. Raza, playing his third Test, was unbeaten at stumps on 37. Saqlain was on 27.

Leg-spinner Shane Warne, who claimed 19 wickets in the first two Tests, once again destroyed Pakistan with 3 for 57. Fast bowler Glenn McGrath picked up two for 29, taking his overall tally to 398 wickets and almost certain to touch the 400-mark before the match is over. Waugh, under pressure to retain the captaincy for the upcoming Ashes series against old foe England, struck timely form to hit 13 boundaries and two sixes.

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Stranded on 82 when last man McGrath joined him, the 37-year-old smashed leg-spinner Danish Kaneria for 20 runs in one over to race to his century. After sweeping two boundaries, Waugh smote two sixes off successive deliveries over long-on and then raised his bat in delight amidst loud cheers from team-mates in the dressing room. Waugh overtook former team-mate Allan Border to move to fourth place in the list of leading centurions behind Indians Sunil Gavaskar (34) and Sachin Tendulkar (30) and Australian legend Don Bradman (29).

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