2nd Test, Melbourne, December 26, 2023, 05:00 AM
Australia
318/10(96.5ov) & 262/10(84.1ov)
Pakistan
264/10(73.5ov) & 237/10(67.2ov)
Australia beat Pakistan by 79 runs
Best Batsmen
R
B
4S
6S
SR
Best Bowler
O
R
W
Econ
Man of the Match
Pat Cummins
Commentry
That is it from this game then! Another game follows though and that one begins on the third of January. The action then shifts to Sydney. The match is all set to start at 0500 IST (2330 GMT). The build-up begins a lot earlier. Till then, goodbye and take care!
Pat Cummins, Man of the Match, says he loves playing here. Adds the wicket here is good for the quicks and he enjoys it. States there is a bit of seam but he likes the up and down bounce. Mentions they were batting well but he is happy with the Rizwan wicket. States they felt they had enough to bowl at but it got a little too tight. Credits the way Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh played and says they got them out of trouble.
Shan Masood says there were a lot of positives, they gave Australia a sniff and that is something they could not give. Adds had they taken their chances, it could have been a different picture. Mentions the game kept shifting but Cummins was excellent in both the innings. Adds there were a lot of boxes ticked but this is how they want to play the game and they will keep doing that. Ends by saying, every game counts and they are looking forward to the next game.
... PRESENTATION TIME ...
Australia were rocked early though in their second innings. Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza ran through the top order and they were 4 down for below 20. It was Smith and Mitchell Marsh who came to the rescue. The latter played aggressively and Smith batted as he does. Marsh was unfortunate to fall 4 short of a ton. Smith on the other hand, fell on the last ball of Day 3 after scoring a half ton. On Day 4, Pakistan made quick work of the Australian lower-order and kept Australa in-check. However, the Aussie bowling was just too good and in the end, it was a convincing win for the hosts.
Australia were dominant for most of this game. They lost the toss and were asked to bat, they managed to post a challenging score on a wicket which seemed tough. It was a combined effort by their batters with Marnus Labuschagne being the top scorer. In reply, Pakistan started off well, Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood put them in a really good position but the lower and the middle order failed. Pat Cummins was yet again the star for his side with a five-fer. That helped the Aussies to take a lead of over 50.
End of an excellent performance from the Aussies yet again and they have sealed the series 2-0! Creidt though to Pakistan, they showed a lot of fight, especially the likes of Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman. These four kept them in the game for quite sometime but the likes of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc proved to be too good. The skipper for the Aussies was magical as he finished with a five-fer. Mitchell Starc did not take a lot of time to clean up the tail and he finished with four.
In over# 68
0W
0W
Mitchell Starc 55/4(13.2)
67.2
W
OUT! TAKEN! Two in two for Starc! Another really catch! AUSTRALIA WIN BY 79 RUNS! Another short one does the trick, it is right on the body. Mir Hamza looks to fend it away, it hits the splice and lobs towards the off side. Smith at widish slip runs, dives and takes it inches above the ground. That is the 4th for Starc!
67.1
W
OUT! TAKEN! That should be the game if ti was not obvious before. Mitchell Starc comes in and gets the last recognized batter. Agha Salman's fighting knock comes to an end. A short one on middle, Agha Salman looks to pull but it goes off the top edge towards third man. Mitchell Marsh runs in and takes it with a brilliant dive.
In over# 67
0
0
0W
1
0
0
Pat Cummins 49/5(18)
66.6
.
Shorter and on the body, Hasan Ali manages to keep it out.
66.5
.
Another short one on middle, ducked under.
66.4
W
OUT! TAKEN! Five for Pat Cummins! Outstanding effort from the skipper. Australia now 2 wickets away. A short one on the body, Shaheen Afridi looks to fend it away. It hits the handle and lobs towards short leg. It is taken by the fielder.
66.3
1
Fifty for Agha Salman! A fighting effort but still a lot more to do. He has a chance to be a hero here. A lot of responsibility on him at the moment. On a length anda round off, this is pushed towards mid on for one.
66.2
.
Around off and on a length, blocked.
66.1
.
Good length and on off, Agha Salman is solid in defense.
In over# 66
0
0
1
0
0
0
Nathan Lyon 84/0(19)
65.6
.
Flatter and on middle, Shaheen Afridi defends it.