PERTH: Nathan Lyon took his 500th Test wicket Sunday as Australia dismissed a rattled Pakistan for just 89 to post a thumping 360-run win in the opening Test at Perth.
Pakistan’s bid to win a first Test in Australia since 1995 was left in tatters by spin king Lyon and the home side’s formidable pace attack, who wrapped up the game inside four days.
Following the visitors’ dismissal for 271 in response to the hosts’ 487, Australia made a declaration at 233-5 in their second innings on day four.
Captain Pat Cummins decided after opener Usman Khawaja departed for a resilient 90 on a worsening pitch, following a 126-run partnership with Mitchell Marsh.
Marsh remained unbeaten at 63 as Pakistan managed to dismiss Steve Smith and Travis Head early in the day, momentarily sparking hope that quickly faded away.
Commencing a challenging run chase, Pakistan had a dismal start with Abdullah Shafique dismissed for two in the initial over, edging an unplayable delivery from Mitchell Starc to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
Captain Shan Masood, leading in his maiden Test, didn’t stay much longer, nicking one to Carey off Josh Hazlewood for two, leaving his team in dire straits at 17-2.
Starc further troubled the batting side by dismissing Imam-ul-Haq lbw for 10, before Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel resisted momentarily.
However, their resistance crumbled when Azam edged Cummins on 14, caught again by Carey, leaving Shakeel on 10 and Sarfaraz Ahmed on one at the break.
Australia had resumed at 84-2, with Khawaja on 34 and Smith on 43.
As the pitch showed signs of wear, it became challenging, with Pakistan’s pace bowlers troubling the batsmen.
Impressive debutant Khurram Shahzad made a breakthrough in the fourth over of the day, trapping Smith lbw for 45 with a delivery that angled back sharply.
Travis Head, known for his aggressive batting, entered the scene and signalled his intent with a boundary off the second ball he faced.
However, his innings were short-lived as a mistimed shot off Aamer Jamal found Haq at cover, resulting in his dismissal for 14.
Both Marsh and Khawaja survived reviews in an eventful Jamal over as Pakistan intensified the pressure.
Marsh struck sixes off Jamal and spinner Agha Salman, maintaining the scoring rate, and had a stroke of luck on 23 when Masood dropped a straightforward catch at mid-off.
Meanwhile, Khawaja persevered and reached his 25th Test half-century off 151 balls, picking up the pace thereafter.
Marsh also accelerated, hitting a powerful drive off Shaheen Shah Afridi for his second 50 of the match, as both batsmen took on the bowling attack after lunch.
Khawaja aggressively approached 90 with audacious boundaries before his luck ran out while attempting another big shot, getting caught by Azam off Afridi, prompting Australia’s declaration.
