- Australia won the Boxing Day Test on Friday
- Pat Cummins single-handedly bowled around Pakistan
- But there was controversy surrounding one dismissal
Pat Cummins' second 10-wicket haul in Tests has powered Australia to a thrilling 79-run win over Pakistan at the MCG.
The Australian captain made all the crucial breakthroughs late on Friday as the hosts bowled out Pakistan for 237 to win the Boxing Day Test.
Pakistan fought valiantly but lost 5-18 in a chaotic finish on day four, while Australia needed the extra 30 minutes after the scheduled stumps to complete the victory and retain the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.
Cummins finished with match figures of 10-97 after winning 5-49 in the second innings.
Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha threatened to push Pakistan to a famous victory and break a 28-year winless streak in Tests in Australia.
Australia have defeated Pakistan to gain an unassailable lead in their three-match series
Pat Cummins took an incredible haul of 10 wickets to win the Test at the MCG
Cummins ended the 67-run partnership between the pair in bizarre and dramatic fashion just 15 minutes before the scheduled end of the match.
Australia assessed a 'not out' call on Rizwan when a Cummins delivery flew into the gloves of Alex Carey.
But after a lengthy review from the third umpire, Richard Illingworth ruled that the ball tapped Rizwan's wristband attached to his gloves.
Rizwan was furious at the decision, with Pakistan 5–219 at the time, and came to believe that they could pull off the country's most successful winning chase against Australia.
“I got a little nervous there,” Cummins said.
“I felt OK, but they were hitting pretty hard. Happy with the Rizwan wicket.”
It was Cummins who rose earlier to claim the crucial wicket of his opponent captain Shan Masood (60) before tea.
Cummins got his fourth of the second innings just minutes later to dismiss Aamir Jamal (0).
The wickets earned him the Jonny Mullagh Medal for player of the match, made him the 10th Australian to pass 250 Test scalps and capped a fantastic year as captain.
Trailing by seven wickets, Australia opted to take the extra 30 minutes in an attempt to complete the match on Friday rather than return for day five.
But Pakistan remained furious over Mohammad Rizwan's controversial dismissal
Pat Cummins' role in the win caps off a perfect year for Australia's captain
It was a riveting end to one of the great MCG tests, with Pakistan fighting harder than many touring nations usually do on Australian soil.
Earlier in the day, Pakistani star Babar Azam looked like he was about to explode after a rough start to the series.
But on 41, the former skipper was bowled by another classic delivery – this time by Josh Hazlewood.
Babar's stumps were rattled in the first innings by Cummins, who produced a 'dream ball', and Hazlewood's wicket was equally good.
'The game kept going. Sometimes it was the Australian way, sometimes ours,” Masood said.
“But when we were leading with bat, when me and Abdullah had a good partnership (in the first innings), Pat Cummins came in with that spell.
“And that's why he's one of the best bowlers in the world.”