AUS vs PAK: Pakistan's lethargic fielding allows Pat Cummins to steal five runs on Day 4

Australia beat Pakistan by 79 runs on Day 4 of the second Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Having taken a 54-run lead in the first innings, Australia set a target of 317 runs for Pakistan in the fourth innings which the visitors failed to chase down as they got bundled out for 237 runs.

Earlier in the day, a rare incident was witnessed on the pitch as Australia captain Pat Cummins ran five runs after driving the ball through covers. The incident took place on the third ball of the 75^th over of Australia’s second innings bowled by Aamer Jamal.

After a firm drive through covers, Cummins managed to run two, however, an overthrow resulted in the Australian batters running three runs more taking the overall tally to five. Notably, it’s rare to see batters running five runs in Test cricket but it's mostly common in the big outfields of Australian grounds.

Watch the video here:

Pat Cummins picked second ten-wicket haul of his career

Coming back to the match, Cummins signed off a hugely successful year with another match-winning performance for his side. The 30-year-old first picked up 5/48 in the first innings to bundle out the opposition for 264. The right-arm speedster further picked up another fifer (5/49) in the second innings as well to set up a 79-run win for his side. Notably, it was the second ten-wicket haul of his career for Cummins who also surpassed 250 wickets during the game.

Also Read: ‘This game has a funny way of even-ing things up’ - Mitchell Marsh opens up on Pakistan's fielding effort

As a result, the Australian captain was deservedly awarded the Johnny Mullagh medal for being adjudged Player of the Match, as per the tradition in the Boxing Day Tests in Australia. The Aussie pace-spearhead is currently ranked at number three in the ICC Test bowling rankings and will look to climb higher up the ladder with another match-winning performance in the third match of the series at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney beginning from January 3, 2024.