POST MATCH ANALYSIS
Follow UsNathan Lyon’s 16th five-wicket haul backed up by a three-for from Josh Hazlewood helped Australia record a clinical innings-and-48-run win over Pakistan and complete a 2-0 series whitewash at Adelaide Oval.
With the win, Australia continued their 100 percent record in day-night Tests. They have won each of the six pink-ball Tests they have been a part of. This was also Australia’s 14th successive win over Pakistan in the country.
Needing 289 to make Australia bat again, Pakistan always had their back against the wall. Shan Masood and Asad Shafiq tried their best to show fight but the relentless Australian unit led by the valiant Lyon kept pegging away to eventually bowl Pakistan out for 239 in 82 overs and complete a clinical win inside four days of the Test.
“Really happy. Barring few slip-ups in the field yesterday, we played excellent cricket in the last two matches,” said Australia captain Tim Paine.
“David and Marnus (Labuschagne) have been unbelievably good. We all witnessed a special knock from David Warner. It is among the top one or two innings ever by an Australian.”
Resuming on 39/3, Masood took the attack to the opposition right from the word go and was pretty successful in his attempt. He started off by pulling Mitchell Starc for two successive fours before sending Lyon over the ropes. Masood played some glorious strokes as he assumed a leadership role after Babar Azam and captain Azhar Ali fell cheaply on Sunday evening.
His sixth Test half-century, in his 17th Test, arrived with a boundary off Lyon, his sixth four. While Lyon extracted some life out of the pitch, it offered little for Australia’s fast bowlers who were made to toil.
Just when Masood looked like he was set for a big one, he played one shot too many to offer a simple catch to Pat Cummins at mid-off. He fell for 68, his innings laced with eight fours and a six.
Shafiq, on the other end, went about his business astutely and soon brought up his half-century too with a flick down to fine leg off Hazlewood. However, like Masood, he too couldn’t carry on for longer to falling to Lyon minutes before the tea interval.
Shafiq looking to tuck the ball away to the on-side was undone by the extra bounce from Lyon and could only edge it to David Warner at leg slip for 57.
Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan managed to show some fight on the other side of tea frustrating the Australians. Rizwan who scored a brilliant half-century in Brisbane, once again looked assured while Iftikhar although scratchy, held his ground.
The duo stitched a 47-run stand for the sixth wicket but like he did all through this innings, Lyon struck again to remove Iftikhar. The batsman pressed forward but the extra bounce got the better of him and he could only pop a simple catch to Labuschagne at short leg for 27.
The unlikely centurion of the first innings Yasir Shah failed to repeat his heroics as he fell to Lyon leg before for 12. Yasir finished the series as the second-highest run-scorer for Pakistan with 194 runs to his name, only behind Babar Azam (210 runs).
Lyon then picked his fifth wicket of the innings when Shaheen Shah Afridi looking for an ugly hoick cold only top edge one to Hazlewood. This was Lyon’s 50th wicket at Adelaide and his fourth five-wicket haul at the venue.
Australia then did not make much time to wrap up Pakistan’s innings. The new ball was immediately taken and Hazlewood struck castling Rizwan with a delivery that moved in late for 45.
Mohammad Abbas was the last man to go run out courtesy a direct hit from Cummins from mid-on. It capped another commanding victory for Australia who will next face New Zealand in a three-match Test series starting later this month. David Warner was named Player of the Match and Series for his 489 runs in the two matches.
