Pakistan vs Australia: Reverse swing key to Australia's victory hopes, says Starc

Pakistan in the deciding third and final Test at Lahore and clinch the series, fast bowler Mitchell Starc said on Wednesday. Starc and fast bowling colleague Pat Cummins wreaked havoc towards end of play on the third day at the Gaddafi Stadium as Australia picked up the last seven Pakistan wickets for 20 runs to take a first-innings lead of 123. The touring side find themselves in a familiar position as the second Test in Karachi, where they set Pakistan a fourth-innings target of 506 over the last two days but were unable to take 10 wickets for victory.

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Australian fast bowling pair of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc carved through the Pakistan batting late on Wednesday, sharing nine wickets between them to hand the touring side a first-innings lead of 123 in the deciding third and final Test.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam's heroic 196 and an unbeaten century from wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan meant both teams came to Lahore after two drawn Tests. "Last week (in Karachi) we thought the wicket may break up a lot more than it actually did," Starc, who picked up four wickets in a hostile spell of fast bowling, told reporters. "Credit to Pakistan, they played really well, but we're in another position of opportunity ... we'd rather be in those positions where we've got options and we're pressing the issue than having to survive. "It's a huge positive for this group in foreign conditions to be pushing the game." The three-Test series is Australia's first in Pakistan for 24 years and the touring side will have a chance to make history by clinching victory over the last two days. But Starc warned his bowling colleagues to not rely on the Gaddafi Stadium