Australia, under the leadership of Pat Cummins, clinched a series victory against Pakistan by triumphing in the Melbourne Test by 79 runs on Friday.
Chasing a target of 317, Pakistan displayed resilience but ultimately fell short, being dismissed for 237, with the last five wickets crumbling for a mere 18 runs.
The pivotal moment came when Mohammad Rizwan, who was steering Pakistan towards the victory target, faced a controversial dismissal, altering the game’s trajectory in favor of the hosts.
This defeat extends Pakistan’s Test win drought in Australia since 1995, having lost the first Test in Perth by a significant margin of 360 runs.
Australia’s skipper, Pat Cummins, emerged as the chief architect of Pakistan’s downfall, securing impressive figures of 5-49 in the second innings to complement his 5-48 in the first innings. This marked only the second 10-wicket haul of Cummins’ Test career.
Mitchell Starc also played a crucial role, contributing with a four-wicket haul (4-55) as the Pakistani tail collapsed following commendable efforts from Shan Masood (60), Agha Salman (50), and Babar Azam (41).
Despite the visitors putting up a spirited fight, chasing a target of 317 in the fourth innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was always going to be an arduous task.
The highest successful fourth-innings run chase at this venue stands at 332-7 by England in 1928, making Pakistan’s effort commendable.
The Pakistani innings faced early setbacks as opener Abdullah Shafique departed for four, caught by Usman Khawaja off Starc.
Iman-ul-Haq resisted initially but succumbed to Cummins’ brilliance after lunch, falling lbw for 12.
Although Masood survived a contentious lbw decision and reached a gritty fifty, Cummins intervened again, inducing an edge to Steve Smith.
Babar Azam, shouldering the responsibility as the team’s premier batsman, looked promising but fell for 41 to Josh Hazlewood.
Mohammad Rizwan’s resistance was broken by Cummins, with Alex Carey taking a catch behind the stumps.
Cummins then swiftly removed Aamer Jamal and Shaheen Shah Afridi, paving the way for Starc to clean up the tail.
In their second innings, Australia posted 262, with Carey top-scoring with 53. Mitchell Marsh’s aggressive 96 and Smith’s determined 50 were instrumental in Australia’s recovery after a shaky start. The Pakistan bowlers, led by Mir Hamza (4-32) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (4-76), impressed in restricting the hosts.
Reflecting on the match, Pakistan captain Shan Masood acknowledged the positives, emphasizing the team’s competitive spirit and the potential for success if key moments were seized.
Despite the defeat, Masood pointed out that the game kept turning over the four days, showcasing the team’s resilience and fighting spirit.
