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Pakistani Yasir Shah has scored his maiden Test century against Australia in the second Test in Adelaide.

Plucky and lucky Yasir Shah had a premonition before becoming the oldest Pakistani to score a maiden Test century.

It came to the 33-year-old on the way to Adelaide Oval on Sunday for day three of the second Test against Australia.

"I had this thought in my mind that I will bat throughout the day - and if I bat throughout the day, I will make a century," Shah said.

"That was exactly what I was talking to my friends Naseem Shah and Muhammad Musa about this morning.

"Then I went to the nets and batted and kept thinking about batting throughout the day."

Shah, in the team for his legspin bowling and batting at No.8, didn't quite manage to survive the day.

But he did manage to make 113, at the age of 33 years and 213 days the oldest Pakistani to score a maiden Test ton.

Shah is shy of the oldest cricketer to hit a maiden century - that trivial benchmark belongs to South Africa's Arthur Nourse, who was just two months short of his 43rd birthday when he scored his first Test ton, against Australia in 1921.

Shah had a previous Test-best score of 42 and first-class high of 71 and his Test average entering the Adelaide fixture was just 12.

On reaching his century, Shah's average had lifted to 14.08 - the second-lowest batting average of any player to make a Test century, behind West Indian Jerome Taylor (12.96).

When dismissed, his Test average was 14.06.

"This is my first century and I was very excited," he said.

"When I was on 99, there was pressure on me, considering I'd never even made a first-class century and I was so close to my first Test century.

"It's a dream to score a century in Adelaide and on an Australian tour."

When dream became reality, Shah conceded: "I wasn't aware of what I was doing really. "But I know I jumped in the air and swung my bat around and and I enjoyed it a lot. It was great fun."

Shah benefited from some sloppy Australian fielding en route to his milestone.

On 26 and 33, two nicks fell just short of slip; on 35 he survived a stumping chance; on 44 Marnus Labuschagne spilled a simple caught and bowled..

On 66, Matthew Wade missed a run out opportunity.

A nervous Shah registered his century with a lifted scoop over mid-on from Josh Hazlewood's bowling which was almost caught by Pat Cummins.

And, on 106, Labuschagne turfed a relatively simple catching chance at short-leg.