A fired-up Pat Cummins baggage 5 wickets within the innings and 10 within the match to earn Australia a nail-biting 79-run win within the second Take a look at.
Australia captain Pat Cummins took 10 wickets in a masterclass of clutch bowling to finish stout Pakistan resistance and lead his facet to a 79-run victory on the fourth day of a second Take a look at, locking up the three-match collection 2-0.
Simply when it regarded just like the Boxing Day Take a look at would go right down to the wire on its remaining day on Friday, the paceman stepped in to take away Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s final recognised batsman, and declare his 250th Take a look at wicket.
Cummins (5-49) adopted that up with the wicket of Aamer Jamal for a duck to set off an additional half-hour of play, throughout which he claimed his fifth wicket of the innings and tenth of the match to assist mop up the tail.
It was his second 10-wicket match haul in 57 Checks and concluded an excellent 12 months wherein he led Australia to the World Take a look at Championship, a 50-overs World Cup triumph and the retention of the Ashes in England.
“Loopy 12 months. A number of cricket, a lot of success on the sector,” mentioned Cummins, who was named Man of the Match.
“I feel we’re going to look again and bear in mind 2023 as one of many particular ones.”
Dealing with an imposing victory goal of 317 runs after bowling Australia out for 262 earlier than lunch, the vacationers had put collectively a collection of partnerships that pissed off the potent Australian assault.
There have been some house nerves when the final substantial stand of 57 between Rizwan (35) and Agha Salman (50) acquired the goal beneath 100 runs, however the match turned for good when Cummins separated the pair.
Pakistan had threatened to take management of the match on a number of events over the primary 4 days solely to let the Australians off the hook.
Fired by an innings of 96 from Mitchell Marsh, Australia had dragged themselves again from 16-4 after lunch on Thursday and resumed on 187-6 on a sunny morning on the Melbourne Cricket Floor (MCG).
Wicketkeeper Alex Carey scored 52 to assist prolong the lead earlier than he was trapped leg earlier than by seamer Mir Hamza (4-32) to convey an finish to the innings.
Pakistan have been all the time going to be up in opposition to it, given the truth that just one group had efficiently chased greater than 300 runs within the fourth innings in 146 years of Take a look at matches on the MCG.
The vacationers have been dismissed for 89 within the fourth innings when Australia received the primary Take a look at by 360 runs in Perth, and the early indications have been that Melbourne would witness one thing comparable.
Dropped catches
Abdullah Shafique, whose dropped slip catches in each innings proved so expensive to Pakistan, departed for 4 earlier than lunch when he lunged at a Mitchell Starc supply and Usman Khawaja took the catch within the cordon.
Cummins trapped Imam-ul-Haq in entrance for 12 quickly after the resumption, however a 61-run partnership between Shan Masood and Babar Azam stalled Australia’s progress.
Once more, Cummins made the breakthrough by inducing Masood into an edge, which Steve Smith claimed within the slips with the Pakistan captain on 60.
Azam continued to maintain the scoreboard ticking over, however Australia’s bowlers remained affected person as they focused the highest of his off stump, and Josh Hazlewood acquired the reward when he nipped one again to bowl the Pakistan hazard man for 41.
Pakistan began placing collectively one other partnership, but it surely was value solely 16 runs when Starc (4-55) despatched down a supply that grew huge on Saud Shakeel, who top-edged it behind to Carey for twenty-four with Pakistan nonetheless 155 runs from their goal.
Masood was remarkably upbeat contemplating his group got here so near ending a 15-match dropping streak in Australia going again to 1995.
“When it comes to the larger image, that is the best way we wish to play Take a look at cricket,” mentioned the 34-year-old, whose group will get one other likelihood to snap that streak within the third Take a look at in Sydney subsequent week.
“Taking part in Take a look at cricket in these circumstances, combating till the tip and the place a result’s attainable for us. I feel that’s one thing we’ve got to take ahead as a group.”