ICC Test Championship Points Table - India Well on Top, Australia Rising Along

With Australia’s second consecutive innings victory over Pakistan, they have gained 60 points to finish with a tally of 176 points for now. The win at the Adelaide Oval also kept the hosts on a winning streak against Pakistan at home. The men in green last won a Test down under way back in the year 1995 and have never won a Test series in Australia.

Also Read: I Looked Up At Skies To Him – David Warner Remembers Philip Hughes After Record-Breaking Knock

Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team remain untouchable for now, having secured 360 points from seven Tests and sitting at the top of the table, head and shoulders above the rest. They are also first in the ICC Test rankings with 120 points while Australia are placed at fifth with 102 points. Spearheaded by David Warner’s triple century and his partnership with Marnus Labuschagne, the home side piled up 589 for the loss of three wickets before the declaration. Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc was the destroyer in chief of Pakistan in the first innings, snaring six wickets and giving his side a surplus of 287 runs.

Tim Paine enforced the follow on and put the tourists to bat again before Yasir Shah’s century kept the hosts at bay. The visitors succumbed to the brilliance of the Australian three-pronged pace attack in their second innings again, losing three scalps for only 39 on the board. Even on day four, the pitch responded well for the batting side.

Pakistan resistance not enough to prevent second successive innings defeat:

There was resistance from Azhar Ali’s men. Pakistan didn’t lose a wicket in the first hour of the play. Shan Masood and Asad Shafiq put on 103 for the fourth wicket before the former miscued a drive to mid-off to Mitchell Starc. Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed threaded another stubborn stand of 47 off 116 deliveries before Nathan Lyon struck again to peg them back.

Unlike in the first innings, their tailenders couldn’t hold on as the Baggy Greens wrapped up the innings rapidly to win by an innings and 48 runs. Off-spinner Nathan Lyon finished with figures of 25-7-69-5. David Warner received the man of the match award for his unbeaten knock of 335. The little dynamite also won the man of the series for scoring 489 runs in two Tests.

Also Read: ICC Test Team Rankings: Pakistan Drop To 8th, India Remain On The Top