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Published 07 Jan, 2017 04:27am

Australia beat Pakistan by 220 runs to sweep series

SYDNEY: Australia completed a 220-run victory over Pakistan on the fifth day of the third test on Saturday to sweep the series 3-0. 

The hosts had won the opening day-night test in Brisbane by 39 runs and the second test in Melbourne by an innings and 18 runs.

Just when all eyes were on Younis Khan to complete the last few runs to achieve the remarkable career milestone, Pakistani star batsman Younis Khan fell short of 10,000 Test runs with his dismissal in the final Sydney Test against Australia on Saturday.

The 39-year-old batting great was caught in the deep off spinner Nathan Lyon for 13 to be 23 runs short of becoming the first Pakistan batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs. Younis has 9,977 runs in 115 Test matches.

Pakistan were fighting to stave off defeat to Australia on the final day of the third Test in Sydney with five wickets down on Saturday.

The tourists, facing their 12th straight Test defeat in Australia, lost four wickets in the first session after resuming at 55 for one.

The tourists, facing their 12th straight Test defeat in Australia, lost four wickets in the first session after resuming at 55 for one.

Pakistan is 220 for eight with Wahab Riaz returning to the pavilion after 12 runs. Misbah made 38 runs with Asad Shafiq out on 30 runs. Fast bowler Amir and Sarfaraz, not out at 51, are on the crease

The tourists trailed Australia by 336 runs with two sessions remaining.

The highest target successfully chased down in the fourth innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground was Australia´s 288 for two against South Africa in 2006.

Pakistan´s leading series scorer Azhar Ali lasted just six balls into the final day before he was out in a soft dismissal on his overnight score of 11. Azhar tried to work Josh Hazlewood to the leg-side only to bunt the ball back to the bowler for an easy return catch. Azhar finished as the highest Pakistan runscorer in a series in Australia with 406 at 81.20.

Babar Azam followed in Hazlewood´s next over, trapped leg before wicket for nine to end a disappointing series with a total of just 68 runs from six innings.

Younis Khan missed out on becoming the first Pakistan batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs when he was caught in the deep off spinner Nathan Lyon for 13.

Younis, who scored an unbeaten 175 for his 34th Test hundred in the first innings, did not get enough on a Lyon delivery and lobbed to Hazlewood at mid-on.

It was a big wicket for Australia following on from the first-over dismissal of Azhar to have Pakistan plunging towards defeat.

Nightwatchman Yasir Shah´s 93-ball defiance ended a half-hour before lunch when he was snapped up the slips by fielding substitute Jackson Bird off left-arm spinner Steve O´Keefe for 13.

-AFP 

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