Australia defeated Pakistan by 79 runs in their third Test, to grab a series-clinching 2-0 victory in their three-match series. Pakistan battled hard with Australia throughout the match, but raw brilliance from captain Pat Cummins saw the hosts seal victory at the MCG.
After the match, Pakistan's Director of Cricket Mohammad Hafeez made a sensational remark, stating that his side made quite a few mistakes but were the better team in Melbourne. Speaking at the post-match press conference, the former Pakistan cricketer said, "We played better cricket as a team. I'm proud of that. The way the team had the courage to attack this game in the best possible way. If I sum up the game, the Pakistan team played better than the other team in general."
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"Our batting intent was better, and while bowling, we were hitting the right areas. Yes, we made some mistakes that cost us the game but as a team I believe that there were a lot of positives, enough to win the game but unfortunately at the end we didn't win the game," he further added.
{{/usCountry}}"Our batting intent was better, and while bowling, we were hitting the right areas. Yes, we made some mistakes that cost us the game but as a team I believe that there were a lot of positives, enough to win the game but unfortunately at the end we didn't win the game," he further added.
{{/usCountry}}Later, a reporter put Hafeez' statement at the forefront during Cummins' post-match press conference and asked him for his reaction. "Cool... [laughs]. Yeah, they played well. Glad we got the win," Cummins quipped.
On being asked about it by the reporter again, he added, "Doesn't really matter, does it? It's the team that wins at the end."
There were moments on Day 4, when it looked like Pakistan would stage a comeback. But an inspirational Cummins ended those hopes in the final session, by becoming the first Test skipper to take 10 wickets in an MCG Test. Pakistan collapsed from 216/5 to 237 all out. Cummins had already made Australia's intentions known towards the end of the second session on Day 4, when he ended Shan Masood's brilliant knock, which threatened to drag the game away from the Aussies. The Aussie pacers destroyed Pakistan in the final session, with Nathan Lyon the bowler they were able to take advantage of.