In stormy conditions in humid Hampshire, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat, but James Anderson (2-35) struck early to dismiss Shan Masood for only one.
Dom Sibley and Rory Burns dropped catches as Abid Ali (60) and Azhar Ali (20) took Pakistan to 78-1, though the captain then fell to Anderson - who this week denied talk that he could be set to retire.
England did further damage in between rain breaks – Sam Curran, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes striking before play was finally ended by bad light with only 45.4 overs possible.
It was advantage England at the close on a day which saw Zak Crawley replacing Ben Stokes after the vice-captain flew to New Zealand to be with his family and Curran coming in for Jofra Archer
Questions were asked over Anderson's place in the side following a disappointing showing in England's stunning victory at Old Trafford, but England's record Test wicket-taker soon let his class do the talking, swinging a brilliant delivery straight into Masood's pads.
Abid should have been dismissed in the next over, only for Sibley to put him down after Broad drew an edge.
Azhar's luck was in when the ball trickled back and hit the stumps without dislodging the bails, before Burns dropped Abid at second slip as Pakistan made it to an early, rain-enforced lunch without suffering further damage.
Pakistan's luck ran out shortly after the restart – the probing Anderson drawing an edge from Azhar, with Burns holding on this time.
Another rain break followed, with dark skies forcing tea to be taken early, but Pakistan resumed brightly – Abid passing 50 in nervy fashion with a thin edge which scuttled between fielders.
Successive fours took Pakistan beyond 100, yet Abid was soon on his way back to the pavilion when he nicked a delivery from Curran to Burns.
Sibley then took a low catch to send Asad Shafiq (5) walking, before Fawad Alam – making his first Test appearance since 2009 – was trapped lbw by Woakes, with England successfully reviewing before the weather closed in to halt the day's play.
Evergeen Anderson responds to his doubters
It took Anderson, who came in for criticism after posting poor bowling figures of 1-97 in Manchester last week, just eight deliveries to dismiss Masood, with the 38-year-old striking Pakistan's opener bang in front.
His second wicket was another fantastic delivery, drawing Azhar into a flick outside of his off stump, as the seamer moved just eight shy of 600 Test wickets.
Azhar's troubles in England continue
Pakistan's captain scored 0 and 18 in his two innings in the first Test, and despite facing 85 deliveries on Thursday, only managed 20 runs before he succumbed to Anderson.
Azhar came in for criticism after England's stunning turnaround in the first match of the series and really needs to start contributing with the bat to ease the pressure on him.
Making his first England appearance in over a year, paceman Archer dismissed Azam Khan and Imad Wasim as Pakistan were bowled out for 160 while chasing 184.
England captain Jos Buttler was the star of the show in Birmingham, plundering 84 off 54 balls to set the tone for the hosts' innings.
Will Jacks chipped in with a useful 37 before he, like Buttler, was caught out by Shadab Khan from Haris Rauf's bowling.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-36) stopped Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali or Chris Jordan from getting going, but Archer came in to hit a four and a six to get England to 183-7.
Pakistan were two down within four overs of their chase, and after Babar Azam (32) and Fakhar Zaman (45) were dismissed by Moeen and Liam Livingstone respectively, their chances looked increasingly slim.
Having taken out Azam, Archer (2-28) ended Wasim's stand at 22, with Reece Topley (3-41) and Jordan (1-31) finishing the job for England.
The series now moves to Cardiff, with the final match taking place at The Oval on Thursday.
Data Debrief: Buttler at his best
Buttler may well have to miss part of the upcoming T20 World Cup due to the birth of his third child, and England will be hoping their skipper makes a swift return to action if that is indeed the case.
His knock, which included eight fours and three sixes, marked the second-highest score by an England captain in a T20I, behind Eoin Morgan's 91 against New Zealand in 2019.
Paceman Archer has endured an injury-hit few years, with elbow and back problems preventing him from representing England since March 2023.
However, he has been included in England's provisional squad for next month's World Cup in the United States and West Indies and could make his international return on Wednesday.
England face Pakistan in the first of four T20Is at Headingley, and Archer is expected to feature after taking part in team training on Monday.
It is hoped he might play in three of the four matches against Pakistan in order to build up fitness ahead of the World Cup, and Curran says opposition teams will be nervous about his return.
"It's incredibly exciting," Curran said on Monday. "I'm sure England fans and players are extremely buzzed to have him back. He's an addition no side can turn down.
"He's obviously got that extra pace and fear factor we can bring to the opposition as well. Hopefully his injuries are behind him now."
