Winning in style: Pakistan take the spoils, claim series and third place

Hosts whitewash Australia and record their biggest ever win

ABU DABHI: Pakistan completed only their second-ever whitewash over Australia, defeating them 2-0 as they recorded a 356-run win on the last day of the second Test at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, their highest ever in terms of runs, and in the process climbed to third in the ICC Test Teams Rankings.

They last completed a whitewash over Australia under the captaincy of Imran Khan back in 1982-83 when they won 3-0, while their previous biggest win was against India when they won by 341 runs in Karachi back in 2006. It was also Australia’s third biggest defeat in terms of runs.

“It’s the most important series win for me as a captain because we had a really inexperienced bowling attack coming into this Test series,” said captain Misbahul Haq. “To differentiate the 3-0 whitewash against England and this one is really tough because they are both unforgettable wins but against England, we had a settled bowling attack and people knew what we could do.”

Misbah also equalled Imran and Javed Miandad’s record of most wins by a captain with his 14^th ever victory but played down the record, along with the countless others that were also broken in the series. “We play to win, not to make records, but when they are achieved, it provides you great satisfaction,” he said. “I’m happy with my 14 Test wins, and equalling Imran and Miandad will live with me forever.”

Zulfiqar Babar took seven wickets in the match and his second-ever five-wicket haul in the second innings, while Yasir Shah took five wickets in the match with three in the second.

The final day

Australia resumed the day at 143-4. Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh fought gallantly in the morning session, but their resolve was broken by Muhammad Hafeez when Marsh was caught sharply by Asad Shafiq at leg-slip which brought an end to a 107-run partnership. Misbah also reserved praise for his close infielders. “The close fielding has been a hallmark for us in this series as Shafiq and Azhar Ali have been sensational,” he said. “Even today [Monday], I think Marsh’s catch by Asad was a world-class one because the ball was really travelling.”

Australia went into lunch at 238-5 but lost five wickets in just 35 minutes, adding eight runs in 8.3 overs after the break.

Yasir struck on the second delivery after lunch as Smith, who scored 97, missed the line of the ball and was adjudged lbw. In the next over, Haddin played-on off Babar and Mitchell Johnson did the same against Yasir on the next ball. Mitchell Starc was then bowled by Yasir on two.

The last man to be dismissed was Nathan Lyon, on naught, caught after a bat-and-pad by Azhar Ali off Babar, which sparked wild scenes of celebrations from Pakistan.

Some of the records broken in the series

•   Pakistan made 9 centuries. The highest ever in a two-match series and the joint-most scored against Australia in a series of any length

•   Australia’s combined bowling average of 80.15 is their worst ever

•   Pakistan’s 1,603 runs is the highest aggregate total in a two-match Test series

•   The 356-run win is Pakistan’s biggest ever Test victory in terms of runs, and Australia’s third worst

•   Younus’s average is now over 50 in each of the four innings of a Test. The only other batsmen who boast this record are Sir Don Bradman and Herbert Sutcliffe

•   Younus’ 27 centuries are the most by any Pakistani batsman and the only from the country to have scored against all Test-playing nations

•   Misbah equals the record for most Test wins by a Pakistani captain with 14

•   Misbah records the fastest Test fifty in 21 balls

•   Misbah also equalled Sir Vivian Richards’ record of the fastest Test century, reaching his hundred off just 56 balls.

•   Misbah becomes the oldest Test centurion for Pakistan at 40 years and 156 days

•   Younus becomes the oldest Test double centurion for Pakistan at 36 years and 336 days

•   Misbah and Younus scored their 11th century-partnership, the highest by any Pakistani pair

•   Younus becomes the quickest Pakistani, in terms of matches played, to reach 8,000 runs. He is only the third Pakistani to reach the milestone and the fourth-quickest overall

•   Younus becomes the 1st ever Pakistani to score three consecutive hundreds against Australia, the first for any team in 90 years

 Watch a slideshow of images from the match here.

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