Australian captain Tim Paine gave David Warner an extra three minutes for a shot at history as the left hander produced the biggest innings ever in the day-night test cricket format and surpassed some of Don Bradman's records before finishing unbeaten on 335 on Saturday.
Paine declared at 589-3 to put the team above the individual on Saturday evening which left Warner in second spot on Australia's all-time list of biggest test scorers, behind only Matt Hayden's 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.
But it had rewards for the Australian team, with paceman Mitchell Starc taking four wickets for 22, including a double-wicket maiden near the end, as Pakistan struggled to 96-6 at stumps.
Pakistan showed resistance on day three with Babar Azam and Yasir Shah putting on 105 for the seventh wicket before Azam fell just short of his century. Shah (66 not out) remained at the crease at tea when Pakistan were 213 for eight facing a likely follow on.
Following his triple century Warner revealed that there was never any thoughts of chasing Brian Lara's world record score of 400 and said how Paine had given him an extra few minutes to chase Australian history.
"I don't think so at all. We really looked at the weather that's around tomorrow [Sunday], we wanted to give ourselves a lot of time," Warner said after day two. "If we could have the amount of overs we got tonight and try to get a couple of wickets, we've managed to get six wickets down, if there is a bit of rain about tomorrow, the bowlers get a good rest, only have to come out and try to get 14 wickets in the last two days, so it wasn't a thing in our mind to go out there and try to get that record or anything.
"The first person I asked was [Steven] Smithy when I was out there batting. I said how many overs do you reckon we'll have at them tonight, and it was literally that perfect amount. Then I came in, I think at that [tea] break, and I said 'when are we declaring', and they said '5.40pm' and I said 'ok'. I kept on asking when we were out there, we got to five, then ten past five, and I was making sure that was still the message and it was. Until I think that last over before, it just ticked over [5.40pm] and Painey wanted me to try and get past that 334 mark."
Warner said he knew which milestones he was approaching as the innings went on.
"Yeah 100 per cent I was aware of it [the history]. You grow up knowing what those milestones are. Forever you talk about Donald Bradman. I remember Michael Clarke at the SCG declared on 329 not out. They're things that you look at the history books and say, 'how did they get there — that's a long time in the middle'. I managed to go out there and do that but it takes an incredible amount of patience which I surprised myself."
The Australian opener said the history-breaking knock was a message to his own knockers after a form dip during the Ashes series in England. Warner produced just 95 runs across 10 innings with a high score of 61.
"I just think in England you can get caught up in playing too much in front [of the body], especially with the way I play, so I've had to regroup coming back from England, I've hit 3500-4000 balls leading into Brisbane and here as well I batted for a good two hours per session as well.
"It's not by chance that I've actually tightened all that up, I've actually been working really hard on it in the nets, it's one of those things where I'm a very confident person, whether I scored these runs or didn't score these runs, I still hold my head up high and have that little smirk on my face that I always have."
Top Aussies
Highest individual test cricket scores by an Australian
•Matthew Hayden 380 v Zimbabwe, Perth, 2003
•David Warner 335 not out v Pakistan, Adelaide, 2019
•Mark Taylor 334 not out v Palistan, Peshawar, 1998
•Don Bradman 334 v England, Leeds, 1930
•Michael Clarke 329 not out v India, Sydney, 2012