Australia thrash Pakistan and win series |
![]() Australia thrash Pakistan and win series Mitchell Starc took 4-36 after captain Steve Smith hit 165 as Australia declared their first innings on 624-8. Australia had 68 overs to force a win. They reduced Pakistan to 91-5 at tea before sealing victory in 53.2 overs to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was fined 40% of his match fee and the rest of his team 20% for a slow over rate. "It finished a lot better than it started," Starc said. "It's fantastic for us to get that result. The belief was there and it was a fantastic way to finish. "We knew we only had two sessions to get those 10 wickets and together as a bowling unit we've done really well." The third Test starts in Sydney on 3 January but Misbah has not committed to playing in the match after a poor series so far. The 42-year-old, who was dismissed for a two-ball duck after managing just 11 in the first innings, only scored nine runs in total in the first test in Brisbane. "I haven't decided about that [Sydney] but let's see," he said. "[If I'm not contributing] there's no point in hanging around." BBC/LY |