Usman Khawaja scored his 11th Test century on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan on Saturday and shared a 159-run partnership with Steve Smith to bundle out Australia for 251 for three.
Islamabad-born Khawaja fell short of a century in the opening Test in Rawalpindi, where he top-scored with 97 runs.
The elegant left-hander made amends in Karachi where he stopped the reverse sweep and scored an unbeaten 127, which included 13 fours and a six.
Smith scored 72 runs before falling to Hasan Ali in the final over of the day.
Nightwatchman Nathan Lyon hasn’t opened his account yet.
Earlier, Australia got off to a strong start after Pat Cummins chose to bat on a dry surface at the National Stadium, which offered reverse swing early in the second session.
Khawaja looked in sublime touch and scored freely on the leg side after being fed regularly on his pads.
His opening partner David Warner was less confident, however, survived a few LBW appeals and a short delivery from Hasan hurt his shoulder.
Warner completed Australia’s 50 in the 11th over by hitting Sajid Khan for a six.
Sajid hit two more sixes in his fourth over as Pakistan skipper Babar Azam took the spinner out of the attack.
Seamer Faheem Ashraf broke the opening stand of 82 with a length delivery that Warner, who scored 36 runs, could only give Mohammad Rizwan the lead behind the stumps.
Soon after, Pakistan tasted second success when Sajid dismissed Marnus Labuschagne for a duck with a straight throw from mid-off.
Batting in the second session, Khawaja and Smith held the ship steady.
Khawaja took a single off Nauman Ali and scored his third century in four Tests since being recalled in January after being absent for more than two years.
The Pakistan spinners resorted to a negative line after tea, bowling down the leg side, to stop the run flow and the batsmen were happy to pad them away.
Smith, who scored 78 in Rawalpindi, once again failed to convert his half-century into a century and was handed a less than one-handed catch to Ashraf at second slip.
Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson made his Test debut, joining Josh Hazlewood with Lyon in Australia’s two-man spin attack.
teams
Pakistan: Babar Azam (Captain), Imamul Haque, Abdullah Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sajid Khan
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Lyon