Australia v Pakistan 2nd Test - Australia Player Ratings

After an exciting first Test that hung at the edge before the Aussies grabbed it the second Test at the MCG was all about the dominance of the hosts. Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and decided to bat first. The idea was to put up enough runs on the board in the first innings to put pressure on Australia in the fourth innings. They declared the first innings at 443/9 on day 3 after one session on each of the three days was disrupted by rain.

Australia needed a breezy start to put life into the game and who better than David Warner to do that. He blew through the Pakistan bowlers and played in ODI style. In the first fifty overs of their innings towards the end of day 3, Australia had scored 270 runs. This gave skipper Steve Smith and others the luxury to dwell on and with an unbeaten 165 from Smith and a quick fire 84 from Mitchell Starc they declared with a lead of 180 runs.

Pakistan just had to bat through a couple of sessions. Just at the stroke of lunch their opener Sami Aslam was walking back. The Aussie bowlers were on the money swinging the ball and Nathan Lyon also got into the act to trigger a middle-order collapse. In the last session, they were bowled out and lost the game by an innings and 18 runs.

Matt Renshaw – 2/10

Matt Renshaw after an average debut against South Africa did well to score 74 in the first innings of the Gabba Test. He partners David Warner and has no real pressure since the man is always pumping runs from the other end. Renshaw had to just stay by Warner and help him with the scoring in Australia’s first innings at the MCG but he couldn’t get through Yasir Shah’s challenge and was bowled having just scored 10 runs. He should have definitely done better as it was a crucial game for him.

David Warner – 9/10

They walked out to bat for the first time towards the last half of day 3. Australia needed quick runs to make a game out of it as rain had ensured enough disruptions to push it towards a draw. Warner did just that and plundered the Pakistan bowlers all around the MCG. He batted in his typical style and approached it as an ODI. He scored his hundred and placed them in a dominating position before getting out on 144. A knock that will be rated highly for the overall impact it had on the outcome of the game.

Usman Khawaja – 8/10

Khawaja joined Warner quite early in the inning and the duo were business right away. They had their plans in place and knew what they were expected to do. Khawaja took his time and wasn’t concerned about the way Warner at the other end was going. He remained solid and scored continuously to end the day unbeaten just three short of a hundred. Unfortunately for him Wahab Riaz produced a wicket-taking delivery early in the fourth morning before he could touch triple figures and he departed for 97.

Steve Smith – 9.5/10

The skipper had to ensure Australia took a first innings lead as that was their only chance to win the game. Steve Smith had a platform set for a big knock and he capitalized on that. Having scored a brilliant century in the first Test he converted it at the MCG into a big one as well. On the last day he also built some crucial partnerships to get Australia into a leading position. At the time he decided to declare the inning which eventually turned out to be just perfect Smith was batting on 165 that he scored with the help of 13 boundaries and a single six.

Peter Handscomb – 7/10

Peter Handscomb played his part in the game. He partnered Steve Smith on the 4th day and helped Australia take a lead in the first innings. He scored a half century at No.5 and added another brick to the solid wall the Aussies were building. Having already impressed with a century at the Gabba he further enhanced his reputation with the timely knock here. His 54 runs were rather risk free and he got those with the help of eight fours.

Nic Maddinson – 3/10

Maddinson had a lot on stake at the MCG. After a duck in his debut Test, followed by 1 and 4 in the first Test of the series against Pakistan he had to do something extraordinary here to ensure he played the last match of the series. It was an ideal scenario when he got into the middle. Smith was batting so well that the Pakistan bowlers could hardly impose pressure. He had a start here getting into the 20s but a Yasir Shah delivery breached his defense and crashed into the timber to end his run. Soon after the end of the match it is reported that the team management has already decided to drop him from the Sydeny Test.

Matthew Wade – 4/10

There was little for Wade to do with the bat, though some runs wouldn’t have hurt Australia but he managed just 9 of them. He was brilliant behind the wickets and kept exceedingly well against the Aussie pacers as well as Nathan Lyon. Wade would certainly want to be amongst the runs as well in the last Test.

Mitchell Starc – 9/10

Bowling in the first innings was a silent affair for Starc while the other two pacers shared six wickets amongst them he scalped just one in his 30 overs. That happens in a game and the champion he is took it by the stride. When the opportunity to make an impact with the bat came to him Starc played a quick fire knock of 84 from 91 deliveries, the striking feature of the knock was he hit seven sixes and just three fours. In the last inning when the Aussies needed desperately needed wickets to wrap the game up while time was running out. He plucked four to seal the deal for his team.

Nathan Lyon – 6/10

Nathan Lyon was under pressure bowling at the MCG. Skipper Steve Smith had quite clearly said that they expect substantial contribution from their lead spinner and he wasn’t able to do that in the first Test or the first innings. But when it mattered the most he scalped three wickets in the Pakistani middle-order to trigger a collapse that eventually resulted in an innings victory for his team.

Josh Hazlewood – 7/10

He was the leader of the bowling charge in the first inning. While Starc couldn’t get them the wickets and on a pitch that offered little assistance to the pacers Hazlewood picked 3 wickets in the first innings to keep the Pakistanis to a manageable score. In the second innings he bowled well to keep things tight and maintain the pressure. He got another couple of wickets in just 13 overs and those were both the Pakistan openers.

Jackson Bird – 6/10

Jack Bird has done a world of good to his chances of retaining a regular place in the Australian team with his performances in the ongoing series. He has unexpectedly got them wickets and hasn’t let the pressure off. With two big names in Starc and Hazlewood accompanying him in the pace bowling department he has gone about his business without being affected by it. Bird scalped three wickets in the first innings and one in the second and took the simple conclusive catch in the end to end the Test match.