There were questions raised about Archer's pace in the first Test against Pakistan, when he struggled to muster the ferocity that typified his entry into the international arena.
England are expected to keep faith with Archer for the second match in the series, which begins at Southampton's Rose Bowl on Thursday.
Captain Joe Root has been supportive, predicting England "will continue to see very special things" from Archer as long as he continues to learn from the ups and downs in his career.
Archer would love to be bowling consistently at an intimidating speed, but he is more concerned with his overall development.
"I cannot get away from the fact there is always attention towards the pace I am producing," Archer said in his Daily Mail column.
"From my perspective, I know I can bowl one or two 90mph deliveries a spell even when not everything is clicking, but to do it every ball, everything has to be working perfectly in unison and you have to be in that perfect, competitive mind frame.
"Not everything comes together all the time. People look back at my debut performance in the Ashes Test at Lord's last year and expect that kind of display everywhere, but it is unrealistic."
Archer appealed for "more appreciation" of the challenges of fast bowling, and England would not want to push him to strain his body if it meant the Sussex paceman taking any physical risks.
The Barbados-born quick has 38 wickets in 10 Tests since making his debut against Australia in last year's Ashes, and with James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the twilight of their careers, England are hoping Archer proves an enduring and potent presence in their attack.
"People will judge you how they want and there are a lot of opinions out there. But I am a 25-year-old fast bowler trying to develop my game and the opinions that matter most to me are the ones of my team-mates," Archer said.
"As long as Joe Root and my England team-mates are fine, I really don't care what other people are thinking."
He added that "as long as the people in and around this circle are understanding - and it 100 per cent seems like they are - I am very happy and in a good head space".
The South African will continue in his role as Derbyshire head of cricket and work with Pakistan outside the county season.
Arthur wil be part of the Pakistan coaching staff for the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, a tour of Australia, a home series against West Indies and the Asia Cup contests with India.
During his tenure as Pakistan head coach from 2016 to 2019, the 54-year-old mastermind an ICC Champions Trophy success six years ago, while he also took the Test and T20I sides to the top of the rankings.
The former Australia and South Africa coach said: "I am absolutely thrilled to be rejoining the Pakistan cricket team and look forward to working with the group.
"Since moving on, I have kept a track of the players and their collective performances.
"This is a talented bunch with the potential to be number one across all formats and my endeavour is to put in place strategies and create an environment that can contribute in further enhancing their performances so that we can extract the best out of them."
The Pakistan Cricket Board had revealed in January that they held talks with Arthur with a view to making him Saqlain Mushtaq's successor as head coach, but could not reach an agreement.
Smith led the way with a 24-ball 36, while Simmons contributed 21 off 11 balls, which assisted Riders to 97 for four off their allotment, at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium.
Simmons, 38, put on 29 for the first wicket with captain Robin Uthappa (24), and added another 28 in a second-wicket partnership Smith, who had four boundaries in his knock.
Former Pakistan seamer Sohail Khan was the chief destroyer for the Warriors, as he claimed three for 21, with former West Indies seamer Jerome Taylor taking the other wicket.
Meanwhile, Kamran Akmal struck a brisk 34 off 11 balls, including three fours and three sixes, in a 63-run opening stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan, who struck 28 from 14 balls.
Though former Bangladesh left-arm spinner Elias Sunny slowed their progress, snaring two of the three wickets that fell in quick succession, former West Indies all-rounder Jonathan Carter and Shahid Afridi took the game away from the Riders, with an unbroken 40-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Carter struck one boundary and a maximum in his 17, while Afridi was unbeaten on 22.
Sunny ended with two wickets for 11 runs.
Another former West Indies player Chris Barnwell struck an unbeaten 28 off a mere 10 deliveries to lead New Jersey Tritons to victory over the Warriors on Sunday.
Barnwell’s knock, which included four sixes saw the Tritons chased down 85 in a contest reduced to five overs per side due to rain.
Spinner Ashton Agar is the only addition to the wider group that won the Ashes 4-0 over England, with fast bowler Jhye Richardson left out.
Agar comes into the squad to add another spin option for Australia alongside Nathan Lyon and Mitch Swepson given the likely favourable conditions on the subcontinent.
Opening batsman Marcus Harris has held his spot in the squad despite being dropped for the fifth Ashes Test, while Mitch Marsh and Josh Inglis are included as all-rounder and wicketkeeper cover after carrying the drinks in the Ashes.
