Kaneria's four wicket brings Pakistan close to win

Pakistan ended the third day of the second Test match against Australia at Sydney with a good chance of wrapping up the game on the fourth day itself. The Aussies lead by only 80 runs and have lost eight second innings wicket to hand the advantage to the opposition.

The Pakistani innings had lasted for only five more balls to end with an overall lead of a massive 206 runs. However, the Aussies fought back well with a century run stand for the first wicket. Shane Watson had continued his run of form, whereas Phil Hughes was finally able to make it count. However, a superb return catch by Danish Kaneria sent Hughes back to leave the Aussies at 106/1.

Ricky Ponting had very evidently not recovered from his elbow injury as he got his second failure of the game, whereas Michael Clarke did not trouble the scorers too much either, dismissed for 21.

In the meantime, Watson had been looking get to another hundred – his second in succession – but at 97, he was taken aback by an Umar Gul bouncer which saw him fend the ball to slips! Another 90 to Watson in the summer had pegged the Aussies back to 159/3 and then to 217/4.

Michael Hussey kept offering chances to the opposition, or more specifically to the wicket-keeper, but each of the three times that happened, he was dropped by Kamran Akmal. He crawled his way up to an unbeaten 73, but without too much support from the middle and lower-middle order, and thanks to Kaneria’s four wicket haul, Australia were in big trouble at 257/8 when Nathan Hauritz was dismissed.

It was a ninth wicket, unbeaten stand of 29 runs that saw the Aussies see through the day with an 80 run lead and with only two wickets standing. For the Aussies to make a match out of it, they will need to double the lead and then have their bowlers dominating proceedings for the rest of the game. Both of which, look like a distant possibilities!