AUS VS PAK - 2nd Test, Pakistan tour of Australia, 2023-24

Cummins fittingly signs off the year with a Player of the Match award. It's been an incredible year for him and Australia. WTC champions, retained the Ashes as they tied the Test series against England (Bazball), won their sixth ODI World Cup in India and have now kick-started the 2023-24 home summer in style. After thrashing Pakistan in Perth, they were made to toil hard at the MCG which doled out a sporting track. There was something in it for the pacers throughout the match. Pakistan came close but the Australian pacers were relentless while their GOAT had an off-day. We had a lot of fun covering this Boxing Day Test. It's time to bring the curtains down on Test cricket for this year. Tune in on Wednesday (3rd January) for the New Year's Test. Until then, it's goodbye from Abhinand Raghavendran, Pradeep Krishnamurthy, Kumar Abhisekh Das and Harish.

Pat Cummins | Australia captain and Player of the Match: Love playing here. Boxing Day - biggest Test match of the calendar. Love the build-up around Christmas. Last few years, the wickets have been nice. You got a few options here, there's a bit of seam in the last few years. I like a bit of up and down bounce. You can bowl some short balls. The run-up's always really nice here. Little bit twitchy (when Pakistan needed less than 100 to win), felt okay, they were batting pretty nicely, happy with the Rizwan wicket. Anything above 300 was the aim, thought we had enough to bowl at, a little bit tight. Steve's and Marsh's partnership really got us back in the game. We were behind for a little while, they were bowling well, had their tails up, wicket was tough. That was a huge partnership, got us back in the game, gave us something to defend. Even at 4/16, the dressing room was calm. We knew someone's gonna step up. Real trust and support in the change room for each other. Every week, it feels like another match-winner stands up. Crazy year, lots of success on the field. I think we will look back and remember 2023 as one of the special ones. Got an extra day off, chill for a few days and get ready for the next Test.

Shan Masood | Pakistan captain: We have to look at the bigger picture. There were a lot of positives. We can easily be like, 'what if we did this, what if we did that?' That's all and part and process of the game. There were a lot of positives but if you give a quality side like Australia a sniff, which we did, maybe sometimes with the bowl, maybe sometimes with the bat, yesterday maybe in the field we dropped someone in form like Marsh, we might not have been chasing so many today. Mistakes happen. In terms of the bigger picture, this is the way we want to play Test cricket. Playing Test cricket in these conditions, fighting till the end, where a result was possible for us, that's something we have to take forward as a team. It's a reflection of four days, the game kept turning. Sometimes it'd go Australia's way, sometimes ours. We were fortunate to win the toss and have the best of the bowling conditions. We were leading with the bat when me and Abdullah had a good partnership, Pat Cummins came in with that spell and that's why he's one of the best bowlers in the world. In the second innings, Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh's partnership, that put us back again. We have taken 20 wickets which we haven't done in Australia for a while, that's a box ticked. In terms of runs, everyone got good starts, there were some nice fifties, but in Test cricket against quality sides, you want to get the hundreds. A lot to work on, but this is the blueprint with which we want to play Test cricket. Hopefully we keep doing that. They are ruthless, you want to convert the fifties into hundreds. That's what we have to do as a batting unit. They have some world-class bowlers in their ranks, if you give them a sniff you might not have enough runs on the board. It's WTC, every Test match counts. Very happy with how we played the game, it's just about the finishing touches and winning the crucial moments like the Australians did in this game. The groundsmen did a wonderful job, one of the better Test pitches that we have played on, something for everyone. Very glad that we got to play such an exciting Test match.

Mitchell Marsh - Pretty funny way to end, but it was a tense day of cricket. They fought extremely well right through the day. Another one that depended on a bit of luck, I nearly lost it and did well to hang on. This feels like a lot, when Babar was in, Rizwan as well, it looked like they'd take it away (from us), but our (bowling) experience counted in the end. What a game he had (on Pat Cummins), 10 wickets and he led beautifully as well. We'll celebrate in the change room and then get ready for the New Year Test in Sydney.