“This squad covers for all scenarios including the conditions given it has been such a long time since Australia was last in Pakistan," National Selection Panel chair George Bailey said.
“With several subcontinent tours and a one-day World Cup in India on the near horizon this is a great first up challenge for the group after the successful home Ashes Series.
"It’s also a very historic tour given the length of time since an Australian side last toured Pakistan.”
Australia, who have not toured Pakistan since 1998 for security reasons, are also scheduled for an away series in Sri Lanka in June.
The three-Test match series against Pakistan begins in Rawalpindi on March 4, with further games in Karachi and Lahore.
The Pakistan tour will also include three One-Day Internationals and one T20 International, although that squad is yet to be announced.
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
Spinner Ashton Agar is the only addition to the wider group that won the Ashes 4-0 over England, with fast bowler Jhye Richardson left out.
Agar comes into the squad to add another spin option for Australia alongside Nathan Lyon and Mitch Swepson given the likely favourable conditions on the subcontinent.
Opening batsman Marcus Harris has held his spot in the squad despite being dropped for the fifth Ashes Test, while Mitch Marsh and Josh Inglis are included as all-rounder and wicketkeeper cover after carrying the drinks in the Ashes.
“This squad covers for all scenarios including the conditions given it has been such a long time since Australia was last in Pakistan," National Selection Panel chair George Bailey said.
“With several subcontinent tours and a one-day World Cup in India on the near horizon this is a great first up challenge for the group after the successful home Ashes Series.
"It’s also a very historic tour given the length of time since an Australian side last toured Pakistan.”
Australia, who have not toured Pakistan since 1998 for security reasons, are also scheduled for an away series in Sri Lanka in June.
The three-Test match series against Pakistan begins in Rawalpindi on March 4, with further games in Karachi and Lahore.
The Pakistan tour will also include three One-Day Internationals and one T20 International, although that squad is yet to be announced.
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
Neser suffered a side strain during Queensland's Marsh Cup defeat to New South Wales on Monday and the quick bowler will not travel for Australia's first tour of Pakistan since 1998.
His team-mate Steketee has been drafted into the squad for a three-match series that starts at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on March 4.
Steketee has taken 29 Sheffield Shield wickets at an average of 16.31 this season and claimed match figures of 8-100 against New South Wales last week.
Brendan Doggett is on standby to face Babar Azam's side along with Sean Abbott.
Jhye Richardson was not considered, as the Australia selectors manage his workload.
McDonald was placed in temporary charge following Justin Langer's shock resignation last month.
The 40-year-old oversaw Australia's first overseas Test series triumph in six years, Nathan Lyon taking 5-83 and Cummins 3-23 on the final day to secure a 115-run victory at Gaddafi Stadium.
McDonald is the favourite to land the role on a permanent basis and captain Cummins is full of praise for the former all-rounder.
Asked about the job McDonald has done, he said: "Fantastic. Not unexpected. He's a great operator.
"The boys absolutely love him. Very diligent, very thorough, strategic, very organised. He's a huge part of this tour win."
Cummins would clearly welcome a decision for McDonald to stay on.
The paceman added: "His preparation, and all the support staff's. It's not just the 11 players who walk out; we've got a squad of 30-odd people who have been working so hard this month, and it's also important.
"I've said before it's not my place to employ the coach, but Ronnie [McDonald] has been fantastic."
The hosts were dismantled, being bowled out in just 31.5 overs over before Pakistan easily completed the chase to claim their first ODI series win in Australia in 22 years.
Shaheen Afridi (3-32) and Naseem Shah (3-54) did the damage as Australia struggled to build any momentum despite Matt Short's opening 22.
As the wickets toppled, Sean Abbott salvaged some pride with his knock of 30, but it was not enough to bolster Australia's score as they finished on 140.
It did not take Pakistan long to hit their target, with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique getting 42 and 37 respectively, before Lance Morris (2-24) dismissed them both in the 18th over.
Babar Azam (28) and Mohammad Rizwan (30) kept the rhythm going with a flurry of boundaries to reach 143-2 and round off an impressive 2-1 series win.
Data Debrief: A rare sight
Having lost the first match of the series, Pakistan have put in two almost-perfect performances since to completely turn things on their head.
Not since 2002 had Pakistan won an ODI series on Australian soil, but Pakistan were deserving winners after overwhelming the world champions.
Australia were facing the prospect of a humiliating 10-wicket loss on home soil after the impressive display from the tourists' bowlers, at least until Morris stopped them from making an unwanted mark in the history books.
