Australia just pulled off an utterly absurd victory at the MCG, defying four days of rain delays, a flat pitch and an Azhar Ali double ton to win by an innings and 18 runs.
The Aussies resumed play this morning on 6/465, a lead of 41 over Pakistan’s 9/443, before Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc flayed the Pakistan bowling around to grab a quick fire 181 run lead before declaring on 8/624.
Starc and Josh Hazlewood took early wickets, but Nathan Lyon broke the game apart by removing almost all of Pakistan’s middle order on his way to 3/33, before Starc blew away the tail with an inspired burst of pace bowling.
It capped off a brilliant day for Starc, whose 4/36 complimented his innings of 84 off 91 deliveries, which included seven sixes — a record for a test innings at the MCG.
That wasn’t the only record set at the Triple MCG — Australia’s feat of winning by an innings despite conceding over 400 in the first dig is pretty much unprecedented, or at least used to be, as these stats show:
England twice scored 400 and lost by an innings in their recently completed away series in India.
It was also only the second time a team has ever lost by an innings after declaring their first innings, after it happened to Australia against India in Hyderabad in 2013.
It was truly a remarkable victory, and it was Triple M’s pleasure to bring you every ball — and rain delay — live on FM radio for the first time in a test at the MCG.