Haris Sohail made a maiden Test century to help Pakistan post a first-innings total of 482 on another day of toil for Australia's bowlers in Dubai.
Resuming on 255-3 after the first day of the series, when Imam-ul-Haq (76) and Mohammad Hafeez (126) put on 205 for the first wicket, Sohail (110) and Asad Shafiq's 150-run fifth-wicket stand pushed Pakistan beyond 400.
Sohail was the seventh man out when he nicked a Nathan Lyon delivery behind and Pakistan were eventually dismissed midway through the final session to leave Australia with 13 overs to negotiate prior to stumps.
Test debutant Aaron Finch survived two lbw shouts but was able to make it through to the day's end alongside Usman Khawaja as Australia closed on 30 without loss.
Peter Siddle struck the off stump of nightwatchman Mohammad Abbas (1) in the fifth over of the morning session yet Sohail and Shafiq made it through to lunch, albeit with slow progress on a flat surface.
Australia took the new ball at the start of the second session but Shafiq and Sohail looked comfortable as they each reached half-centuries within the space of five deliveries.
Shafiq took a particular liking to Jon Holland, moving into the 70s with back-to-back fours off the spinner, yet he was gone for 80 next over as debutant Marnus Labuschagne claimed just his 13th first-class wicket by finding an outside edge which Tim Paine gathered with a sharp take.
More good work from Labuschagne and Paine saw Babar Azam (4) run out four balls after tea but Sohail, who moved to 98 with a maximum off Holland, reached his century via a cut for two down to a vacant third-man region.
There was 456 on the board by the time Sohail finally departed, and Pakistan made just 26 more before finally being removed.
Finch atoned for dropping Sarfraz Ahmed (15) earlier in the piece with a direct hit to run out the Pakistan captain, Bilal Asif (12) dragged on to Siddle and Yasir Shah (3) was found to have got the slightest nick through to Paine off Mitchell Starc to bring the innings to a close.
Khawaja and Finch had a tricky spell to get through and though both Yasir and Hafeez appealed to have the latter trapped in front, he survived through to stumps.
