Australia are over the moon after pulling off an unbelievable win
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Mitchell Starc starred with the bat and ball on the final day of the second Test in Melbourne as he scored an entertaining 84 and took four wickets to lead Australia to an unlikely innings and 18-run win over Pakistan.
While Australia wrapped up the series with their victory as it gives them an unassailable 2-0 going into the third and final Test in Sydney, it was a day to forget for Pakistan as their loss saw them earn some unwanted records.
Pakistan have now lost five Tests in a row, which is their joint-longest streak in history. The only other time this happened was back in 1999-2000. Furthermore, Pakistan have now lost seven Test matches in 2016, their most in a calendar year. The previous record was six, which occurred on two occasions in 1995 and 2010.
Starting off the day on 465/6, Australia captain Steven Smith and Starc continued to take the attack to Pakistan as they converted their 11-run partnership into a 154-run stand, during which Smith cruised past the 150-run mark and Starc brought up his fifty.
With Australia beginning to stamp their authority on the game, Pakistan finally got the breakthrough they were looking for when Sohail Khan dismissed Starc for 84, which came off 91 balls and included three boundaries and seven sixes.
Starc scored his eighth Test fifty
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Starc etched his name in the record books with his seven sixes as it was the highest number of sixes hit in an individual innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The previous record belonged to former Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who hit six sixes against South Africa in the 2005 Boxing Day Test.
Lyon fell shortly after for 12, upon where Smith decided to declare with his side on 624/8, which is the highest score ever made in Test cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Smith, meanwhile, remained undefeated on 165 off 246 balls, which included 13 boundaries and a six, as Pakistan found themselves trailing by 181 runs going into their second innings.
Smith’s superb form with the bat continued
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Sohail and Yasir Shah picked up three wickets apiece, while Wahab Riaz snapped up two.
Trailing by 181 runs, Pakistan were dealt two quick blows early on as opener Sami Aslam was clean bowled by Josh Hazlewood for two runs, while Babar Azam was trapped lbw off the bowling of Starc for three runs.
Azhar Ali and Younis Khan steadied the innings with a 57-run partnership before Younis was dismissed by Lyon for 24.
Lyon struck twice more in quick succession as he removed Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and batsman Asad Shafiq for zero and 16 respectively.
Pakistan began to collapse from that point as Azhar was given out lbw off the bowling of Hazlewood for 43, while Mohammad Amir made 10 before being cleaned up by Jackson Bird.
Wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed put up a valiant fight with his knock of 43, but in the end, he couldn’t guide his side to safety as he was clean bowled by Starc.
After taking out Sarfraz, Starc sent Riaz and Yasir packing to hand Australia an incredible victory.
Starc was the most successful bowler with four wickets, while Lyon took three, Hazlewood got two and Bird claimed one.
Misbah was less than impressed with what he had just witnessed, and said: “Think especially after getting 443 in the first innings, we could not bowl to any discipline, could not build any pressure. We lost all the momentum there. Full credit to the Australian batsmen. It’s a funny game. Especially when you are under pressure. When you know there can only be a draw or a defeat, that can create a lots of problems. We thought it might be easy if we could get a couple of wickets early. Anything over 100, you never know on the final day. We knew anything could happen.
“Azhar has been outstanding. The ball was doing a lot in the first innings. Seaming and swinging. Loads of concentration. In the second innings, under pressure. Also Asad Shafiq played really well. Sarfraz too. In the end you have to win sessions. You have to play well over both innings. That’s what we haven’t been able to manage. You have to forget these kind of performances and stand up as a team.”
Smith, who was named Man of the Match, was thrilled to have pulled off a seemingly impossible win, and said: “It’s been a pretty good day. At the start of the day we thought of batting for 40 minutes and see how it goes. We didn’t lose any wickets so we put our foot down. Starcy’s hits gave us the opportunity to take the 180 lead and go after them. We thought if we were able to get it to reverse soon enough, we could win. Also Lyon bowled so well before the ball started to go.
“At about five down when the ball was swinging, the bowlers were fresh, that’s when it started to look clear. It’s an unbelievable feeling to see the boys in that huddle. Pretty surreal to have now wrapped up the series. We have got a lot of belief in the guys around. The guys are doing the hard yards to improve every day. It has been a great sort of transition. I am proud of how the guys came out today to win the Test. I am doing okay. I have felt for a while that I have been hitting them all right. I love batting at the MCG. It’s been a happy hunting ground for me. Can’t wait to go to the SCG. I like it there too, hopefully I can make it three in a row.”