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Brisbane, Nov 6: Pakistan's bowling was reduced to mediocrity by a record breaking stand by Australia's opening batsmen Michael Slater and Greg Blewett. If Australia's bowlers were made to look ordinary the previous day when Yousuf Youhana and Inzamamul Haq were putting together their big stand, then certainly the Australians got their own back today.

Pakistan's bowlers struggled through two sessions of play and looked incapable of making incisions into Australia's innings after the opening burst from Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar. As the day progressed the fielding also became sloppy allowing the batsmen to take control gradually. It resulted in a wonderfully entertaining century from Slater, the thirteenth of his Test career, as he passed 4000 Test runs and a staunch rather than spectacular innings from Blewett which took him to his fourteenth Test fifty.

The pitch at the Gabba ground has flattened as the match has progressed. It was only at the start of the two innings that it appeared at its liviest. Slater was fortunate to have survived appeals for leg before wicket to Akram in the opening over. It was somewhat surprising that the Pakistan captain, who bowled his 12 overs with good control and was the one bowler whom both Slater and Blewett found difficult to get away, did not bring himself on after two spells. Instead he persisted with Mushtaq Ahmed whose 16 overs went for as many as 76 while Shoaib conceded 62 from 13. Mushtaq like Shane Warne earlier, found very little turn from the pitch and both Slater and Blewett were quick to punish anything that was not on line or length.

As his bowlers became wayward in the face of some aggressive stroke-play, particularly from Slater, Akram should have bowled himself to stern Australia's run flow. Their innings now has the foundation for a massive total and the impetus that was given earlier in the day to Pakistan's innings by Moin Khan, in his typically flamboyant style of batting has been lost. Moin took just 88 balls to score 61 with 42 of those runs coming from boundaries.

It will be vital for Pakistan to get early wickets on the third day and to ensure that the lapses in the field that took place today are not repeated. Slater took full advantage of the chances that were not accepted. Azhar Mahmood dropped him at mid-off on 78, off Akram, in his second spell and another glaring let-off came from Mohammad Wasim at second slip, off Shoaib, when Slater was on 99. It was a straightforward catch. The batsman gratefully took the resulting single and kissed his country's badge on the helmet in his customary fashion.

It was apparent that Shoaib was making rather too hard an effort today to make an impact. With his bowling action having come under question so unfairly this week, making sensational news, he was quite understand by out to prove a point. No doubt he will be advised to be in a more relaxed frame of mind when play resumes tomorrow.

On being asked about facing Shoaib in view of the recent events, Slater said: "It was important to get out there and get on top of that early pace because we knew he was going to throw everything at us and as expected he was very fast."

If Australia are allowed to build a huge first innings, and they are certainly on the way to it, Pakistan's batsmen will be put under great pressure the second time around and it is therefore imperative that there is an early breakthrough in the Australian innings tomorrow following by a couple of quick wickets