It was nothing short of a clinic. Claiming his third consecutive six-wicket haul, Nathan Lyon orchestrated a seven-wicket Australian victory and Steve Smith’s side can leave Bangladesh with their pride intact by squaring the series one-apiece.
After knocking over the hosts for 157 in their second innings, Australia took no chances with a volatile fifth-day weather forecast, aggressively hunting the 86 runs required in 15.3 overs to finish the job on the fourth afternoon. Any fleeting moment of concern after a third wicket fell on 48 was dealt with by Glenn Maxwell, who smashed 25 in 17 balls, striking the winning runs with a defiant six over midwicket.
For Lyon, the statistical markers he set during the fortnight make it one of the greatest all-time individual bowling performances. His match haul of 13-for-154 is the fourth best recorded by an Australian spinner, while the 22 victims he collected across the four innings left him only one short of the record for the most in a two-Test series. The cream on top: Lyon now also tops the charts for the most wickets taken by any bowler in 2017.
Just as he had on the opening morning, Lyon feasted on Bangladesh’s left-handers, initiating a 4-11 top-order collapse that had the hosts whirling at 43-5 – still 30 short of making Australia bat again. Two further scalps in the middle session made another five-wicket bag, then one after tea completed figures of 6-60.
Earlier, he was the last wicket to fall in Australia’s first innings, the tourists not adding to their overnight 377, banking a lead of 72. Young quick Mustafizur Rahman claimed the last, his fourth, and with it the pressure shifted back onto Australia’s bowlers to do it again.
But that didn’t last, the visitors’ own firebrand Pat Cummins into the book in a hurry, winning Soumya Sarkar’s edge inside five overs. Enter Lyon. After taking the new ball, he was spun around to follow Cummins at the conclusion of his first spell, happily dropping into his familiar rhythm with enviable accuracy.
First, his flight compelled Tamim Iqbal down the track only to prod when he got there. Beating the edge, Matt Wade completed the orderly stumping. Imrul Kayes was next, his horror series over when misreading a hard-spun Lyon off-break, spooning a catch to Maxwell at cover.
The best was yet to come. Shakib Al Hasan, the Dhaka matchwinner with bat as much as ball, was defeated by the type of delivery that finger spinners dream of. From around the wicket, Lyon forced him to play to another well-aired delivery, clipping the shoulder of his bat before landing in the hands of Warner at second slip, who clasped the low chance.
Already claiming seven first innings wickets, this made it 10 in the match already for Lyon – the second time in his career to double figures – with six still up for grabs.
Up the other end, it was Steve O’Keefe’s chance to get in on the act, having missed out entirely the first time around. But he was much more threatening second time up, and the first right-hander in the line-up, Nasir Hossain, edged him to the cordon as well.
Resistance arrived either side of lunch from captain Mushfiqur Rahim and No7 Sabbir Rahman, who dragged their side into the black by 11 runs by the long interval. For the briefest moment, it prompted discussions of what would constitute a tricky chase if the two could bat for an another hour or two.
But it didn’t take long for that to end either, predictably enough through Lyon, who benefitted from some variable bounce to strand the charging Sabbir. The dismissal required Wade to collect the ball on the second bounce before taking the stumps, which he managed unflustered.
Bangladesh selected an extra specialist batsman for an eventuality like this, Mominul Haque in at No8. With his captain, they combined for another nagging stand of 34. That too was broken at the moment it looked promising, within three balls of Cummins’ reintroduction. He was too quick for Mushfiqur, who fended to Wade on 31.
The fast bowler was in the action again for the next wicket, making considerable ground to snaffle an athletic diving catch when Mominul top-edged Lyon sweeping. Another innings, another addition to the spinners’ five-wicket-bag column – his 12th in Tests.
After tea, Taijul Islam’s defence was never going to deny Lyon for long; he went through the gate of his fellow spinner for his 13th and final wicket of the match. When O’Keefe bowled Mustafizur a deeply disappointing second innings was over for the hosts, who had blown any chance to win this series in the space of two sessions.
With the required runs safely secured, Australia leave Bangladesh more bruised than they arrived, but a one-all scoreline is an accurate reflection of an engaging contest. Next stop: the Ashes. On the available evidence of the last two weeks, what happens there is anyone’s guess.
