Pakistan vs Australia: Abbas’ best wins series for hosts in Abu Dhabi

Paceman Mohammad Abbas wreaked havoc with the ball as Pakistan romped to a dominant 373-run win on Friday in Abu Dhabi to clinch the two-match series 1-0.

Chasing a highly improbable total of 538 runs to win or at least draw the match, the Australian batsmen were all left at sea and couldn’t repeat their heroics from the last match as they were eventually shot out for just 164 with Abbas’ producing a match haul of 10 wickets.

One of the main reasons why Australia weren’t the side they were in the first Test was the absence of Usman Khawaja who injured his left knee during training on Thursday and expected to stay out of action for a while.

Khawaja’s rock-solid determination was something that was badly missed by Australia who were set a massive total to chase down after Pakistan had finished their second innings on 400/9 riding on a 99 from Babar Azam and 81 runs from the bat of skipper Sarfraz Ahmed.

The 28-year old Abbas, courtesy this effort has now become the first bowler in the UAE to take 10 wickets. He was lethal in the very first hour of the fourth day with early wickets and clinched his second consecutive fifer with the dismissal of Marnus Labuschagne for 43. He ended with figures of 5/33 in the first innings with 5/62 in the second.

Also read: Pakistan vs Australia: Sarfraz Ahmed rushed to the hospital; Usman Khawaja out with injury

Aaron Finch and Travis Head–who began the day for Australia were both dismissed by Abbas. The first one to go was Head in the 19th over when he edged one behind to stand-in wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. Four overs later, Rizwan’s move of standing up to the stumps for Finch–a tactic by stand-in skipper Asad Shafiq paid off as the right-hander, who was initially standing outside the crease was trapped in front of the wicket for 31 runs.

Yasir Shah, touted as one of the threats Australia needed to counter polished off the tail with figures of 3/45. He took the last wicket in the match when he had Jon Holland caught at slip through a leg-break delivery which had pitched outside the off-stump and had forced the batsman to drive.

Brief score: Pakistan 282 all out and 400/9 defeated Australia 145 all out and 164 all out ( Marnus Labuschagne 43, Travis Head 36; Mohammad Abbas 5/62) by 373 runs.

Image credit- Deccan Chronicle