After the fifth day started on an even note, with all four results possible in the Test, Australia pulled off a stunning victory and won their first Test series in the subcontinent in a decade. After showing great resistance, Pakistan were blown away by relentless bowling from Australia, especially from Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins. After 14 days and two sessions, all four results were still possible going into the final session, but Pakistan just didn’t have enough capable resources and resolve, eventually losing by 115 runs. Let’s look at some of the key moments from the final day of the third Test.
Lyon vs Imam
With a lot of rough outside the leg stump of Imam-ul-Haq, Lyon targeted them from over the wicket. That angle ensured that Lyon bowled all the balls towards Imam’s body, forcing him to either play at them or just kick them away.
On pitches with prominent rough patches, the ideal way to deal with such a line of bowling is to kick the ball away because trying to play at them could be a difficult option as it increases the risk of getting out caught with the close-in fielders in place. Another way of effectively handling this line is by playing sweep shots. During his innings, it was mentioned in the commentary that Imam had already decided not to sweep any ball during this Test series.
With Imam keen on not sweeping the ball or kicking it out of the way, his only method to counter the line was to play the balls, and that kept the Australians, especially Lyon, in the game. It was a dangerous tactic against a ball turning out of the rough, and it was only a matter of time before Imam edged one of them. Lyon was patient in persisting with that line and was rewarded for it when Imam finally inside-edged one onto his pads, getting caught by Marnus Labuschagne at silly point.
When the G.O.A.T. Roared
Being under pressure throughout the Test series, especially after failing to close out the last game on the final day at Karachi, Nathan Lyon came out with a point to prove. The pitch was perfect for Lyon, with significant rough patches on both sides of the wickets. Lyon used the rough effectively, first getting Azhar Ali, and then after playing with Imam’s patience, finally getting better of him.
Lyon isn’t a huge turner of the ball and relies mostly on generating extra bounce. With this pitch not offering bounce, Lyon had to rely on the rough patches to create any trouble for the batters. But the biggest wicket came when the ball didn’t turn much from the area just around the rough. Lyon got the outside edge of Babar Azam by the one that didn’t turn as much as Azam expected, who played inside the line of the ball.
For Australia to win the match on the final day, Lyon had to step up, and the ‘GOAT’ roared on the final day by prizing out a much-deserved fifer.
Classy Captain Cummins
World’s number one ranked bowler, Australian skipper Pat Cummins came to Pakistan with a reputation of being the best in the world, and he leaves the country enhancing his reputation. Cummins was relentless throughout the series, not giving an inch on pitches that had little help for him. After combining with Mitchell Starc to trigger a Pakistani collapse late on Day 3, Cummins bowled sensationally on the final day, and it was fitting that the last Pakistani wicket fell to Cummins.
Cummins was perhaps the best opponent of reverse swing throughout the series, and even on the final day, prized out Fawad Alam and Mohammad Rizwan by fuller length balls, angling into the batters. Cummins kept the ball full and targeted the stumps, not giving the batters any width or loose balls. It was evident from his economy rate of 1.51.
This win will probably go down as one of Australia’s best wins in this century, and it was scripted by some outstanding bowling from their leader. A lot of Australian players came into this series with doubts over their abilities in conditions they aren’t too familiar with, but they go back enhancing their reputations.