Pat Cummins joins elite list of Australian captains after visitors clinch Test series vs Pakistan in Lahore

Pakistan and Australia were involved in a three-match Test series which came to a riveting end in Lahore on Friday (March 25). On the final day of the series, Babar Azam-led hosts resumed the day at 73 for no loss in pursuit of 351 set by Pat Cummins & Co.

At one stage, Pakistan were 213-5 before once again their lower-half of the batting order fell flat and the team got dismissed for 235. With a 115-run defeat, Pakistan conceded the series 1-0 to the visitors. With the historic series win, Australia registered only their third Test series triumph in Pakistan. For the unversed, this is Australia’s first tour of Pakistan after 24 years.

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Following the series win, Australia captain Cummins joined an elite list of captains. He is now only the third Aussie skipper to win a Test series on Pakistan soil.

Australia Test series wins in Pakistan

2-0 in 1959/60 (Richie Benaud)

1-0 in 1998/99 (Mark Taylor)

1-0 in 2021/22 (Pat Cummins)

List of Australia Test matches win in Pakistan

Nov 1959 at Dhaka

Nov 1959 at Lahore

Oct 1998 at Rawalpindi

Mar 2022 at Lahore

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Talking about the third Test, Australia won the toss and posted 391 after opting to bat first. In reply, Pakistan lost the plot in their first innings, to be reduced from 264-5 to 268 all-out. After setting up a challenging 351-run target, hosts succumbed to a 115-run loss. 

At the post-match presentation, an esctatic Cummins said, “In the first innings the way we batted, the way we put ourselves in front was fantastic. Thought if we bowled to our potential it was enough. Was kind of weird that the trend of the game was that the first couple of wickets were hard to get, once it got 30-40 overs old. The really great thing about this whole squad is .. we played really well in Australia in the Ashes. And now here. Swepson probably didn’t get the just rewards, was an important member of our bowling group. We’ve been so well received here. Didn’t know what to expect here but it has been an amazing experience. Been a lot of fun. Competitive cricket. In a lot of way, it’s been more important than just the result.”

The likes of Usman Khawaja (496 runs) and Cummins-Nathan Lyon (12 scalps) each were the stand-out performers for the visitors in the three Tests.