Australia v Pakistan third Test: Pat Cummins snares final wicket as Australia wins Benaud-Qadir Trophy, Nathan Lyon five wickets
Nathan Lyon weaved his magic before captain Pat Cummins stepped up to ensure his bold declaration paid off, claiming the final wicket to secure Australia a 1-0 series victory against Pakistan.
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Pat Cummins skittled Naseem Shah’s stumps across the square then raised his hands in triumph as his men ran from all directions to celebrate.
Australia had won the inaugural Benaud-Qadir trophy in the last session on the last of 15 scheduled days play.
It was only fitting the captain take the wicket that secured a victory for the ages.
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The win, coming on the back of a 4-0 Ashes victory in the home summer, further confirms the decision to hand the world’s best bowler the captaincy.
Pakistan began the final day in Lahore needing 278 to win with 10 wickets in hand and 90 overs to get the job done.
They were bowled out for 235 and Australia had won by 115 runs.
Critics who carped that Cummins had been foolish to offer them a carrot to chase scuttled to dark corners as wickets fell and the bold tactic paid off.
The home side was two down at the first break and five at the second. The new ball was taken after tea by which time a draw seemed the only feasible result for the home team.
Australia, however, had come this far and would not be denied.
Nathan Lyon was enormous in his 108th Test match. He revelled in the footsteps outside the right hand batsman’s off stump, exploiting variations in turn and bounce to finish with 5-83.
The veteran made critical breakthroughs through the day, removing the opener Imam-Ul-Haq (70), first drop Azhar Ali (17) and No. 4 batsman Babar Azam (70). The three important wickets were spread across the three sessions of the last day.
The skipper mucked in with his men, finishing with 3-23. He took two important wickets in two overs in the afternoon, trapping Fawad Alam (11) and Mohammad Rizwan (0) LBW with searing reverse swing.
His performance as skipper and seamer in conditions where wickets were hard to find has proved wrong the long-held article of faith in Australian cricket that a fast bowler cannot captain.
Indeed, he has turned the notion on its head by displaying care for his cartel and a bowler’s insider intelligence in equal measure.
Usman Khawaja was awarded man of the series for his 496 runs at an average of 165. He set up victory here with 91 in the first innings his second century of the tour in the second.
Winning away is one of the hardest tasks in international cricket, bowling your team to a win so deep into a series when your attack risked being ground into the dust is testament to the team and his leadership.
Pakistan sits second on the ICC Test match rankings, blessed with skilled batsmen and fine bowlers, it battled to the last day before being over run.
The skipper said before the series started he was willing to risk a loss to win and was true to his word, dangling a carrot in front of the home side and backing themselves to get the job done when the moment arrived.
Cummins, unexpectedly, chose Cameron Green to start the day when Mitchell Starc had been the most damaging of bowlers in the first innings of the last two Tests.
The all-rounder responded to the show of faith picking up the important wicket of opener Abdullah Shafique who, much to Steve Smith’s relief, had not added to his overnight score of 27.
The last wicket aside, two images will sum up Australia’s first trip to Pakistan in 24 years.
The first was Cummins on his knees in the dust, fist clenched, blue eyes blazing with passion after pulling off a remarkable caught and bowled. Third day of a grinding Test match. Second half of the afternoon session. Bowling a futile and fruitless exercise.
It seemed an over reaction.
It was as if Cummins, rarely given to shows of emotions, had been possessed by a spirit.
The side had bowled 87 overs and taken just three wickets, but he urged them like a Pentecostal pastor to believe that the rapture was upon them.
This prophet was not speaking in (forked) tongues.
Lo and behold, not too long after, the trumpets sounded, the middle order opened and the opposition was slayed. For the moment.
Pakistan, as we all know, lost 7-20 and the game was set up.
The other image that will live long from this series is that of David Warner and Shaheen Shah Afridi breaking out in smiles after an exchange at the end of the third day. Actually, make that a couple of images.
The photo the pair took later when the Pakistan bowler had the diminutive batsman in a good natured headlock was sweet, but the handshake they shared when Warner was dismissed the next day was genuine.
The spirit of this series is genuine.
Warner is a remarkable cricketer. The mob have always distrusted him and some have permanently hardened their hearts against him (hearts well hardened beforehand one suspects), it’s also fair to say cricket has consistently under rated him.
When he debuted for Australia as a T20 cricketer without playing a first class match he was the devil incarnate for traditionalists. The hood ornament on the game’s gauche new vehicle.
Warner told us all he wanted to wear the baggy green and again it sounded like the trite lines wheeled out for the crowd, but it turns out it was true.
Suspension and Covid have slowed his advance toward 100 games, but at 35 he is playing his 94 Test and he will not be satisfied until he brings up three figures.
He has three children, he has a wife he loves, he has a smile on his face and he has made the most of a second chance after being hounded from the game and the leadership roles he craved for what happened in South Africa.
Warner is a new man, he plays as if born again, he dealt firmly but rationally with an irritating and irrational complaint from the umpires on the fourth day and he is much, much better than people give him credit for.
Warner ranks eight among opening batsmen (7753) for runs of all time in Test match cricket.
