PAKISTAN opener Imran Farhat defended his team’s decision not to utilise the extra half hour to seal their first Test win in 15 years over Australia at Headingley yesterday.

Pakistan needed just 40 runs to claim a series-levelling win when they reached the scheduled close of play at 6.30pm with the score on 140 for three.

At that point, in bright sunshine, they could have opted to take the extra half an hour but declined the option after Farhat and Umar Amin were both dismissed by Doug Bollinger in quick succession with the score on 137.

‘‘It’s a decision by management.

We didn’t have a plan before we lost Umar Amin, but then we decided not to take the extra 30 minutes,’’ he said.

‘‘It looked like they were coming harder at us so it looked like a good decision by management.

‘‘We can be refreshed for tomorrow and there is not the hard pressure like this, because that is always a hard time to bat.

‘‘But the light was all right.

We’ve played in worse light before.

It was fine.’’ Pakistan had looked like they would reel in the teasing 180-run target while Farhat and Azhar Ali were at the crease, as they put on a nerveless stand of 110 for the second wicket. The duo rattled along at more than four an over as their aggressive stand steeled the nerves of a team who in January failed to chase down a victory target of 176 against the Australians in Sydney.

‘‘We didn’t think about that match even a little,’’ Farhat added.

‘‘We were not talking about this being the same situation.

The management and players were all talking about the present.

‘‘There is a very positive atmosphere at the moment and I think that is a very good sign.’’ While Farhat was unwilling to discuss the prospect of beating Australia just yet, and ending a run of 13 consecutive Test defeats against them, he did admit victory would provide the perfect boost for his young team-mates ahead of the four- Test series against England.

‘‘We always want to beat Australia because they are a good side. We are mostly a young side,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s going to help us in the forthcoming series against England if we beat Australia tomorrow.

‘‘It’s not finished yet. There’s a long way to go until we win the match.’’ Australia had given themselves a chance of victory after their tail again wagged, led by a blazing maiden half-century by Smith, as their last five wickets added 185.

The 21-year-old’s enterprising innings of 77 from 100 balls, including back-to-back sixes on to the Football Stand End roof off Danish Kaneria, gave Australia hope of an unlikely win after they had been bowled out for just 88 on the opening day.

‘‘Yeah it was good to get among the runs. It wasn’t how we planned the day, but it was good to get some,’’ said Smith, who made his debut in the first Test at Lord’s.

‘‘I was batting with the tail for quite a bit of the time so I felt like I had to get a few boundaries away a stay on strike for most of the overs.

‘‘There were a few premeditated strokes. I was playing pretty aggressive.

But I’m being picked as a bowler, so I’ve got to contribute and take wickets.’’

Scoreboard

Pakistan v Australia At Headingley Carnegie

Overnight: Pakistan 258 (S R Watson 6-33).

Australia 88 and 136-2 (R TPonting 61 no).

Australia Second Innings

R T Ponting c Kamran Akmal b Aamer ..66

M J Clarke c Kamran Akmal b M Asif ....77

M E Hussey c U Akmal b Aamer ........... 8

M J North b Aamer .............................. 0

T D Paine c Azhar Ali b D Kaneria .........33

S P Smith b Umar Gul .........................77

M G Johnson lbw b M Asif ....................12

B W Hilfenhaus c UAkmal b D Kaneria ..17

D E Bollinger not out .......................... 0

Extras (b4 lb10 w2 nb8 pens 0) ..24

Total (95.3 overs) ......................349

Fall: 1-15 2-55 3-144 4-158 5-164 6-217 7- 246 8-283 9-320

Aamer 27-6-86-4. Mohammad Asif 26-4-83-2.

Umar Gul 15.3-1-80-1. Amin 6-1-12-1. Danish Kaneria 21-2-74-2.

Pakistan Second Innings Close

Imran Farhat b Bollinger .....................67

Salman Butt c Clarke b Hilfenhaus ......13

Azhar Ali not out ................................47

Amin c Paine b Bollinger ..................... 0

Akmal not out .................................... 2

Extras (lb6 nb5 pens 0) ...............11

Total 3 wkts (37 overs)..............140

Fall: 1-27 2-137 3-137

To Bat: Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Asif.

Bollinger 8-1-37-2.

Hilfenhaus 6-1-16-1. Johnson 9-1-39-0. Watson 5-1-18-0. Smith 9-2-24-0.