The hosts had already sealed a series success thanks to Spencer Johnson's five-for in Saturday's second match, and any hopes Pakistan had of taking a consolation win were dashed by a dismal performance with the bat in Hobart.
Pakistan were bundled out for just 117 as Aaron Hardie finished with figures of 3-21 and Johnson (2-24) and Adam Zampa (2-11) also dismissed two apiece for Australia.
Babar Azam's knock had put Pakistan in a decent position at 61-1 through six overs, but when Haseebullah Khan handed Matthew Short a simple catch off Zampa's spin ball, the wickets began to tumble with ease.
Pakistan's next five wickets fell for just 31 further runs, with seven of their batters finishing in single figures and four managing one run or fewer, with Babar (41) the only batter to score above 30.
Australia lost Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk early but Marcus Stoinis took any jeopardy out of the chase by scoring an unbeaten 61 runs off 27 balls, with his stand including five fours and five maximums.
Stoinis was unwilling to hang around, smashing Haris Rauf for 22 runs in an over to take Australia to the brink.
He then hit Shaheen Shah Afridi for 19 in the penultimate over as the hosts got the job done with 52 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: Quick and easy for Stoinis
Australia could have taken their time after being set such a paltry target, but Stoinis was determined to put on a show for those present at the Bellerive Oval.
Only twice has he bettered his knock of 61 in T20Is – versus New Zealand in 2021 (78) and against Oman at the World Cup earlier this year (67*). His strike rate of 225.92, while ruthless, falls some way short of his T20I best of 327.77 versus Sri Lanka in 2022 (59 off 18).
Pakistan's Babar, meanwhile, is now second on the all-time list of T20I run scorers with 4,192 to his name, having overtaken Virat Kohli. Only Rohit Sharma (4,231) is ahead of him.
Roared on by vocal travelling support, Pakistan were in the ascendency when their pacemen dropped Australia from 113-2 to 115-7, with the hosts chasing 204 for victory.
Harif Rauf dismissed three while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain also got in on the act to decimate the hosts' middle order.
Naseem Shah had earlier scored 40 off 39 balls to salvage a score of 203 all out for the tourists, but a crucial cameo from captain Pat Cummins got Australia over the line.
Cummins calmly came up with an unbeaten 32 from 31 balls as the hosts sealed victory with 16.3 overs remaining, with even Sean Abbott's error in being run out for 13 failing to inspire a change in the momentum.
Bowler Mitchell Starc told ABC Grandstand after the match: "We probably didn't like that Patty and I had pads on, but it's a positive start to the summer.
"A win is a win no matter how you get there."
Data Debrief: Cummins leads from the front
Cummins' unbeaten 32 may not go down as his most memorable knock in ODIs, but it did equal his best innings for Australia in the format.
That proved crucial after Matthew Short (1), Jake Fraser-McGurk (16), Marnus Labuschagne (16), Aaron Hardie (10) and Glenn Maxwell (0) disappointed with the bat.
Australia, who have won both of their ODI series versus West Indies and England since lifting the World Cup in 2023, can now seal a series triumph in Adelaide on Friday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed details of a month-long tour in March and April 2022 comprising three Test matches, three ODIs and one T20I.
The Tests will be held in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore in March, with the latter also hosting the white-ball matches.
While the Tests will form part of the ICC World Test Championship, the one-day matches will be linked to the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, a 13-team event from which seven qualifiers and host nation India will progress to the final tournament in 2023.
Speaking of Australia's first visit since 1998, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said: "I am delighted to welcome Australia to Pakistan. From a personal point of view, it pleases me no end that we'll be engaged in a three-Test match series, connoisseurs delight.
"Australia are one of the high-performing sides and them playing in our backyard for the first time after a gap of 24 years will be a special treat for the fans.
"Likewise, it will be a great opportunity for the Australia cricketers to not only play at our iconic venues but also feel and enjoy the respect, love and hospitality that this great country offers, something which most of their previous generation of cricketers missed out by playing offshore."
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley: "Cricket Australia is excited about the prospect of touring Pakistan next year for what will be a highly anticipated series in a country so incredibly passionate about the game and their national team.
"Pakistan is a formidable opposition with an exceptionally talented team, as evidenced by their dynamic performances in the current ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the UAE.
"We thank the PCB for their considerable efforts in planning for the tour and look forward to continuing to work closely over the coming months to finalise the necessary operations, logistics, security and Covid-19 protocols.
