It was Australia who were supposed to wilt under the blistering sun here in the desert emirate, Pakistan's home from home. Instead, the hosts caved in without a whimper, lasting little longer than the opening session before crashing out for 59, their lowest-ever Test total. Pakistan's previous lowest was also against Australia, 62 at Perth in 1981-82.

Though three middle order Australian wickets fell in just eight deliveries, the important ones of Ricky Ponting and the Waugh twins, they had a cushion for this mini-collapse because of the insignificant Pakistan total. At stumps on the first day, extended by half an hour after the scheduled close under lights, the Aussies had raced to 191 for four, a lead of 132.

So Australia hold the whip hand in the match and the series. It would require a miracle for Waqar Younis and his charges to come back and make a fist of it.

Mathew Hayden (unbeaten on 74, 136 balls, six fours) had two lives, first when Danish Kaneria dropped him off his own bowling, and then on 50 when Saqlain Mushtaq found his outside edge, and neither stand-in wicket-keeper Taufiq Umar nor Younis Khan could hold the chance. In between, Hayden played some resolute cricket to block one end, participating in three major stands, the last of them unbeaten with Damien Martyn (19, 38 balls).

The openers had put on 55 when Kaneria dropped Hayden, but deflected the ball on to the non-striker's stumps to run out Justin Langer (34, 45 balls, five fours and a six). Hayden and Ponting had further consolidated the Australian position with a second-wicket stand of 90, when the latter padded up to Kaneria's googly and was adjudged lbw.

Saqlain Mushtaq struck twice in successive deliveries to send back Mark and Steve Waugh, the former with a delivery that spun in and the latter caught off bat and pad at silly mid-off by substitute Imran Farhat. From 145 for one Australia had slid to 148 for four, but Damien Martyn averted the hat-trick. But the Waugh brothers poor run had continued, with Steve getting a golden duck in his 150th Test.

The Australian pace bowlers Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Andy Bichel each took two wickets, and spin wizard Shane Warne four for 11 to destroy the inexperienced and spineless Pakistan batting, with only Abdul Razzaq (21, 62 balls, 111 deliveries, three fours) getting into double figures.

Warne, Man of the Match at Colombo with a haul of 11 for 188, has already extended his tally to 15 wickets in the series. After the three pacers between them had taken the first four wickets with only 23 runs on the board, it was Warne who destroyed the late order with telling blows, taking three wickets in 10 balls to sniff out any possibility of a Pakistan comeback.

The only thing that went right for Pakistan on a stiflingly hot and sultry day was the toss, and they duly elected to bat. The rest was straight out of a book of horrors. McGrath and Lee exploited the early life in the pitch to the optimum and were rewarded with wickets immediately.

In a replay of the first innings at Colombo, both young openers, Imran Nazir and Taufeeq Umar were gone without scoring - the former off an outside edge to Warne at first slip and the latter dragging Lee on to his leg stump - with just one run on the board off a Lee no-ball. The pressure that followed was relentless, and resulted in total mayhem.

Younis Khan, the in-form Pakistan vice-captain who made fifty in each innings at Colombo, was caught low down at fourth slip by Andy Bichel off McGrath. When Bichel replaced Lee, he had Misbah-ul-Haq caught at second slip by Mark Waugh - the man who dropped three sitters in the previous innings making no mistake.

From here on it was all Warne. Getting turn and bounce, he took three wickets in ten balls to strangle the Pakistan innings. He trapped his tormentor at Colombo, Faisal Iqbal, lbw. Abdul Razzaq cut him to the point fence, but the next delivery, a long-hop, was driven straight to Martyn at short cover. Two balls later, Saqlain was plumb in front. The tail didn't wag for long. Bichel accounted for Shoaib Akhtar, edging to Adam Gilchrist, as Pakistan subsided to 50 for eight. Warne struck again, winning another lbw verdict against Waqar Younis, making it 50 for nine on the stroke of lunch.

Kaneria made eight before Lee bowled him with a superb yorker to end the Pakistan innings in just 32 overs. Rashid Latif, who later didn't take the field behind the stumps because of a stiff back and pulled hamstring, was left stranded on four.

Despite searing heat (33 degrees Celsius in the shade, considerably hotter in the middle, with high level of humidity), Australia did not relent until the last Pakistan batsman was back in the pavilion. It was a very poor display, and the Aussies rubbed it in with some solid batting to take the match, and with it the series, out of Pakistan's hands.

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