Australia beat Pakistan in third Test; seal series win
Australia beat Pakistan on Day 5 of the third Test to seal the series 1-0. The first two Tests were drawn earlier. With this win, Australia stay undefeated in the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle. Australia scored 391/10 before dismissing Pakistan for 268. The visitors scored 223/7d and set Pakistan 351 runs to win. Pakistan failed to get the job done.
Australia posted 391/10 in the first innings, riding on Usman Khawaja's 91. The likes of Steve Smith, Cameron Green, and Alex Carey scored fifties as well. Shaheen Afridi claimed four wickets. Pakistan were bowled out for 267 after being 248/3 at one stage. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc were terrific. Australia managed 227/3d as Pakistan started well but lost their way in the middle.
Khawaja hit a 219-ball 91 in the first innings and followed it up with an unbeaten 104 in the second. He finished the series as the highest scorer. Khawaja managed 496 runs at 165.33. He hit two tons and two fifties. Khawaja has raced to 3,638 runs at 47.24. He has 12 tons and 16 fifties.
Khawaja has raced to 992 runs versus Pakistan at 99.20. He has three centuries and six fifties versus Pakistan. He has raced to 751 runs in the WTC 2021-23 cycle (second-highest) at an average of 51.54. He has four tons and two fifties.
Steve Smith has got past the 8,000-run mark in Test cricket. He achieved this feat on Day 4. Smith now has 8,010 career Test runs at an average of 59.77. He is the seventh Australian to get past 8,000 runs. Smith, who slammed 59 in the first innings, notched his 36th fifty. Overall against Pakistan, Smith has managed to score 981 runs at 54.50.
Smith has featured in 151 innings, having played 85 Tests. Smith has now become the fastest to 8,000 Test runs. He broke the record held by Kumar Sangakkara, who took 152 innings to reach the mark. Sanga had earlier broken Sachin Tendulkar's record (154 innings).
Cummins (5/56 and 3/23) claimed eight scalps in this Test. He has raced to 197 scalps at 21.27. He claimed his seventh five-wicket haul. Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon took six scalps, including a fifer in the second innings. He has 427 scalps at 32.15. Lyon has claimed 19 five-wicket hauls now. Starc claimed five wickets in this Test and has raced to 282 scalps.
Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique got scores of 81 and 27. He now has 547 runs in his Test career, notching a fourth fifty. Babar Azam scored twin half-centuries (67 and 55). The Pakistan skipper has 2,851 runs in Tests at 45.98. He now has 21 half-centuries. In the ongoing WTC cycle, Babar has 682 runs at 46.80.
Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi ended up with five wickets. The prolific pacer has raced to 95 Test scalps at 25.08. He surpassed former Pakistan cricketer Tauseef Ahmed (93) in terms of wickets. Afridi has the second-highest number of wickets in the ongoing WTC (37).
Azhar Ali (78) and 17) has gone past the 7,000-run mark in Tests. He now has 7,021 runs at 43.07. He slammed his 35th Test fifty. Azhar is now the fifth Pakistan batter to notch 7,000-plus runs in Tests. He has joined elite company that comprises the likes of Younis Khan (10,099), Javed Miandad (8,832), Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829), and Mohammad Yousuf (7,530).
