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Australia vs Pakistan
Australia has secured another victory by 79 runs in the Boxing Day Test and has once again won a series at home. The Pat Cummins-led side got the better of Pakistan as usual as the South Asian giants fell short once again. However, this was still a hard-fought performance by the visitors as they were just one big innings away from victory. The Pakistan pacers came back in the first innings after a solid platform set by the Aussies on the first day, but still got them bowled out for 318. Pakistan despite a few good knocks from Abdullah Shafique and skipper Shan Masood still fell short and gave the hosts a 54-run lead.
The 2nd innings was a whole different story where we saw some great performances from some Aussie batters in the form of Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey and some great spells from Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza, who made sure Pakistan still had a chance to win the game with a target of 317 that could be chased. Unfortunately, to chase down this target Pakistan needed someone to get those big runs and get them closer to the target. Pakistan might have again had some decent knocks from some batters, but it was not enough to chase down the target, with the Australian bowlers in great rhythm. Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 237 and lost the series with one game to go.
Pat Cummins on fire
It is always great to see a captain leading from the front whether with the bat or ball and Pat Cummins was a big example to every fast bowler and captain. His bowling spell made a big difference to the Australian team as he took a fifer in both innings getting his 2nd 10 wicket haul in Test matches. Right now, Cummins has achieved almost everything as an Aussie skipper winning two International trophies and with a win rate of over 55% in Tests. This match has proved that he is not only one of the best pacers for Australia right now, but also a great leader.
This is another series in the bag for Australia at home and everything looks good with the number of talented match-winners they have in their ranks. Pakistan had failed in this game due to their batters not converting their great starts to big innings that could have put them ahead of the game. The bowlers on both sides were the main highlight of the match with some impressive bowling spells which were displayed. The Aussies were slightly better in the batting department since there were more than two great knocks whereas Pakistan only had only two. All is still not over as Pakistan can still win the last Test and still improve their chances in the WTC.
This is how fans have reacted-
Congratulations Australia for thrashing Pakistan once again
— Satya Prakash (@Satya_Prakash08) December 29, 2023
FIVE WICKET HAUL FOR PAT CUMMINS....!!!!
— Koja (@Koja_hun_ywr) December 29, 2023
Pakistan have their best chance to win today but they again crumbled in pressure
— Kirkett (@bhaskar_sanu08) December 29, 2023
Congratulations to them. Good innings and best won.
— Manish Rai ✍️⚪️ (@Coolmgn) December 29, 2023
Impressive by Australia to secure the test match win, but kudos to Pakistan for putting up a strong fight. Cricket at its best – full of twists and turns!
— M.Awais Tahir (@Awaistahir387) December 29, 2023
I already knew that Pakistan would lose.😂
— Vishal Kumar (@vishalkumar9000) December 29, 2023
Well deserved congratulations 👏👏
— HAFEEZ KHAN (@HAFEEZK51158740) December 29, 2023
What a massive turnaround from 5 wickets down to all-out! This Australian team knows how to win in all situations.
— Shahzeb Khan (@theshahzebkhan) December 29, 2023