Close Australia 310 (Hayden 119, Saqlain 4-83) beat Pakistan 59 and 53 (Warne 4-13) by an innings and 198 runs
Scorecard

Pakistan crashed to an embarrassing new low as Australia completed victory inside two days at Sharjah, to win the second Test and take the series. As if being shot out for 59, their lowest Test score, in their first innings wasn't bad enough, Pakistan somehow contrived to exceed that by plunging to 53 all out in the second, to the sound of derisive jeers from the 500-strong crowd. Pakistan also lost Abdul Razzaq for six weeks with a broken wrist, courtesy of Brett Lee.

It was the first two-day finish in a Test since August 2000, when England murdered West Indies at Headingley, and only the second since Australia hammered New Zealand in the first Test after the Second World War, at Wellington in 1945-46. In all there have now been 17 two-day Tests – and 11 of those came on the dodgier pitches that prevailed before the First World War. This really was Pakistan's darkest hour.

The procession started in the first over of the second innings, when Taufeeq Umar was run out by Ricky Ponting's return to Glenn McGrath. Taufeeq, who hadn't even faced a ball, thus completed a pair. Razzaq soon departed, misjudging the height of one from Lee that smacked him on the wrist, and Younis Khan fell for a seven-ball duck, falling lbw to Glenn McGrath (13 for 2). Imran Nazir resisted for over an hour before touching a Shane Warne special to Adam Gilchrist (32 for 3).

Now the collapse started to gather momentum. Misbah-ul-Haq spooned Andy Bichel tamely into the covers for 12 off 23 balls (34 for 4). And then Mark Waugh stuck two fingers up at his detractors by grabbing a stupendous diving catch to send back Rashid Latif for a duck (36 for 5). Latif, restricted by a hamstring strain that had prevented hiom from keeping wicket (Taufeeq deputised), offered no footwork as he guided Bichel to the left of the flying Waugh at second slip.

The players then took drinks, on a sweltering day on which the thermometer topped the 50-degree mark. Warne described it as hot enough "to boil an egg on your head". But that was only a brief respite for the floundering Pakistanis.

The last four wickets tumbled in 14 balls as Pakistan managed to beat their previous-lowest Test score, made all of 24 hours before. Three of them went to Warne, who finished with 4 for 13 – and match figures of 8 for 24. He ended the match by trapping a grim-faced Waqar Younis lbw.

Earlier Australia had showed what could be done by grinding on to a total of 310. The main contributor was Matthew Hayden, who put aside some sledging from Shoaib Akhtar to compile 119, his ninth Test century. It wasn't a typical Hayden innings – there were only nine fours, plus a big six off Danish Kaneria – but he stuck it out in the sun for 431 minutes, and 255 balls, a tribute to his tip-top fitness, and deservingly lifted the Man of the Match award. He was the ninth man out, caught by Nazir in the covers to give Saqlain Mushtaq a fourth wicket. McGrath lasted only one ball – but the damage had been done.

In the end last week's close-run thing in Colombo began to look like a mirage in the desert. This one wasn't even a contest.

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