Pakistan vs Australia: Sarfraz Ahmed clinches rare record in Test cricket

Sarfraz Ahmed became just the fifth wicketkeeper captain to have scored a fifty in both the innings of a Test on Thursday.

He scored 94 off 129 balls in the first innings of the ongoing second Test between Pakistan and Australia in Abu Dhabi before he went past 50 and is still batting in the third innings.

It was the first time Ahmed has scored a fifty in each of the innings of a Test and is the fifth Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman to do so.

5 times when a Pakistan wicket-keeper has scored 50 or more in both innings of a Test match #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/NWgIBc4Sg4

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) October 18, 2018

While Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower was the very first gloveman-captain to score a half-century in both the innings of a Test before his countryman Tatenda Taibu, India’s MS Dhoni and Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim joined him. Ahmed is the newest member of that club.

Going into Tea on Thursday, Pakistan were 350 for 5 with Ahmed (60) and Babar Azam (90) at the crease.

Earlier in the day just before lunch, Pakistan lost Azhar Ali in a bizarre run out.

Play was dull to begin with, but was lit up by Azhar's embarrassing dismissal.

The batsman edged a Peter Siddle delivery to the third man boundary and thinking the ball had crossed the rope, halted in the middle of the pitch to talk to fellow batsman Safiq.

But Mitchell Starc picked the ball a yard from the boundary and threw it back to wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who ran Azhar out, leaving the Pakistani duo -- who have a combined experience of 130 Tests and over 9,000 runs -- looking stunned and sheepish.

Azhar fell for a well played 64, inclusive of four boundaries.

Pakistan had earlier lost Haris Sohail for 17, stumped by Paine off Nathan Lyon after resuming at 144-2.

(With agency inputs)