Pakistan vs Australia 2nd Test Review : Mohammad Abbas in the spotlight

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Pakistan defeated Australia in the 2nd and the last match of this 2 match test series by 373 runs and won the series 1-0. Pakistan set a target of 538 for Australia and in reply Australia were bundled out for 165 runs handing an easy win to Pakistan. After a heroic resistance in the 1st test led by Usman Khwaja, Aussie fans would have hoped for a better fight in this one as well. But they were without the services of Khwaja who was ruled out due to an injury and the Pakistani bowlers proved to be too much for this inexperienced Australian batting line-up.

Mohammad Abbas was too hot to handle for Australia as he helped himself with another 5 wicket haul, his 2nd of the match. He took a total of 17 wickets in the 2 match series and topped the wicket takers list in which 4 out of the top 5 were spinners. He also managed to break a few records on the way.

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Abbas became the only Pakistani pacer in the last 12 years to take a 10 wicket haul. Previously Mohammad Asif achieved this feat. Abbas also became the first bowler to take 10 wickets in a match in UAE. The previous best was 8 by Junaid Khan. Abbas also became the best bowler in the last 100 years in terms of bowling averages having taken more than 50 wickets.

Yasir Shah also managed to get into some rhythm and took 3 wickets. This is a good sign for Pakistan as they they'd want Yasir to be in top form when they play New Zealand next. Coming to Australia, their poor run of form in Asia continues. 4 of the Australian batsmen managed to get past 20 runs but none were able to score a fifty and as the result the Australian batting never got going. The Marsh brothers were once again dismal in their performance, the Australian selectors will have to think if they are good enough to play when India tour Australia.

Apart from Aaron Finch and Usman Khwaja, none of the Australian batters looked comfortable as Australia never posted good scores on the board despite good starts by the two openers. Australia still have a few positives to build on after this series. Aaron Finch proved that he belongs at this level also. Usman Khwaja finally put his demons in Asia to rest. The innings in the 1st test match will boost his confidence and help him in future tours to the subcontinent.

For Pakistan, the captain finally managed to get some runs under his belt. Sarfraz would be a relieved man now as his place in the team was under questioning after a disastrous Asia Cup. Babar Azam also scored a classy 99 but fell one short of his maiden test century. Pakistan completely outplayed Australia in this 2 match test series not giving them any chance. Australia barely managed to save the 1st match with a heroic batting display from Usman Khwaja.