Lahore: Pakistan was 268 all
out against the persistent pace of Australia captain Pat Cummins and impeccable
reverse swing of Mitchell Starc to concede a massive 123-run lead on Wednesday
in the third and final Test.
In a sensational collapse
after tea on Day 3, Pakistan lost seven wickets for 41 runs - the last four
wickets without adding a run - as Cummins finished with 5-56 and Starc took
4-36.
Australia had stretched its
lead to 134 runs by reaching 11-0 by stumps with Usman Khawaja not out on 7 and
David Warner unbeaten on 4.
In-form opening batter
Abdullah Shafique (81) and veteran Azhar Ali (78) had carried Pakistan to 170-1
and denied Australia a breakthrough in the first session after resuming on 90-1
before the visitors took control of the series deciding test.
Nathan Lyon (1-95), who dried
up the runs with his marathon spell of 30 overs on Day 3, provided the opening
when he found the outside edge of Shafique's bat after lunch to end a patient
150-run stand.
Shafique's prolific run in the
series has seen the opening batter score his maiden Test hundred in the drawn
first Test in Rawalpindi before his patient 96 in Karachi led Pakistan to force
a draw.
Shafique defied Australia with
yet another patient knock off 228 balls which featured 11 fours before Lyon
struck in the fifth over after lunch and successfully overturned umpire Aleem
Dar's not out decision through a television referral.
With the second new ball only
seven overs old, Cummins took a spectacular return catch to dismiss Azhar in
his homecoming test match as Pakistan was restricted at 227-3 at tea.
Azhar, playing in his 94th
Test match but for the first time in his hometown of Lahore, became the fifth
Pakistani batter to complete 7,000 test runs when he reached 74 by sweeping
hard at Lyon to deep square leg for a single.
Former test captains Younis Khan (10,099), Javed Miandad (8,832), Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829) and Mohammad Yousuf (7,530) are the other Pakistan batters to score more than 7,000 Test runs. (Agencies)
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