MELBOURNE, Australia, 29 December 2004 — Australia were steaming toward a series-clinching win over Pakistan in the Boxing Day cricket Test after a major momentum shift on the third day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday.

The Australians seized control of the match after Damien Martyn’s second consecutive century, a spirited 93-run eighth wicket stand with Jason Gillespie and a clatter of Pakistan wickets in the final session.

Pakistan, from having the world-beaters under pressure for the first two days, were fighting for every run against a resurgent home bowling attack and trying to avoid another heavy loss after their humiliating 491-run defeat in the first Perth Test.

At stumps with two days to play, Pakistan were 85 for five, an overall lead of 47 with Shoaib Malik on 11 and Mohammad Sami on eight.

Martyn was Australia’s hero, batting for over six hours for 142 and the senior partner in a near-century stand with fast bowler Gillespie, which steered the home side past Pakistan’s first innings 341 for a pyschological 38-run lead. Pakistan seemingly realized they had lost the initiative and both openers, Salman Butt (0) and Imran Farhat (5) were guilty of indisciplined shots while Shane Warne claimed the key wicket of first-innings centurion Yousuf Youhana for 12.

Youhana may have been unlucky with television replays suggesting the ball came off the Pakistan skipper’s pad to Ricky Ponting at silly mid-point leaving the tourists in strife at 60 for four. Younis Khan, who scored 87 in a 192-run partnership with Youhana in the first innings, then played an miscued pull shot to Michael Kasprowicz and was caught by a diving Matthew Hayden in the gully for 23 leaving them 68 for five.

Martyn scored his first Test century at the MCG, his 11th Test hundred, to symbolically take the initiative away from Pakistan, who also had injury and illness concerns to all-rounders Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq.

Once again Pakistan could not finish off the Australians after they had them at 171 for five at one stage.

In the Perth Test Pakistan had Australia flailing at 78 for five in the first innings only for the home side to wriggle away to 381 and then go on and humiliate the tourists by 491 runs before lunch on the fourth day. Gillespie underlined his growing batting status at number nine by remaining undefeated on 50, his second Test half-century, off 108 balls with four fours and a six.

Express bowler Shoaib Akhtar bowled his heart out to take 5-109 and leg-spinner Danish Kaneira claimed 5-125.

Martyn refused to be goaded by Shoaib’s theatric attempts to draw him into a verbal exchange and often deliberately turned his back to avoid eye contact with the ‘Rawalpindi Express’.

Martyn was out leg before wicket to Kaneira shortly before tea. He batted for 370 minutes and hit 12 fours off 245 balls.

It looked so much better for Pakistan in the morning when they picked up the wickets of Adam Gilchrist and Warne.

Gilchrist looked in menacing form as he charged from an overnight 26 to 48 before he holed out to Mohammad Sami at deep mid-wicket off Kaneira.

The outstanding number seven batsman, with a Test average of almost 52, batted for 66 minutes with four fours and a six off Kaneira.

In the last over before lunch, Shoaib caught and bowled Warne for 10 to leave the home side faltering at 254 for seven before Martyn and Gillespie’s restorative partnership.

Pakistan were a bowler short yesterday after Abdul Razzaq was taken to hospital complaining of dizziness and shortness of breath.

Razzaq fell ill at the team’s hotel before the start of play and was to be kept in hospital overnight for observation.

Shoaib Malik, unable to bowl in the Test because of ICC concerns over his bowling action, was called to the crease late in the day after he didn’t field in Australia’s innings with split webbing.