Australia clinches series victory with Boxing Day Test win after Pat Cummins’ 10-wicket haul
Australia has clinched a series win against Pakistan after a ruthless final session in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG sealed a 79-run victory.
Chasing 317 in the final innings, Pakistan looked strong at 3-146 with Babar Azam on 41 but captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc combined to take the tourists apart on day four.
But a brilliant delivery from Josh Hazlewood bowled the world class batter in a delivery New Zealand icon Ian Smith described as “the biggest moment in this Test match” on Fox Cricket.
Pakistan were 5-162 after Mitchell Starc removed Saud Shakeel before Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha put together a 57-run partnership.
Rizwan was given not out for a caught behind appeal on 35 before Australia reviewed.
The decision was overturned based on replays, hot spot and snicko despite Rizwan’s fury over a white mark on his forearm.
That brought Pakistan to 6-219 before the tourists collapsed to be all out for 237.
Starc claimed the last wicket with figures of 4-55 but Cummins was the hero.
The captain claimed a second five-wicket haul in the second innings, finishing with 10 for the match.
England legend Michael Vaughan was left in awe of the Australian captain and his side after the win.
“This Australia team, they’re just such a juggernaut,” he said on Fox Cricket.
“They know how to win, they know how to grab the moment.
“They don’t drop chances, they take pretty much everything that comes their way and in Pat Cummins they have an outstanding captain.”
Despite a series loss, Pakistan captain Shan Masood was able to stay positive after coming close to upsetting Australia.
“We have to look at the bigger picture and the smiles are there was a lot of positives, we can easily be like ‘what if we did this or what if we did that’ but that’s all part of the process of the game,” he said post-match.
“I thought there were a lot of positives but if you give a quality side like Australia a sniff, which we did, maybe sometimes with the ball, maybe sometimes with the bat, yesterday in the field if you drop someone like who’s in form like Mitchell Marsh we might not have been chasing [317] today but mistakes happen.
“But in terms of the bigger picture, this is the way we want to play Test cricket.”
Cummins finished player of the match.
