Azhar (101 not out) and Younis (111*) made the Australian bowlers toil in the Abu Dhabi heat on Thursday as they shared an unbroken stand of 208 to ensure Pakistan closed on 304-2 on day one.
It was Azhar's first Test century against Australia, and his sixth in total, but it was Younis who will take the headlines once again as his rich vein of form continued.
Having scored two centuries in Pakistan's victory in Dubai in the first Test last week, the 35-year-old right-hander became the first man to make a ton in three consecutive Test innings against Australia for 89 years.
Legendary Englishman Herbert Sutcliffe is the only other player to achieve that feat way back in 1925 and Azhar revelled in a memorable day for the Pakistan pair.
"Younis made it easier for me to play around him by controlling the match, enabling me to score this memorable hundred against Australia," he told reporters.
"It's a special moment for me to score a century against Australia, and Younis' third consecutive ton against them has doubled my joy."
The tourists were only able to claim the wickets of Ahmed Shehzad (35) and Mohammad Hafeez (45) and face a tall order to draw the two-match series.
Captain Michael Clarke knows Australia must make early inroads on day two in order to get themselves back into the match.
"We couldn't take as many wickets as we would have wanted and that's disappointing," said Clarke.
"We’ll try to come out tomorrow [Friday] and get some quick wickets and will then try to make sure that we make it count in our innings and score big.
"The wicket will get slower as time goes on, but so far there wasn't much turn for the spinners."