Australia v Pakistan, 2016-17

Test matches (3): Australia 3, Pakistan 0
One-day internationals (5): Australia 4, Pakistan 1

It wasn't unreasonable to imagine Pakistan might win their first Test series in Australia. They had topped the rankings in August, while their hosts had just been ravaged by South Africa. Instead, the Australians dominated as their fans have come to expect: they hit huge scores and bowled with venom. Whether the ball was red, white or pink, Pakistan seldom had the answer.

The closeness of the First Test, at Brisbane, was not a sign of things to come. After being hammered for three and a half days, Pakistan staged a gallant revival, ending 40 short of what would have been the biggest successful fourth innings chase in Tests. Asad Shafiq's brilliant hundred nearly stole the show, but Mitchell Starc pulled the curtain.

The rest of the tour was all Australia. In the Second Test, at Melbourne, Pakistan relinquished a game that should have been sodden beyond salvage. Double-centurion Azhar Ali was done a gross injustice by those around him, as a declaration ended in an innings defeat. In Sydney, their application was even worse, Younis Khan the man let down after a masterful hundred. They deserved to lose 3-0. Misbah-ul-Haq was composed as a leader, and all but decomposed as a batsman.

Try as he might, there was no clobbering his way back into form. His leg-spinner Yasir Shah mirrored the side's fortunes: from No. 1 in the world to a mauling in Australia. He finished the Test series with eight wickets for 672. Despite some success at Brisbane, it took Mohammad Amir a month - and a change to the white ball - before he posed a reliable threat. Wahab Riaz's best was brilliant, but his no-balling was a factor in the defeat at Melbourne.

None of this diminished Australia's transformation after they had been humiliated by South Africa. Smith's two centuries earned him the series award, while David Warner's hundred before lunch at Sydney will be remembered for years. The pace bowling looked strong, too, as Starc and Josh Hazlewood - who went at less than two an over - picked up 29 wickets between them.

Even more encouraging for Australia was the form of the two new members of their top five. Rarely has a player looked as Test-ready as Peter Handscomb, who followed a hundred at Melbourne with another at Sydney, all with minimal fuss. The temperament of Matt Renshaw, meanwhile, was as impressive as his strokeplay, his first century achieved at the age of 20. The one-day series briefly suggested a more resolute Pakistan, with disciplined bowling and careful batting. But after they won the second match, their resistance ended, unforced errors spread, and a pair of Warner hundreds secured a 4-1 thrashing. Pakistan seemed to be at the end of a cycle. Looking back, it had been more than a fling, if less than a marriage - and a relationship the cricket world were lucky to have.

Match reports for

Tour Match: Cricket Australia XI v Pakistanis at Cairns, Dec 8-10, 2016
Scorecard

1st Test: Australia v Pakistan at Brisbane, Dec 15-19, 2016
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2nd Test: Australia v Pakistan at Melbourne, Dec 26-30, 2016
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3rd Test: Australia v Pakistan at Sydney, Jan 3-7, 2017
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Tour Match: Cricket Australia XI v Pakistanis at Brisbane, Jan 10, 2017
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1st ODI: Australia v Pakistan at Brisbane, Jan 13, 2017
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2nd ODI: Australia v Pakistan at Melbourne, Jan 15, 2017
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3rd ODI: Australia v Pakistan at Perth, Jan 19, 2017
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4th ODI: Australia v Pakistan at Sydney, Jan 22, 2017
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5th ODI: Australia v Pakistan at Adelaide, Jan 26, 2017
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