Stokes took three quick wickets late in the afternoon session to quash a brief Australian fightback and two more victims late in the day helped England restrict the touring side to 241 for seven at the close, still 90 runs behind the hosts.
In a career of cross-roads, the 29-year-old feared he had reached a dead end some 20 months ago, when he suffered a fourth back stress fracture that ruled him out of the 2017/18 series on home soil.
Having dismissed Australia for a paltry 145 in their first innings, Pakistan stretched their lead to a daunting 281 by stumps on day two with Zaman's 66 and an unbeaten 54 by Ali taking them to 144-2.
Australia have resorted to guided missile technology to reduce injuries to their fast bowlers as they seek to reclaim the Ashes from England next year.
India's bowlers once again exposed the chinks in jittery Australian batting line-up leaving the hosts tottering at 104 for four in pursuit of a tough target of 323 on the fourth day of the first Test.
'It's a long series, our bowlers have had a really big workload and we feel we're going to need Mitch's bowling at some point.'
Following is a fact box on the second Test of the four-match series between Australia and India:
Pakistan pace great and former captain Wasim Akram has declared Australia the favourites to win the much-anticipated Test series against India in December-January although he foresees a close contest between the two evenly-matched sides.
Xavier Doherty hardly troubled the Indian batsmen but Australian coach Mickey Arthur defended left-arm spinner's inclusion in the side, saying he was the best choice keeping in mind the way hosts handle off-spinners.
KKR hopeful of Russell, Lynn for IPL opener vs RCB
'England against Australia at Lord's, it doesn't get much bigger than that.'
Australia have the best-record in day-night Tests as the side has not lost a single match that has been played with the pink ball.
A resolute Ravichandran Ashwin and a hamstrung Hanuma Vihari battled pain and a hostile Australian bowling attack while displaying the largely extinct art of Test-saving batsmanship to snatch a remarkable draw for India in the third Test, after Rishabh Pant raised visions of an improbable victory, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, on Monday.
Images from Wednesday's World Cup mach between Australia and Pakistan, at The County Ground, in Taunton.
India's top order fired in unison and their bowlers produced a tidy display to beat reigning world champions Australia by 36 runs in a thrilling World Cup match.
Australia must have breathed a sigh of relief as a late rally from their lower order took them past 400 after they were reeling at 273 for seven at stumps on day two.
Young paceman James Pattinson was surprisingly left out from Australia's preliminary 30-member squad announced for the World Twenty20 Championship in Sri Lanka in September.
Kane Williamson staged a fight-back along with opener Tom Latham (36), and Ross Taylor (26) as New Zealand reached 140 for 2 (42 overs) at close of play on Day 2 of the 2nd Test at the WACA in Perth on Saturday.
Australia paceman Pat Cummins has backed opening batsman David Warner to carry his blistering Test form into the One-day arena at the cricket World Cup.
Cricket Australia has made an attempt to lure away its key players from the lucrative Indian Premier League by offering them multi-year central contracts, a report has claimed.
Usman Khawaja batted bravely for nearly nine hours to make 141 and help Australia salvage a draw in the first Test against Pakistan, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Kane Richardson gets nod ahead of Josh Hazlewood as replacement
India retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy with a historic three-wicket win over Australia in the fourth and final Test, in Brisbane, successfully chasing a 328-run target to seal the four-match series 2-1.
The Indian team has turned into a mini-hospital with multiple players nursing injuries.
Australia have dropped Test skipper Tim Paine from their one-day squad for next month's series against South Africa and named opening batsman Aaron Finch as captain in his place.
Wearing Australian colours for the first time since the ball-tampering scandal erupted in Cape Town in March, 2018, Steve Smith and David Warner were greeted warmly by a small crowd in Brisbane, where Aaron Finch's team took a one-wicket win.
Images from Tuesday's first One Day International between India and Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann hopes the ongoing pay dispute will not prompt the players to boycott this year's Ashes series and urged both sides to resolve the matter.
Australia have been in good form in the five-day format and having won a one-day tournament in India last year will be confident and will be looking to do an encore as they face India in the first of the three-match ODI tournament in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Kane Williamson said the Kiwis will be going back to their style of patient cricket which has yielded results at home since 2017.
50 overs cricket is a batsman's game, or so the conventional wisdom goes. But the Champions Trophy is being played in England, which means a different ball game :)
Australia will start as favourites to reclaim the Ashes over the next seven weeks if only because of their home advantage but picking the winners in cricket's oldest Test rivalry has become a fool's game in recent years
Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell has come under fire for his comment on Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada made during the first Test at the WACA in Perth, which offended the South African fans.
Indian touring parties that have left Australia empty-handed over the last 70 years
Former Australia skipper Greg Chappell has said that the saliva ban will not favour batsmen as much as people are expecting it too.
West Indies opener Chris Gayle, who is a popular name among T20 leagues around the world, was not picked along Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga.
Australian pacer Ryan Harris has pleaded with the team management to retain him for the fourth and final cricket Test against India amid speculation that one fast bowler will be dropped to make space for off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
India are favourites to 'steamroll' Australia in the Test series Down Under due to the absence of the experienced duo of Steve Smith and David Warner.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between Australia and India, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Monday.
James Faulkner has earned his reputation as Australia's man for every occasion the hard way. Whether it's with bat or ball, the all-rounder has become the player Australia's team can always rely on to get them out of pickle.
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