Australia has won its first Test series in Asia since 2011 with a 115-run victory in the final session of the final Test of the series.  It will be remembered as an historic win since Australia is touring Pakistan after 24 years.

Nathan Lyon led the charge, taking 5-83 to end the Australian curse of struggling to bowl out sides on day five wickets. Pakistan was eventually bowled out for 235, 116 runs short of victory and 24.5 overs short of a draw. It is Australia’s first away Test series win since beating New Zealand in 2016.

Babar Azam, Pakistan’s hero in holding out for a draw in the second Test – their skipper scoring 196 and using up 425 deliveries – again looked in supreme touch as he notched a 20th Test fifty. At that stage, the home side were looking well-placed at 242-3 before the reintroduction of the Aussie quicks caused chaos.

Cummins, who had taken the only Pakistan wicket to fall on Tuesday – Imam-ul-Haq (11) – ran through the lower order after Starc’s double strike, before the left-armer stunned the crowd further by picking up Babar lbw for 67 and then clean-bowled Naseem Shah three balls later to end the innings.

Earlier, such a stunning collapse would have been unthinkable as Abdullah Shafique (81) and Azhar Ali (78) each struck resolute half-centuries as the pair progressed their unbroken, overnight partnership to a 150-run stand for the second wicket. Azhar became just the fifth Pakistan batsman to 7,000 Test runs during his knock.