DUBAI: Opener Usman Khawaja and Travis Head defied Pakistan with some solid batting to take Australia to 215-3 at lunch on the fifth and final day of the first Test in Dubai on Thursday.
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Khawaja followed up his first innings score of 85 with a fighting 82 not out, and debutant Head was unbeaten on 70 for his maiden half-century, both blunting Pakistan´s spinners.
The pair have added 128 runs for the fourth wicket to raise Australia´s hopes of a draw -- or even a world-record run chase.
Australia, set a daunting 462-run target, still need another 247 runs while Pakistan need seven wickets to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.
No team has successfully chased more than the 418-7 West Indies made against Australia in the Antigua Test in 2003.
Pakistan had expected early wickets after jolting Australia to 136-3 at the close on the fourth day, but nothing worked for skipper Sarfraz Ahmed who made multiple bowling changes.
Pakistan could have had Head leg-before off leg-spinner Yasir Shah on 44, but Sarfraz did not review English umpire Richard Kettleborough´s not out decision when replays showed the ball was hitting the wickets.
Khawaja has so far hit eight boundaries while Head has five.
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