"The safety and welfare of our players and staff remains our number one priority, and we will continue to work with the PCB and relevant agencies to ensure that appropriate and sufficient arrangements are put in place for the tour."
Australia won the series 1-0 in their previous tour of Pakistan, which was their first since Richie Benaud's side won 2-0 in 1959-60.
The previous four series between the countries have been held offshore, most recently in 2018-19, when Pakistan won 1-0 in the United Arab Emirates.
Labuschagne made his Test debut for Australia in 2018 against Pakistan in Dubai. However, it was during the 2019 Ashes that the 27-year-old came to prominence.
He became the first player to be a concussion substitute in a Test match when he replaced Steve Smith in the second match at Lord's, after the former Australia captain had been struck on the back of the neck.
His resilient 59 helped Australia secure a draw and he was named in the line-up for the following Test and has not looked back since.
Labuschagne has averaged 62.14 from 20 Tests, and has scored 74, 0 (not out), 103 and 51 in his four innings in the 2021-22 Ashes as Australia cruised into a 2-0 lead.
He has hit six centuries, including one double-hundred against New Zealand in January 2020.
Labuschagne's career-high 912 rating points saw him leapfrog England captain Joe Root, who has had a brilliant 2021 when it comes to run-scoring, even if his side have struggled.
Indeed, Root has now scored 4,859 runs as England Test captain, surpassing the previous record set by Alastair Cook (4,844).
Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and India's new white-ball captain Rohit Sharma complete the top five.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, meanwhile, has risen to the number one spot for T20I batsmen, though he is tied with England's Dawid Malan.
Mitchell Starc has bowled impressively in the Ashes so far and has moved into the top six for bowlers.
Rain limited play to just one session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but Pakistan eventually made their time with the bat count as they reached 158-4 on Wednesday.
It was a poor start as Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for just two runs before Shoriful Islam (2-30) took both Shan Masood (6) and Babar Azam (0) as Pakistan fell to 16-3.
However, Ayub and Shakeel soon found their footing, adding 98 runs as a partnership before the former was finally caught for 56.
Shakeel reached 57 not out and Mohammad Rizwan reached 24 not out as Pakistan dragged themselves into a much stronger position before bad light brought play to a close for the day.
Data Debrief: Slow and steady
Since making his debut in October 2016, Azam has been dismissed for a duck eight times in men's Tests; only Azhar Ali (11) among Pakistani batters has been dismissed more often for a duck during the same period.
However, Shakeel's introduction soon turned the tide, and he became their joint-quickest batter to reach 1000 Test runs, getting there in his 20th innings and matching Saeed Ahmed's record from 1959.
The Shaheens concluded their run in the competition with a three-wicket triumph over Ireland in Florida on Sunday, but failed to progress to the Super 8 stage at the expense of the United States.
Shaheen Afridi starred for Pakistan by taking three wickets, with Azam leading from the front with the bat as he hit an unbeaten 32 to help secure the victory.
"Yes we finished well, we took early wickets with the ball," Azam said after the game. "With the bat we didn't finish well. Lost back to back wickets, got over the line in the end.
"I think with the bowling, conditions suit our bowlers, in batting few mistakes in USA, India matches, when you lose wickets pressure is on you.
"Let's see, what team needs, I'll be okay with it. Have a good bunch of players, we've to go home, chat and see where we lacked, and then come back. Couldn't finish off close games, as a team we weren't good as a team."
Pakistan's exit from the World Cup was the earliest they had been knocked out of the competition, having lost their opening two games to the USA and India.
Azam's future as the captain has been called into question, and could hand the armband over to Afridi, who was named as the new captain following Pakistan's league stage exit of the ODI World Cup in India last year.
The 29-year-old explained that conversations will be had to discuss his future as Pakistan captain, but admitted the decision is down to the PCB.
"When I left captaincy (previously), I felt that I shouldn't be captain any more and announced it myself. When PCB gave it back, that was their decision," Azam said.
"Now we'll go back and have a discussion about what all has happened here. If I leave captaincy again then I will inform everyone.
"For now, I haven't thought about it and the decision is up to PCB."
This has been a tough start to the three-match series for Australia, with Pakistan totting up 245-1 on day one, followed by the jarring news of Shane Warne's death.
On Saturday, Pakistan kept Australia in the field for a long time once again, declaring on 476-4 shortly before stumps and imposing a stranglehold on the contest.
Azhar reached 185 before attempting an ambitious reverse sweep and paying a high price for failing to make the intended powerful contact, an unexpected misstep.
