Top 3 Pakistan-Australia encounters
Pakistan and Australia have maintained a fierce rivalry in Test cricket for the last few decades. While Australia have been the dominant side across the world for the better part of that period, Pakistan have always been the kind of team who don't shy away from punching above their weight. The former is ruthless and operates on a machinery of traditional excellence, while the latter shocks their opponents in spurts, and rides on unorthodox cricket.
As the bridge between the two sides has decreased over the last few years, the contests have started getting closer. What has always made their rivalry special is Pakistan's tendency to emulate the Aussies, while at the same time retaining their own aura of unpredictability.
Remember when they almost sneaked home chasing 482 against Australia at their invincible fortress of "The Gabba"?
We look at three other such clashes where the nerves ran high.
#3 Melbourne, 1979: Sarfaraz Nawaz stuns rampant Aussies
On their first Test of the 1979 tour down under, Pakistan were pitted against a side that although weakened by a significant number of losses to the World Series League, was still a good outfit playing in familiar conditions. Nevertheless, the always ambitious Pakistanis were on the look for a good blow in the opening round of the two match duel.
Batting first, they were given a harsh welcome to the country by local lad Rodney Hogg to leave them in tatters at 4/40. With useful contributions from a certain future Prime Minister and Sarfaraz Nawaz in the lower order, the visitors gathered 198 runs in their first innings.
It was then Imran Khan's turn to do a Hogg as his four wickets, three of them top order batsmen, ripped the heart out of the Australian batting. Dav Whatmore's fighting 47 made in over three hours against hostile pace bowling brought the hosts to a 30 run deficit.
As the pitch got better for batting, Pakistani opener Majid Khan made the most of it by scoring an imperious 108 to set things up. His seemingly unstoppable innings was brought to a halt by the part time spin of Allan Border. Another lower order fight set Australia 382 runs to win.
The hosts were a little taken aback at the enormity of the task and after a top order hiccup, Border and Kim Hughes took them to 3/305. Then, Border, batting on 105, had his stumps uprooted by Nawaz, who then went on to claim six more wickets in that astonishing spell for a solitary run conceded.
Australia, all out for 310, were truly left gaping at what just happened to them.