Seamer Mohammad Abbas yesterday completed 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.
Australia were bowled out for 164 after lunch on the fourth day after given an improbable winning target of 538.
Abbas became the first fast bowler to take 10-for in the 16-year history of Tests in the United Arab Emirates. His 17 wickets in the series earned him Man of the Series.
Usman Khawaja, whose herculean century helped Australia salvage a draw in the thrilling first Test, could not bat in the second innings after tearing a left-knee cartilage in the warmup on Thursday.
Australia yesterday sorely missed Khawaja-like grit from any of their batsmen.
Abbas, defying the slow turning pitch, again jolted the top order with four quick wickets in the first hour on the fourth day. 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.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah ran through the tail with 3-45, finishing off the match by having Jon Holland caught in the slips on 3.
“We weren’t up to the challenge with the bat,” Australia captain Tim Paine said. “There’s certainly no sugar-coating that we’ve got some real issues with our batting.”
Needing to hold out for more than two days for another 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 for captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who went to hospital for precautionary scans when he woke up and complained of headaches.
“I’m feeling fine, just wanted to see if there was concussion,” Ahmed said.
Abbas then trapped Mitchell Marsh leg before wicket on 5 when Pakistan successfully went for a video referral.
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 leg before.
Two balls later, Paine was out without scoring while trying to leave a ball that nipped back enough and knocked over the off-stump.
“Mohammad Abbas challenged our defense time and time again,” Paine said.
Shah then trapped Mitchell Starc (28) and Peter Siddle (3) leg before wicket.
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.
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