Warner signs off in style as Aussies sweep series

As if to prove the age-old adage of 'no fairytales in professional sport', David Warner's farewell innings was cruelly curtailed within touching distance of Australia completing a series whitewash over Pakistan, but the opener was sent off a conquering hero regardless.

Warner seemed set to live out a dream realised by few and remain undefeated with a chance to score the winning runs as Australia chased down the 130 runs needed for outright victory with barely a misstep at the SCG.

But despite the magnanimity of his Pakistan rivals who had afforded him a guard of honour and hearty congratulations at the start of both innings in this NRMA Insurance Test, Warner was adjudged lbw upon DRS review for 57 with just 11 runs needed.

The left-hander had survived a similarly close shout from off-spinner Sajid Khan a few overs earlier, and he was mobbed by his on-field rivals who clambered to shake his hand as he left the Test arena for the final time to a standing ovation with the game's result already known.

As he headed to the dressing room, he was embraced by his former Test captain Steve Smith who combined with Marnus Labuschagne to knock off the final runs, while Warner handed his Australia helmet and batting gloves to a young fan at the players' gate and walked off into Test retirement.

Despite the poignancy of the occasion and the delicacy of the assignment facing his team in chasing a potentially tricky target, Warner was never going to alter the approach he had carried through his previous 204 Test innings and approach the target with caution.

The 37-year-old began his ultimate Test outing in a warm embrace with opening partner and lifelong friend Usman Khawaja before the pair stepped across the boundary rope where Warner crossed the 'Thanks Dave' insignia freshly painted on the SCG turf.

As was the case at the start of Australia's first innings, Pakistan's players formed a guard of honour and each of them patted their rival on the back as he walked to the wicket, with Babar Azam adding a friendly tap to the batter's protective helmet.

Keeper Mohammad Rizwan and rookie all-rounder Aamir Jamal then lingered in formation to provide a scaled-down welcome honour to Khawaja who clearly appreciated the gesture even if the generosity didn't extend to his innings which yielded a six-ball duck.

But Warner's party was just starting, and whether it was a desire to get the job done before the day-four pitch started playing tricks or simply to sign-off in trademark style, he wasted no time in narrowing the deficit.

His first runs came in the form of a characteristically urgent scamper for two, and his opening boundary was a typically brutal thump through extra cover followed by a sweetly struck reverse-sweep that underscored the innovation he brought to Test match batting.

There were moments of less surety, notably the attempt to repeat the lofted on-drive that brought a boundary off spinner Sajid but, on repeat, yielded a top-edge that landed despairingly beyond the reach of Aamir scampering back from mid-on.

And in the next over, Warner aimed the sort of standing-up reverse ramp made famous by his England foe Joe Root, and was fortunate the ensuing mishit fell short of keeper Rizwan as he dived forward.

As the target was whittled below 70, he and Labuschagne increasingly took the attack to Pakistan's understandably resigned bowlers who resorted to a speculative – and unsuccessful review for a catch behind off Australia's number three.

Warner posted the 37th, and last, half-century of his Test tenure from just 56 balls faced, and at lunch Australia's stood at 1-91 with just 39 needed and the SCG crowd growing beyond 22,000 for the impending denouement.

Their collective might have dissipated shortly after the break had umpire Michael Gough adjudged Warner lbw when, on 53, he played around a ball from Sajid that straightened and looked to be on track to hit middle stump.

However, Gough's decision to deny the bowler's pleading appeal kept the fairytale alive as Pakistan's review showed it would indeed have clipped the top of middle, but the umpire's call stood.

Labuschagne endured two close calls in the same over, another lbw shout that was shown to be missing leg stump on review and another lamentable fielding lapse when skipper Shan Masood turfed a catch hit directly to him at head height at mid-wicket.

But with the ball starting to turn square and the pair's partnership reaching 100, it seemed nothing could deny Warner achieving a Hollywood ending to his regularly box-office time as a Test cricketer.

Australia's victory target of 130 might have caused fleeting angst among those in the dressing room with a knowledge of not-so-distant history.

It was the same score set in the so-called 'Miracle of Headingley' Ashes Test in 1981, when Kim Hughes's team was knocked over for 111 which also represented the most recent occasion Australia lost a Test needing such a modest total.

But even though the SCG pitch showed no trace of treachery during the hour and a quarter Pakistan batted this morning, the loss of Khawaja in the first over of the pursuit raised brief speculation that Warner's celebratory send-off might not eventuate.

Khawaja became the third opener in four innings of this Test to lose his wicket in the opening over of his team's innings, and if the ball that Warner almost squeezed back on to the stumps on Wednesday evening had clipped the bails it would have completed a unique set.

Khawaja couldn't claim that level of luck after Pakistan opened the bowling with off-spinner Sajid, whose sixth delivery turned sufficiently off a full length to beat the opener's back-foot defensive stroke and hit him on the knee roll.

The left-hander clearly felt impact had been made outside off stump and immediately reviewed umpire Gough's decision, but the on-field verdict stood when ball-tracking revealed it would have grazed off-stump.

If the pattern of the preceding hours' play had been maintained, Australia should have lost more wickets in a hurry.

However Warner and Labuschagne held their nerve while settling those that had taken hold in the dressing room to carry Australia to a series clean sweep.

For a while at the start of day three, it seemed the target might blow out to a more problematic level approaching 200.

Certainly while Pakistan's first-innings top-scorer Rizwan was at the crease, and in occupation with second-top scorer from day one Aamir the possibility of another twist in a dramatically fluctuating Test remained live.

The effects of the heavy roller deployed on the pitch before play resumed looked to have flattened the problem areas that made batting tough on the third evening, and Pakistan's last batting hopes made steady if unspectacular progress.

But having added 41 from 13 overs under bright sunshine this morning, the pair departed in quick succession as has been a theme throughout the pink Test.

Rizwan went first, undone by Nathan Lyon's leg-stump attack from around the wicket which yielded an inside-edge that was smartly snared by Warner at leg slip, highlighting that it's not only the veteran's blazing batting that will be missed as he heads into Test retirement.

Player of the match Aamir succumbed three balls later, caught on the boundary rope for the second time in the match when he took on the short-ball trap set by Pat Cummins.

Pakistan's lead by that stage had only just ticked beyond 120, and any chance of reprising the 86-run stand put on by tenth-wicket pair Aamir and Mir Hamza in the first innings was snuffed out when Lyon took his Test wicket tally to 509.

Lyon's latest was something of a rarity, with the off-spinner knocking a stump clean out of the ground when Hasan Ali miscued an ambitious sweep shot.

That wicket fell at 11.13am, leaving just an hour for the first phase of the Warner farewell show prior to lunch.

NRMA Insurance Test series v Pakistan

First Test: Australia won by 360 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 79 runs

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (10.30am AEDT)

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi