WATCH: Mohammed Rizwan left stunned by controversial wristband-induced dismissal during AUS vs PAK 2nd Test

Pakistan kept fighting throughout the game, but a couple of dropped catches proved costly as they crashed to a 79-run defeat against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne on Friday. The Men in Green had a great chance to end their long wait for a first Test win in Australia, but Pat Cummins and Co. played well in key moments. 

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At one point the hosts were reduced to 16/4 in the second innings, but a crucial drop catch of Mitchell Marsh when he was batting at 20, took the game away from Pakistan completely. The right-hander went on to smash a blazing 96 runs while forming a match-winning partnership with Steve Smith. Half-centuries from Smith and Alex Carey took their lead over 300. 

Chasing a tough target of 317 on Day 4, Pakistan got off to a flying start thanks to captain Shan Masood's quick-fire half-century. They lost both the openers early but Masood and Babar Azam brought them back into the game with a 61-run third-wicket partnership. Babar lost his partner in the 27th over and the former captain followed him in the 41st over, leading to a collapse at the MCG.

Australia made inroads into Pakistan's tail-end with Rizwan's wicket

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Pakistan had hope when Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman were going well in the middle. However, the hero of the match, Cummins, dismissed the wicket-keeper batter in the 61st over, but in controversial manner. The fourth ball of the over looked to have eluded Rizwan's inside edge, but the on-field umpire signaled no-out.

Cummins and his teammates were confident as they opted for a review. Finding that hotspot technology could not definitively confirm the presence of an edge, the third umpire turned to the Snickometer for further analysis. The ruling was that the ball had brushed past the batter's wristband and the on-field umpire was forced to overturn his initial decision.

Stunned by the turn of events, Rizwan got into a heated argument with the umpire before leaving the ground. 

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Watch the video below: 

Wicket 250 for Pat Cummins! 🎉

The third umpire decided the ball flicked Mohammad Rizwan's sweatband on the way through. #MilestoneMoment | @nrmainsurance | #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/vTuDL5DmNB

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 29, 2023

The dismissal of Rizwan (35 off 62 balls) while forming a crucial partnership with Salman proved to be the turning point of the match. The all-rounder played a brilliant innings to reach his half-century, but his efforts went in vain as there was a lack of support from the other end. Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 237 and Australia took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.