Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe have spun Australia to a 220-run win over Pakistan in the SCG Test, with Steve Smith’s side completing a 3-0 series sweep.
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The tourists resumed at 1-55 on day five in Sydney, having been set a target of 465 following Smith’s declaration at 2-241 on day four.
Pakistan almost dragged the contest into Saturday’s final session but were eventually rolled for 244, with Lyon and O’Keefe turning the screws ahead of a four-Test tour of India.
Josh Hazlewood grabbed two wickets in his opening spell on Saturday and returned with the second new ball to end the series by dismissing Imran Khan.
Lyon, whose status as the country’s top spinner was in immense doubt earlier this summer, finished the match with five wickets.
“Nathan Lyon couldn’t bowl much better than he’s bowled,” legendary legspinner Shane Warne said on the Nine Network.
“I just love the way the ball’s left his hand.”
Lyon, who rediscovered his mojo by helping bowl Australia to victory in the Boxing Day Test, started day five with a fantastic nine-over spell from the Randwick End.
The highlight was his removal of first-innings century-maker Younis Khan.
Younis, who finished 175 not out on Friday and was responsible for more than half of Pakistan’s first-innings total, loomed as the batsman most likely to defy Australia.
The veteran skipped down the pitch to Lyon but skied an edge to Josh Hazlewood instead of clearing the rope, falling 23 runs short of boosting his Test career tally to 10,000.
Lyon held a swirling skied edge to dismiss Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who was one of O’Keefe’s three victims on Saturday.
O’Keefe accounted for nightwatchman Yasir Shah, who showed admirable resistance in a 93-ball stay at the crease, and Wahab Riaz.
The left-arm tweaker, likely to play a key role in next month’s tour of India, also ran out Mohammad Amir.
Memories of Pakistan’s epic run-chase in Brisbane, where they suffered a 39-run loss after threatening to haul in an imposing target of 490, would have been at the back of Smith’s mind in the morning.
But Hazlewood, who has been Smith’s go-to man in good times and bad this summer, single-handedly grabbed the crucial scalp of opener Azhar Ali with his sixth delivery of the day.
Azhar, who produced a masterful double-ton in Melbourne and set a Pakistani record for most runs in a Test series in Australia, attempted to clip a ball off his pads but instead offered Hazlewood a simple catch.
Hazlewood then needed just 10 balls at Babar Azam to trap the out-of-form batsman lbw for the second time in the match.
It was Pakistan’s 12th straight Test loss in Australia, with both sides now focusing on a five-match ODI series that starts in Brisbane on Friday.
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