Aussies reverse into new subcontinent pace blueprint

It took until the 13th day of the series, but Australia's persistence to stick with their pre-series game plan has paid dividends, and helped the team set a blueprint for future subcontinent tours, says Mitchell Starc.

Pat Cummins' career-best figures in Asia of 5-56 and four wickets to Starc saw Australia run through Pakistan's lower order as they lost their last seven wickets for just 20 runs, including losing their last five for just four runs, to put Australia in the box seat to dictate terms for the final two days of the Lahore Test match.

After two high-scoring draws in Rawalpindi and Karachi, Australia's 134-run lead after three days at the Gaddafi Stadium with 10 second-innings wickets still in hand gives them another strong "position of opportunity" as Starc put it to claim the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

"To keep in control of the scoreboard throughout the innings, and once we had a sniff to really stay on it and finish the day like we did today, that's I guess the blueprint," Starc said after his potentially series-defining spell yielded 4-14 off 5.4 overs in a reverse swing masterclass late on day three.

"There's been a clear approach from this group, obviously through our time in Melbourne before we came over and whilst we've been here, to stay pretty calm and to trust our processes.

"There was one comment made early doors, before we played in Rawalpindi, that things might not go the way we planned them out to be but it's not a 'scrap it and start with a blank canvas'.

"We may have to tinker plans and change things really slightly to be where we want to be at.

"To be able to control the scoreboard fairly regularly ... and then capitalise on little moments like we did tonight with getting a breakthrough and then putting the foot down, I think that's a great sign for this group.

"Obviously we've got a couple (of subcontinent tours) to go after this tour so it's a nice blueprint to start with, whether we tweak that for different conditions and different countries.

"We've got two days now, we've got an opportunity with how we've gone today and batting first to press through and hopefully translate that into a win this week, and then I guess a blueprint to take forward with us."

Australia will tour Sri Lanka in June/July this year before attempting once again to conquer their Everest in India next February/March.

While Australia had the upper hand in Karachi's second Test last week, the pitch held up well enough for Pakistan to bat for 171 overs in the fourth innings to salvage a draw, inspired by skipper Babar Azam's 425-ball epic of 196.

Starc said Lahore was a "different wicket" that had shown signs of misbehaviour from the start, with reverse swing again set to have a major impact.

"The wicket started out quite slow and dead and we've seen it obviously shoot through lower and lower as the days have gone on," Starc said.

"Even the new ball tonight, those three overs (Australia's openers faced before stumps) there were a couple that shot through.

"We'd rather be in those positions where we've got options and we're pressing the issue, than having to survive or defend or get back in the game.

"It's a huge positive for this group, certainly in foreign conditions to be pushing the game, (to be) in a position where we've got these opportunities to push for wins.

"Hopefully the wicket's going to wear a lot for us and bring in our two spinners to take control of that as well.

"And if we get that ball going reverse, (I need to) make sure I'm on the money from ball one and hopefully that results in a win on Friday."

Pakistan's Azhar Ali was forced to defend the make-up of their team after selectors opted to play a fifth bowler in this Test match, and Australia ran through the long tail once exposed.

"I think you always have to take chances and I think it was a positive move from the team management that they opted to play five bowlers," Azhar said after his innings of 78 that was ended by a spectacular caught-and-bowled from Cummins.

"You can only win a Test match by taking 20 wickets … just because we had a collapse today does not mean it was a wrong decision.

"The way Naseem Shah has bowled, he proved that the addition of a fifth bowler was a good choice."

Cummins' 5-56 was his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests, and his first in the northern hemisphere and Starc hailed the world's top-ranked Test bowler for his effort with the ball as well as his tactics.

"Patty's fantastic with his captaincy, but there's been times when they've built partnerships and played really nicely and it's about staying calm and not letting that scoreboard get out of control," he said, adding that his skipper changed tack on the fly to give Starc an extra over, which saw him dismiss the dangerous Babar.

"That last spell from me was almost six overs, so there's going to be times when it's slightly different but for the most part the quicks have been used in short, sharp spells.

"I'm extremely pleased for Pat to pick up five, that's why he's number one in the world, he's fantastic.

"I've played a lot of cricket with Pat, and we've bowled in partnerships (in days) gone by and today was another instance of that.

"I think that's a feature of our attack, we're not too fussed who gets the wickets as long as we bowl teams out.

"He started it for us to obviously get the wicket of Imam in the first instance and picked up Azhar's wicket caught-and-bowled.

"And for us, if we get a sniff we want to try and ram that home so to work in a fantastic partnership with him there for those few overs is what we're about.

"I'm just pleased to have played my part in there, and it's a feature of our group that at any different stage someone can step up, it's about those partnerships and we've done that for a number of years now."

Qantas Tour of Pakistan 2022

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood.

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.

First Test: Match drawn

March 12-16: Match drawn

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

Pakistan ODI and T20 squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique*, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq*, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Saud Shakeel*, Shaheen Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir (*ODIs only)

Australia ODI and T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

March 29: First ODI, Lahore

March 31: Second ODI, Lahore

April 2: Third ODI, Lahore

April 5: Only T20I, Lahore

All matches to be broadcast in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports