Australia clean sweeps Pakistan 3-0 in Warner’s farewell Test series: Player Ratings for the Hosts
The Australian cricket team, under the leadership of Pat Cummins, hammered Pakistan by 3-0 in the three-match Test series. It was a farewell series for David Warner in the purest format of the game and there could not have been a more fitting reception as he ended up as the second-highest run-scorer in the series.
The first Test between Australia and Pakistan saw the host recording a victory by a massive 360 runs as Mitchell Marsh took home the Player of the Match award home. In the second Test, skipper Pat Cummins led the pack as Australia won by 79 runs. The final match in Sydney did not witness any different result as the hosts clinched a win by eight wickets to remain unbeaten.
Let us check out the report card of the Australian players:
Top Order
Usman Khawaja (7/10): Opening batter Usman Khawaja displayed good form ending up as the third-highest run-getter with 220 runs in six innings at an average of over 36. Khawaja was a force to reckon with in the third innings of the first Test as he came up with a knock of 90 runs off 190 balls.
David Warner (8.5/10): It was the last series for David Warner in the purest format of the game as put curtains on his glorious Test career of over a decade. In his last outing in baggy green, the opening batter made sure to treat his fans from all across the globe with a Warner Special.
David Warner bid farewell to the purest form of cricket
The 37-year-old scored the second-highest runs for Australia in the series after Mitchell Marsh with a whopping 299 runs to his name at an average of over 49. The first innings of the first Test witnessed a classic performance by the batter as he hammered 164 runs after facing 211 balls with the help of 16 boundaries and four maximums.
Marnus Labuschagne (7/10): Australia’s top order was a sight to watch in the three-match Test series and Marnus Labuschagne was no different. The batter is just behind Usman Khawaja in the run-scoring list with 207 runs at an impressive average of 41.40.
The first game was not a good affair for Marnus, as he was dismissed at a score of below 20 in both games. However, he bounced back from the second Test match and made sure to contribute to his team’s victory. In the first innings of the second Test, the top-order batter hit 63 runs off 155 balls as Australia recorded a score of 318 runs in 96.5 overs.
Middle Order
Steven Smith (5/10): It was a decent outing for the former skipper Steve Smith as Australia locked horns with Pakistan in the three-match Test series. Smith played all three games for his team and accumulated 194 runs at an average of 38.80. He recorded his highest score of the series in the second Test match in Melbourne by hitting 50 runs off 176 balls in Australia’s second batting innings.
Travis Head (4/10): Travis Head was another player to let Australia down with his poor performance by the bat. The middle-order batter was likely to be the x-factor, but he ended up collecting only 81 runs in five batting innings at a poor average of 16.20. However, Head tried to redeem himself with the ball as he picked up two wickets after bowling 8.5 overs.
Mitchell Marsh was the top run-scorer in the three-match series
Mitchell Marsh (9.5/10): It was again Mitchell Marsh’s magic that propelled Australia towards a 3-0 win against Pakistan. The all-rounder was sensational with the bat as he ended up as the top run-scorer in the three-match series with 344 runs to his name in five innings at an average of 86.
One of the finest performances by the batter came in the first Test in Perth as he smacked 90 and 63* runs across two innings respectively to win the Player of the Match award.
Meanwhile, it was in the second batting innings of the second Test that Marsh recorded his highest score of 96 runs in the series. The all-rounder contributed with the ball as well by picking two wickets in 21 overs at an average of 42.50.
Alex Carey (3/10): It was a series to forget for the wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey as he failed to deliver even one good performance. The 32-year-old got a chance to showcase his batting mettle in a total of four innings but ended up with only 129 runs at an average of under 33.
Bowlers
Pat Cummins (8.5/10): Pat Cummins is enjoying a golden form in all forms of cricket, be it Test, T20I, ODI, or the T20 leagues like IPL. It was another unforgettable performance for the pace sensation as he took home the Player of the Series award.
Cummins took a total of 19 wickets in three matches after bowling 89 overs at an average of 12 and an impressive economy rate of 2.56. Along with topping the wicket-taking charts, the 30-year-old earned brownie points for his exceptional leadership skills keeping his composure in pressure situations and steered Australia towards a victory against Pakistan.
Nathan Lyon (7/10): After Cummins, another bowler who deserves credit for Australia’s brilliant bowling attack is Nathan Lyon. It was quite difficult to play the 36-year-old on the Australian pitches and his skills were again on display against Pakistan as he picked 13 wickets to be the second-highest wicket-taking for his team.
Josh Hazelwood (6.5/10): It was a decent performance by the seamer Josh Hazelwood in the three-match Test series as he occupied the fifth place in the overall wicket-taking list.
The pacer bowled a total of 84.2 overs in three games to scalp 11 wickets at an average of 20 and an economy rate of 2.61.
Mitchell Starc (6.5/10): Mitchell Starc was the player in the headlines owing to his staggering IPL prize and he didn’t disappoint the Australian fans. In 83.2 overs across six innings, the bowler picked 12 wickets at an economy rate of 3.76 and an average of 26.08.
His best performance in the series came during the last innings of the second Test as he dismissed four batters while conceding 55 runs.