Australia’s perseverance on their first trip to Pakistan in 24 years paid off on the final day of the Test series, as the visitors sealed the series by winning the final Test by xxx runs. On Friday, Nathan Lyon was the tourists’ hero, with 5-wickets. The cricket community lambasted Pakistan for producing flat, lifeless pitches for the historic series.
The first Test in Rawalpindi yielded just 14 wickets and more than 1000 runs in five days on an ICC-rated below-average pitch. The Pakistan Cricket Board’s head, Ramiz Raja, even excused the pitch’s slowness, claiming that they didn’t want to play into Pat Cummins’ team’s hands.
After squandering a 408-run lead and batting for more than four hours, Pakistan was able to tie the second Test in Karachi. Pakistan stunned Australia with a fighting draw when they chose not to impose follow-on. Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, and Mohammad Rizwan led the rearguard efforts.
When Australia declared on 227/3 on Day 4 before Tea in Lahore, Pakistan, on the other side, was unable to secure a draw. In the previous session, Lyon took 5/83, including the important wicket of Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who was batting far above his fifty mark.
After spending several scorching days on the field in recent weeks, captain Pat Cummins was steadfast in his approach and picked up three wickets, including the final wicket as Australia made history. For his brave efforts, which included an 8-wicket haul in the first innings and a 5-wicket haul in the second, Cummins was named Player of the Match.
Lyon & Cummins Fired on Day 5
Babar, Pakistan’s captain, hit 55 after a 196 in the second innings saved the hosts from defeat in the second test at Karachi. Cummins bowled Fawad Alam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan in consecutive overs, both going leg before wicket. Rizwan also hit an unbeaten 104 in the second innings of the drawn Karachi test. According to television replays, Rizwan would have been saved if he had asked a review of the umpire’s decision.
Despite replays indicating that Babar had gotten a glove to a Lyon delivery that was taken at slip by Steve Smith, Australia erred by neglecting to review a not-out decision for him. Lyon should have caught Babar on 45 minutes before lunch, but Travis Head failed to hold on to the ball at deep midwicket.
When the off-spinner generated an edge from Babar, Smith, who had struggled with his catching throughout the series, pulled off a magnificent low-at-slip grab. Imam was Pakistan’s most assured batsman, defending tenaciously throughout his 70-run innings.
Close-in fielder Marnus Labuschagne, however, nabbed him shortly after noon when he got an inside edge to his pad against Lyon. Azhar, who was playing his 94th test but first at home, was dismissed for 17 by Lyon after a contentious decision.
Pat Cummins was named Player of the Match, and Usman Khawaja was named Player of the Series. “It’s been a lot of fun,” Khawaja admits. “I just want to express my gratitude to Pakistan and its fans. We’ve had a fantastic time together.
Everyone has been extremely friendly. Winning this game is the cherry on top. I believe 350 people in four sessions was a reasonable goal. I didn’t expect they’d be able to get that high of a score. That wicket had enough in it.
It was the most difficult wicket I’d ever bet on. It felt like the most difficult hundred I’d ever had.” In his post-match presentation, Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, stated: “The way we batted and got ahead of the game in the first innings was brilliant.
Though 350 would put them in the game if they batted well, if we bowled to our capacity, it would be a long way off. I’m glad we made it in the end. The game’s trend was that the first few wickets were extremely difficult to come by, then the run rate dropped and the number of wickets increased. Everyone was up for it, based on how we applied ourselves today.
The best part about the entire series is that we did well in the Ashes, and each player’s performance can be transferred wherever in the world. We’ve been very nicely taken care of for even longer than the 15 days. We had no idea what to anticipate, but it turned out to be an incredible adventure. The entire atmosphere has been great. It was a lot of fun. It was even more crucial than the outcome.
Published By : Ankit Singh
Edited By : Khushi Thakur
