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Lyon roars as Australia clinches Pakistan series late on day 15 of gruelling Test battle

25th March, 2022
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25th March, 2022
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Australia have clinched a rare series victory in Pakistan by taking five wickets in the final session to win the third Test.

Set a target of 351 runs, Pakistan were bowled out for 235 with Australian spinner Nathan Lyon taking five wickets on Friday’s last day in Lahore.

Australia’s 115-run win delivers Pat Cummins’ team a 1-0 series triumph after draws in the initial two Tests.

And Australia claim just their third series triumph in Pakistan in nine attempts, following victories in 1959 and 1998.

On Australia’s first tour of Pakistan since that series win 24 years ago, Cummins and co needed to take all 10 of Pakistan’s second innings wickets on the last day in Lahore.

Entering the final session, they still needed five more.

But offspinner Lyon triggered a Pakistan slide by dismissing captain Babar Azam for 55 and the hosts lost their last five wickets in eight overs.

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Lyon finished with 5-83 from 37 overs with pacemen Cummins (3-23), Mitchell Starc (1-53) and allrounder Cameron Green (1-18) the other wicket-takers.

Green claimed the initial breakthrough, removing opener Abdullah Shafique for 27 in the fourth over of the day.

Some 15 overs later, Lyon claimed Azhar Ali’s wicket, courtesy of a successful video review.

Azhar (17) attempted a sweep shot but the ball lobbed to Steve Smith at slip who, along with other Australians, immediately appealed for a catch.

Umpire Ahsan Raza ruled not out and Australia sought a review: replays showed the faintest of audio spikes when the ball passed Azhar’s bat before hitting his pad en route to Smith.

After lunch, Lyon dismissed Imam-ul-Haq (70) before a double-strike from Cummins – he trapped Fawad Alam lbw for 11 and, in his next over, produced a superb inswinger which struck Mohammad Rizwan on the front foot.

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Rizwan was given out lbw for a duck and chose not to review the decision despite replays showing the ball hit him outside the line of off stump.

Rizwan’s departure left Pakistan 5-167 and the home side’s hopes of their highest successful run-chase on home soil, topping the 1994 team’s effort in making 314 against Mark Taylor’s Australian team in Karachi, had disappeared.

Their predicament could have been worse with Babar, on 45, dropped by Travis Head at deep square leg from Lyon’s bowling in the last over before tea.

Australia took the second new ball some two balls after the break with Babar and Sajid Khan scoring 14 runs from the next four balls.

But the tide turned irrevocably Australia’s way when Lyon outed Babar for 55: the Pakistani skipper edged to slip where Steve Smith took a reflex catch at boot-strap height.

Pakistan’s tail then folded meekly and rapidly with Cummins fittingly taking the final wicket to seal victory.

© AAP

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