Australia were bowled out for 164 after Lunch on the fourth day after given an improbable winning target of 538.
Shared News | Updated: October 19, 2018 4:17:44 pm
Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas celebrates the dismissal of Australia’s Travis Head in their test match in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (AP)
Seamer Mohammad Abbas grabbed a match haul of 10-95 as Pakistan recorded an emphatic 373-run victory over Australia in the second test to clinch the series 1-0 on Friday. Australia was bowled out for 164 after lunch on the fourth day after given an improbable winning target of 538. Usman Khawaja, whose herculean century helped Australia salvage a draw in the first test, couldn’t bat in the second innings after tearing a left knee cartilage in the warmup on Thursday.
Australia sorely missed Khawaja-like grit from any of its batsmen on Friday. Abbas, on a slow turning pitch, again jolted the top order with four quick wickets in the first hour on day four. The right-arm seamer then had top scorer Marnus Labuschagne caught behind for 43 after lunch to finish with 5-62 to go along with his first innings effort of 5-33.
Legspinner Yasir Shah ran through the tailenders with 3-45, finishing off the match by having Jon Holland caught in the slips on 3. Looking to hold out for more than two days for a draw, Australia began the day on 47-1. Travis Head (36) and Aaron Finch (31) stretched their second-wicket stand to 61 runs before Abbas struck four blows in a high-class exhibition of seam and swing bowling.
Head edged to substitute wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, standing in after captain Sarfraz Ahmed went to hospital for precautionary scans when he woke up on Friday and complained of headaches. Abbas then had Mitchell Marsh lbw on 5 when Pakistan successfully went for a video referral against umpire Richard Illingworth’s not out decision.
Pakistan stand-in captain Asad Shafiq outsmarted Finch’s tactic of standing well outside his crease while facing Abbas, by making Rizwan stand close to the stumps, forcing the batsman inside the crease. The switch paid off as Abbas trapped Finch lbw.
Two balls later, captain Tim Paine was out without scoring while trying to leave a ball that nipped back enough and knocked over the off stump. Shah then had Mitchell Starc (28) and Peter Siddle (3) both leg before wicket. Siddle could have survived but chose not to go for a video referral as the replays suggested the ball pitched outside leg stump.
Labuschagne shared the best partnership of the innings by adding 67 runs with Starc for the sixth wicket before Abbas returned after lunch and had him caught behind off a short-pitched delivery.
