Australia on Friday defeated Pakistan by 115 runs in the third and final Test at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, taking the series 1-0. Australia, who are in Pakistan for the first time in 24 years (last tour in 1998), showcased an all-round performance to take the series-decider, after the first and second Test had both ended in stalemates in Rawalpindi and Karachi, respectively. While there were plenty of runs scored throughout the series, the final Test belonged to the Australian bowlers.
After skipper Pat Cummins took a five-for in the first innings, spinner Nathan Lyon also took a five-wicket-haul in the second innings as Pakistan, who were chasing a target of 351, were bowled out for 235.
After the top-order gave the hosts an excellent start, the middle-order and tail-enders fell like a pack of cards in the final session.
As a result, fans were not happy with the tailenders' approach, as the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Hasan threw away their wickets while trying to play aggressive strokes.
"Why are Hassan Ali & Shaheen Afridi playing as if it's a 20/20 stick to the game plan," a fan tweeted.
"Shaheen Afridi can bat. What was the need to swing his bat like that? Not blaming him ofc because it's not his resp to draw games," another fan wrote on Twitter.
"Hasan Ali and now Shaheen Afridi both throwing away their wickets," a tweet read.
Cummins was named 'Player of the Match' for taking 8 wickets in the match, while Usman Khawaja was named 'Player of the Series', having scored 491 runs in three matches.