In the hardest batting position, a place where he is dreadfully exposed on seaming English wickets, he has still managed to average 47 runs across 172 innings.
Mark Taylor sits below him with 7525 at 43.5 from 186.
Men can change, teams can change, times can change, it is time this climate of change was recognized.
Uzzie tons up as Warner involved in bizarre pitch controversy
The Benaud Qadir trophy has come down to the 15th and final day with the tantalising possibilities endless.
Australian captain Pat Cummins declared with a lead of 350, leaving Pakistan 91 overs to survive — or achieve.
The asking run rate was only 2.9, the call was bold, but the visitors have backed themselves to do what they could not in Karachi.
The Aussies will have to hold their nerve, pray for reverse swing and hang on to every chance offered to get there — something Steve Smith couldn’t do in an entertaining last over of the day as Marnus Labuschagne caught a thick outside edge of Abdullah Shafique’s bat. It was a tough chance to Smith’s left at first slip, but one he would snaffle nine times out of 10. 27 42
At stumps, Pakistan had eaten away 73 without loss, Imam-ul-Haq unbeaten on 42 and Shafique 27, after Cummins called his batsmen in with the score 3-227.
Usman Khawaja’s dream run continued on the fourth day at Lahore, with the born-again batsman scoring his second century of the series.
David Warner (51) and Marnus Labuschagne (38) were the only two batsmen to fall in the opening sessions.
Khawaja had scores of 160, 44no, 97 and 91 before this latest salute.
His performance in a three-match series ranks among the best for an Australian batsman and he is the only visitor to reach three figures.
Born in Islamabad — and the only batsman from that city to score a Test century — he has had a remarkable run since returning to Test cricket in Sydney during the Ashes.
In five matches he has scored 747 runs with a live average of 124.5.
Warner kept his cool and advanced to a crisp half century, despite a bizarre pitch controversy.
The Australians were advancing at a steady rate, stretching their lead over Pakistan toward 200 when the incident stopped the game.
Umpire Ahsan Raza appeared to tell Warner he could not follow through on the pitch when he played the drive and needed to basically exit at right angles before taking a run.
That there are concerns about the wicket deteriorating is a positive for the Australians who need to bowl Pakistan out to win the game and the series.
Warner had been making a rapid and usual exit from the danger area as all batsmen do, taking an extra step with the momentum of his forward presses, but it all seemed above board.
“Show me where it says that in the rule books,” Warner asked the umpire as the official retreated to square leg.
Khawaja backed his teammate in the prolonged discussion, which was firm but not heated.
The debate continued for some moments and appeared to reignite briefly a few overs later.
The Australian opener, whose record is second only to Matthew Hayden, was bowled soon after reaching his half century before lunch by a brilliant Shaheen Shah Afridi delivery.
The opening partnership was worth 91. Khawaja was bowled on 31 by Naseem Shah but given a reprieve when it was discovered the devastated bowler had overstepped.
The extraordinary good spirit in this series was on show following Warner’s dismissal.
Towering quick Afridi cut short his gesture of triumph at the wicket and offered a hand to the batter as he walked past on the way to the pavilion.
Warner took off his glove and accepted the hand and then received a friendly pat to the side of his helmet as he headed off.
The pair had been involved in a similar display of good will after the last ball of the third day.
Shaheen had followed all the way through after the deliver, pulling up chest to chest with Warner who had advanced at the intimidating seamer.
The Pakistani is more than a head taller than the diminutive opener and bent over him like a penguin over its chick.
It was alarming in the moment, but any concerns dissipated when the pair broke out in broad smiles and started to laugh.
Warner later posted a picture of the moment on social media with another of the two taken after play. Shaheen has his little mate in a friendly headlock and both were smiling. The Australian had added a love emoji.
Australia has the whip hand in the game but must be concerned about the timing of a declaration after Pakistan held on for a remarkable draw.
This pitch appears to have degraded more and has some demons with balls shooting low, but having watched two games fail to reach a conclusion there can be no confidence in a result being achieved.
The fact Australia put on 1-86 and advanced the lead to 220 by the end of the first session shows how easy it can be to dig in.
Wickets are hard to come by, but on day three it was if a biblical flood had broken a 10 year drought when they did arrive.
Pakistan were strolling along on 2-215 but lost 8-54.
When the ball started to reverse Australia’s Pat Cummins (5-56) and Mitchell Starc (4-33) combined to take 7-20. The last four batsmen contributed 0 to the team total in an extraordinary spell.
Both were enormous, but Cummins was lion-hearted, starting the rot with a brilliant caught and bowled to take the third wicket.
“That’s why he’s No. 1 in the world,” Starc said after play. “He started it for us.
“It’s having a really calm approach.
“Patty’s been fantastic in his captaincy. There have been times where they’ve built partnerships and played really nicely.
“It’s about staying calm and not letting that scoreboard get out of control and take our chances and moments when they come.
“”Once we get a sniff we want to try and ram that home,” Starc said.
“So to work in a fantastic partnership for those few overs is what we’re about.”
Originally published as Australia v Pakistan third Test: Pat Cummins snares final wicket as Australia wins Benaud-Qadir Trophy, Nathan Lyon five wickets
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