SYDNEY: Pakistan tightened their grip on the second Test after taking a 204-run first innings lead over Australia thanks to a determined opening stand of 109 by Salman Butt and Imran Farhat here at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday.

The tourists were placed at 331-9 at stumps on the second day and could have finished ever more strongly but their middle and late order batsmen seemed to be in a hurry. Pakistan, who were perfectly placed at 237-3 at the start of the final session of play, lost six more wickets for 94 runs with Doug Bollinger (3-70) and Shane Watson (2-64) doing the damage with the second new ball.

But before the late flurry of wickets, Pakistan were at one stage having a walk in the park on a lively track where the Aussies had collapsed for just 127.

For once the Pakistani batsmen didn’t ruin the good platform laid by the bowlers as Butt and Farhat hit half centuries and later the middle-order continued the good work to place the tourists in a perfect position to force what could be their first Test win on Australian soil since 1995. The aggressive Umar Akmal hit a quickfire 49 while skipper Mohammad Yousuf also chipped in with 46.

Pakistan had routed Australia for a mere 127 on a rain-hit opening day before inching to 14-0 at stumps. An amazing change of fortunes carried into the second day for the Pakistanis as the openers saw off the first session without much fuss.

For a change, it was Pakistan’s turn to benefit from some poor fielding when Marcus North dropped Farhat in the first slip off Doug Bollinger. The left-hander, who was batting at 11, also survived a run-out chance at 40 when wicketkeeper Brad Haddin missed the stumps from close range to complete his 13th Test fifty with a single off Hauritz. It came off 129 balls with the help of four boundaries.

But three runs later, Farhat paid the price of an ill-chosen sweep shot off a Hauritz delivery only to top edge it as Haddin sprinted to his right to glove it comfortably. Farhat scored 53 and needed just three more runs to complete his 2000 runs in Test cricket in his 32nd match.

His 109-run opening stand with Butt came off 42.3 overs and took Pakistan just 18 runs away from Australia’s first innings total.

Just before the fall of Farhat, Butt — a bit subdued initially – decided to cut lose in the 41st and 42nd overs as he first hit Hauritz for two fours and helped Pakistan collect 13 more off Johnson in the next to race closer to his 50. He finally reached his eighth Test 50 from 129 balls with five fours. He added 35 runs with Faisal Iqbal before Johnson got him caught behind. The left-hander’s 71 came off 164 balls and took him 250 minutes. He hit nine fours.

Yousuf joined Faisal and the duo took Pakistan past the 200 mark with the captain making his intentions clear with some fluent stroke making. But Faisal miscued an uppish hit off Peter Siddle and was caught superbly by Shane Watson.

His fall left Pakistan at 205-3 in 71 overs but only had a positive effect on their run-rate as the young Umar Akmal went into big-hitting mode immediately on his arrival at the crease. He hit four of the first five deliveries he faced to the fence with Hauritz being his victim.

Yousuf, meanwhile, seemed in great touch as he kept the scoreboard ticking. But he was trapped by a rising delivery from Johnson and the captain edged it to Haddin trying to guide it towards the boundary over the slips. Yousuf’s 46 came off just 56 balls and included eight sweetly timed fours.

Misbah-ul-Haq took little time to settle in, hitting Hauritz for a six over midwicket to complete his 1000 runs in Test cricket.

Ricky Ponting took the new ball immediately after Umar smashed Siddle for two fours in the 80th over. Four overs later, Doug Bollinger scalped the aggressive youngster when he got him trapped in front of the stumps. Umpire Billy Doctrove said not out but had to change his call after hawk-eye suggested otherwise. Umar stuck nine fours in his 48-ball 49.

Bollinger returned in his next over to scalp Misbah (11) as he attempted to pull one that was a bit too high. The pacer then got rid of Kamran Akmal, who fell while going for a big one only to be caught at deep point by Watson.

Watson then reduced Pakistan to 331-9 at stumps as he sent back Umar Gul (12) and Mohammad Sami (13) in quick succession but not before the duo had put on 28 quick runs for the eighth wicket. Mohammad Asif survived the last four balls of the day from Watson to keep Pakistan’s first innings alive.