AUS vs PAK | Cummins the hero as Australia beats Pakistan to clinch series

Pakistan tour of Australia: Australia vs Pakistan second Test in Melbourne on December 29, 2023

A fired-up Pat Cummins bagged five wickets and 10 in the match to earn Australia a nail-biting 79-run win in the second Test and clinch the series against a battling Pakistan on December 29.

Set 317 for victory, the visitors put up a stellar fight as they chased their first Test triumph in Australia since 1995.

But they were dismissed for 237, with the last five wickets falling for 18 runs.

Australian skipper Cummins was the chief destroyer, taking 5-49 to go with his first innings 5-48 -- only the second 10-wicket haul of his Test career.

Mitchell Starc chipped in with 4-55 as the tail collapsed after Shan Masood (60), Agha Salman (50) and Babar Azam (41) gave them a fighting chance.

“Little bit twitchy, felt okay but they were batting pretty nicely,” said Cummins.

“Anything with a three in front of it was the aim, so we got that,” he added of the target they wanted to set Pakistan. “Felt like we had enough to bowl at but a little bit tight.”