BRISBANE (AFP) - The Australians went one up in their two-Test series against Pakistan. when they won the opening match at the Brisbane fortress by an innings and five runs late on the fourth day for their 29th consecutive Test victory at the venue dating back to 1988.
Australian captain Tim Paine said he would prefer all home Test series to begin
at the Gabba after his side recorded a dominant win over Pakistan in the first
Test on Sunday.
"We like
playing here and we ve done well here for a long time, so we d like to start
here against anyone," Paine said when asked whether India should open next
year s Test tour in Brisbane, the traditional start to an Australian summer.
On India s last tour
of Australia, the first Test was moved to Adelaide where the tourists won by 31
runs.
Pakistan were left
chasing the match once they were bowled out for 240 in their first innings
having won the toss and elected to bat.
Australia replied
with 580 on the back of big centuries by man-of-the match Marnus Labuschagne
and opener David Warner.
Australia s top
three of Joe Burns (97), Warner (154) and Labuschagne (185) scored 436 runs,
with Paine saying the team now had the benefit of stability at the top of the
order.
"We ve known
Burnsie s a top-quality opening bat for a long time and it s great having him
back in the side opening with Davey (Warner)," Paine said.
"It s been hard
to have stability because we haven t been performing as we d like ... but I
think we ve got a pretty good group at the moment and can still get a lot
better as well."
After beginning
their second innings 340 runs behind Australia and then losing three cheap
wickets in the afternoon session on Saturday, the Pakistanis put up stern
resistance Sunday before finally succumbing late in the final session.
Babar Azam scored a
magnificent century and Mohammad Rizwan fell five runs short of his first as
Pakistan were dismissed for 335 late on the fourth day.
Leg-spinner Yasir
Shah also made his highest Test score with a fighting 42 to allow the
Pakistanis to head to the second Test in Adelaide with some momentum despite
the loss.
But there was to be
no denying an Australian attack on Sunday which probed and struck at vital
moments, whenever Pakistan seemed to be getting the upper hand.
Josh Hazlewood was
the pick of the Australian bowlers with 4-63, while Mitchell Starc took 3-73,
Pat Cummins 2-69 and Nathan Lyon 1-74.
Pakistan captain
Azhar Ali said his team had been on the back foot early and not been able to
recover.
"When we won
the toss, we wanted to score big in the first innings, but I think on the first
day we won two sessions but we lost one very badly," he said.
"I think if you
lose one session very badly in Test matches it is always very hard to come back
from that, especially in Australia."
But he said he was
proud of the way they had fought back.
"I d have to
say the way we batted in the second innings, particularly the way Babar and
Rizwan batted, they really showed great fight," he said.
Earlier, Azam
reached his second Test century -- and his first in Australia -- with an
impressive knock.
The elegant
right-hander had been in excellent form in the lead-up games, but was out to a
disappointing shot in the first innings for just one.
He was a different
player in the second innings, however, and never looked in trouble until he
edged Nathan Lyon to wicketkeeper Tim Paine to fall for 104.
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Australians went one up in their two-Test series against Pakistnan
Reviewed by DM NEWS
on
November 24, 2019
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