Australia seal the series with a clinical bowling display

Australia closed out the series with the kind of controlled bowling performance that has defined their recent form, squeezing the run rate through the middle overs until the required rate became the opposition's main problem.

Pressure through the middle

The plan was visible from the first change of bowling. Rather than attacking the stumps, the quicks worked a length just short of driving range and let the surface do the rest. Two wickets in the space of eleven deliveries turned a stable platform into a rebuild.

Once the run rate climbed past eight, every shot became a decision rather than a choice.

The spinners kept it tight either side of the interval, and by the time the batting side accelerated there were too few wickets in hand to sustain it.

What it means for the series

The result settles the contest with a match still to play, though both sides will treat the dead rubber as selection evidence rather than a formality.