Rather than sending the ball soaring over the in-field, Azhar looped up a top edge to Cameron Green at short third man to give part-time spinner Marnus Labuschagne a prized wicket.
It made for a disappointing end to a stellar knock from the 37-year-old Azhar, whose 19th Test century proved to be the fourth highest of his Pakistan career.
He had been 64 not out overnight and reached three figures by taking on Nathan Lyon, just about clearing the leg-side field with a blow that was not quite middled but nevertheless raced away to the boundary.
Imam-ul-Haq had earlier advanced from his overnight 132 not out to 157 before he was pinned lbw by Australia captain Pat Cummins, a review only confirming the obvious.
Labuschagne ran out home captain Babar Azam for 36 with a direct hit, after a chancy attempted single, but it was another day to forget for the tourists, who reached 5-0 from one over before bad light ended proceedings.
Azhar puts Pakistan in pole position
This was a special innings from the Pakistan veteran, falling just short of the 205 not out he scored in the first innings in Melbourne in December 2016, which remains his highest score against Australia. Remarkably, Australia still managed to pull off an innings victory in that match, but such a prospect seems highly improbable this time.
Azhar, whose latest innings contained 15 fours and three sixes, also belongs to the exclusive club of players with a Test triple century, having made an unbeaten 302 against West Indies six years ago in Dubai.
Putting the pitch in perspective
It should become clear on Sunday whether this was a match-defining effort by Pakistan, or whether the pitch is likely to result in a high-scoring stalemate. It was frustrating to the home side that they could only get in one over at the Australian openers before the umpires called a halt to the action.
Pakistan have won seven of their last eight men's Tests including their last three on the bounce, with only India (8) picking up more wins in the format than Pakistan (7) since the beginning of 2021.
Pakistan claimed a five-wicket victory in the opening game in Lahore on Friday, and Babar and Hafeez ensured the hosts were in cruise control again at the same venue on Saturday.
After Bangladesh finished on 136-6 thanks predominantly to Tamim Iqbal's 65, Babar (66 not out) and Hafeez (67no) combined superbly for an unbroken stand of 131.
It meant Pakistan clinched the match and the three-match series with 20 balls to spare, rendering Monday's finale a dead rubber.
Bangladesh opener Mohammad Naim went for a duck in the second over and, though Tamim held the innings together, he found little in the way of partners.
Afif Hossain (21), stayed with Tamim for a stand of 45, but after the latter was run out in the 18th over, any impetus Bangladesh's innings had was lost.
Shafiul Islam removed Ahsan Ali for a duck to give Bangladesh hope of defending their total, which was swiftly and brutally extinguished by Babar and Hafeez.
Hafeez brought up his half-century in 39 balls, but Babar was four deliveries quicker, the pair hitting 16 fours and two sixes between them as they tormented the Bangladesh attack en route to an easy win.
Babar has proved he can be a class act in all formats and will be hoping to pick up where he left off on the Test stage at Old Trafford this week six months after he last played for his country.
The Pakistan white-ball captain scored four hundreds and two half-centuries in his last seven innings in the longest format before the coronavirus brought cricket to a halt.
Babar is sixth in the Test batting rankings, but Azhar says that is not a true reflection of his quality.
Asked if the 25-year-old can elevate himself to be put in the same bracket as Australia batsman Smith and India skipper Kohli in the next few weeks, he said "I think he is right up there already.
"People are thinking and talking about it. He is just hungry for runs and I think if he keeps doing that he will be up there for quite a long time
"His performances have improved massively in Test matches over the last year or so. Firstly he was performing really well in white-ball cricket and people thought he was only a white-ball player but he took on that challenge and played with a lot of freedom and flair.
"As a captain I want him to play the way he wants to. Just to relax and play his game and I'm sure if he does that he will go massively up the rankings in Test matches as well.
"He is a very important player for us but I would like him to be free from any pressure and just enjoy his game."
Azhar is also backing 17-year-old Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi to make a big impact in the three-match series with Joe Root's side, which starts in the bio-secure bubble in Manchester on Wednesday.
"They are very talented, obviously not as experienced as some of the bowling attacks that have come to England in the past, but potentially they are right up there," said Azhar.
"Naseem is a young talent who came up and played Test cricket from nowhere. He's impressed all of us and is in our number one bowling attack. Over time he will get the experience he needs.
"In terms of his potential, he is very threatening and hopefully he will be very good for us in this series."
