Australia cruised to a comfortable 79-run victory against Pakistan in the second Test of the ongoing three-match series at home. Australia also scored crucial points in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 with their second consecutive victory in the red-ball series.
Team Australia resumed their run at 187/6 on Day 4 and posted a total of 262, setting a target of 317 runs. Alex Carey made a half-century, scoring 53 runs off 101 deliveries. Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza claimed four wickets each in Australia’s second innings.
The team led by Pat Cummins retained the Benaud-Qadir Trophy by achieving victories in the first two matches. The home team defeated the opposing team by 237 runs while defending the goal. Captain Pat Cummins took his second 10-wicket haul in the match.
Australia moves to second place in the WTC table
After the comprehensive victory, the Australian team now occupies the second position in the World Test Championship points table with a percentage of 50. On the contrary, the Pakistan team has fallen to the fifth position and its percentage has decreased to 45.58.
New Zealand and Bangladesh currently share the third position in the WTC 2023-25 table, both accumulating 12 points and a percentage of 50. India is currently in sixth place with a percentage of 38.89. The West Indies are in seventh place with just four points.
The England team, led by Ben Stokes, and Sri Lanka currently occupy the last two positions in the table. The England cricket team has scored nine points with a percentage of 15, while the Sri Lankan team is the only team to have scored points in the championship.
Updated ICC World Test Championship points table after AUS vs PAK 2nd Test
POSTEAMPCT (%)PTSMATCHESSERPENWLD1SOUTH AFRICA10012100102AUSTRALIA50427421-103BANGLADESH5012110104NEW ZEALAND5012110105PAKISTAN45.58222211-26INDIA38.89140111-27WEST INDIES16 .674221 108ENGLAND1595221-198SRI LANKA0000000
Pat Cummins also directed wonderfully – Mitchell Marsh
“Quite a fun way to end, but it was a tense day of cricket. They fought extremely well throughout the day. Another one that depended on a little luck, I almost lost it and I did well to hold on. This seems like a lot, when Babar was there, Rizwan too, it seemed like he would be taken away from us (from us), but our experience (in bowling) counted in the end. What a game he had (against Pat Cummins), 10 wickets and he also led beautifully. We’ll celebrate in the locker room and then get ready for the New Year’s test in Sydney,” Mitchell Marsh said.
In the second innings, Pakistan’s two left-arm pacers reduced the hosts to 16/4. Mitchell Marsh, who had lost 20 points, seized the opportunity and scored a crucial fifty points. Alex Carey’s fifty extended Australia’s lead beyond 300, making the chase a challenge for Pakistan.
Also Read: IND vs SA: Team India fined for maintaining slow overrating in 1st Test and losing 2 points in WTC table