Pakistan reduced the hosts to 16/4 in the second innings with their two left-arm speedsters picking two wickets apiece. Things would have gone worse for Australia when Marsh nicked one to slip at 20. But he was dropped on 20 and he made the Pakistanis pay with a crucial century and match-winning century partnership with Smith. Carey's fifty took Australia's lead over 300 and it was always going to be a tough chase. But Pakistan batted bravely. Masood scored a brisk fifty and Babar got a start. The former was nipped out by Cummins and the latter once again fell to an in-seamer. The partnership between Rizwan and Salman brought the target under 100. We were all certain that this match would go to the final day. Once again, the relentless Cummins used the short ball tactic superbly to just run through the lower order.

18:23 Local Time, 07:23 GMT, 12:53 IST: Two superb catches off back-to-back balls to wrap up the match. Pakistan dropped two crucial catches and those missed chances have turned out to be the difference between the two sides. Pakistan kept fighting throughout this Test, but Australia played the key moments well. Inserted to bat, all their top six batters got starts as they posted 318 on the board. In reply, Pakistan were going along nicely with Masood and Shafique notching up half-tons and batting pretty comfortably. But Cummins picked two crucial wickets in quick succession and finished with a fifer which helped Australia take a crucial 50+ run lead.

Starc to Mir Hamza, out Caught by Smith!! It's all over! Australia win 79 runs and seal the series with a Test remaining! Nasty bumper from over the wicket, gets big on the batter who fends awkwardly. The ball spoons up in the air off the top part of the bat. Smith runs in from first slip, dives forward with his hands outstretched and gobbles it up. Mir Hamza c Smith b Starc 0(1)

Starc to Mir Hamza, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Mir Hamza, left handed bat, comes to the crease

Starc to Agha Salman, out Caught by Mitchell Marsh!! Marsh takes a screamer and Agha Salman is gone! This could be the killer blow. Banged in short from round the wicket, Salman only manages to get a top-edge with his pull shot. For a moment, it looked like the ball would fall between the two converging fielders (first slip and third man). However, Marsh has other ideas. Hares forward from third man, dives forward and snaffles it with both hands inches above the ground. Terrific stuff from the big man! Agha Salman c Mitchell Marsh b Starc 50(70) [4s-6]

Starc to Agha Salman, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Mitchell Starc [13.0-1-55-2] is back into the attack

Cummins to Hasan Ali, no run, 133.9kph, shouts of 'catch it' as the ball pops up. Falls well short of gully. Don't think there was an inside edge on that occasion. In-seamer from a short of length and Hasan Ali was late on the glance. Hit his thigh

Cummins to Hasan Ali, no run, 135.5kph, another bouncer, Hasan Ali sits under it

Hasan Ali, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Cummins to Shaheen Afridi, out Caught by Labuschagne!! Second fifer in this Test for Cummins, ten in the match for the captain! 134.6kph, expected short ball angling in, Shaheen Afridi stands tall to drop it into the leg-side with a closed bat-face. Bounces more than he expects it to and the ball pops up off the glove. Marnus jogs forward from forward short leg to complete a simple catch. Cummins raises the ball as his team-mates applaud. Incredible performance from an exceptional player. Shaheen Afridi c Labuschagne b Cummins 0(6)

Cummins to Shaheen Afridi, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Round the wicket. A spread field for Shaheen Afridi as well. A slip and short leg in place...

Cummins to Agha Salman, 1 run, 133.1kph, fuller length, Agha Salman drops it towards mid-on for a single which brings up Agha Salman's fifty! He's keeping his team in the hunt. A fighting knock

Cummins to Agha Salman, no run, 130.3kph, bouncer, touch too high (over 2 metres), Agha Salman half-ducks