Nathan Lyon celebrates a wicket on Friday.Credit:AP
An earlier cameo of 70 from Imam-Ul-Haq kept the home side in the contest but it wasn’t to be as Mitch Swepson took a blinder of a catch on the boundary for the ninth wicket before Cummins put the icing on the cake of his first away series victory as skipper with a wicket that will be replayed hundreds of times over the decades.
Across 15 days,Australia were clinical when it mattered and trusted that their class would shine through.
Lyon picked up two of Australia’s first three wickets as No.3 Azhar Ali threw his bat and gloves in disgust after a controversial review.
David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne missed extremely difficult chances fielding in close and Babar was nearly run out by Imam in an eventful first session before Cummins (3-23) snared two wickets from six deliveries thanks to some outstanding reverse swing.
Earlier,Cummins began Australia’s quest for 10 wickets by taking the first over on day five but it was all-rounder Cameron Green who delivered the key breakthrough in the fourth over.
Acting as Australia’s third seamer in this match,Green found the edge of Abdullah Shafique’s bat and celebrated accordingly with a big fist pump. The opener prodded outside the off stump and departed for 27 as Alex Carey snaffled a simple catch behind the wicket to get Australia’s day off to a flyer.
After Australia sent down 27 overs without reward on Thursday afternoon,Green’s third wicket of the series was a much-needed confidence boost that ended a 77-run opening partnership. It was a big tick for Cummins’ captaincy,given many thought he would open up with Mitchell Starc at the other end.
Pakistan passed 100 in the 40th over before a controversial DRS ruling saw Australia remove Azhar for 17. Azhar tried to sweep Lyon before the ball hit his pad and ballooned to Steve Smith at slip.
Australia were adamant Azhar had got a faint bottom edge before pad,so sent the decision upstairs.
Ultraedge showed a very small spike but Pakistan could have argued there was not enough evidence to overturn the not out decision.
However,Azhar was sent packing,much to his displeasure,for his third score below 20 since his 185 in Rawalpindi. With Pakistan 2-105,replays showed Azhar launching his bat the moment he entered the dressing room before throwing gloves in the same direction.
Then came Lyon. He is no different to other Test spinners,who have to deal with the pressure of steering their team to victory in the fourth innings of matches.
Australia’s greatest off-spinner relished the occasion and had his second wicket when Imam was caught sharply at silly point by Labuschagne.
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Cummins then had Fawad Alam (11) and Mohammad Rizwan (0) removed in quick succession,both LBW for his sixth and seventh wickets of the match. Rizwan walked off without reviewing the decision but replays showed the ball swinging in would have hit him outside the line of off stump.
Australia arrived in Pakistan late last month knowing there would be no repeat of their demolition job of England in the Ashes.
Only two of the five Ashes matches went to a fifth day. Cummins warned this series would be won or lost - and hopefully not drawn - across 15 energy-sapping days that would be an ultimate test of his team’s fortitude. He wasn’t wrong.
The PCB and Cricket Australia have pulled off a tour that few predicted would take place after the Lahore terrorist attack in 2009 and there will be debates about the quality of cricket,but the bigger picture of this tour is ensuring more of the big teams travel to Pakistan.
Behind the scenes,Pakistan cricket officials had spoken about the last ball of the series being more important than the first.
Cummins sending stumps flying probably wasn’t what they had in mind,but if the result is more Test cricket in Pakistan,then it’s job well done.
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