Australia beat Pakistan by an innings and 18 runs

Melbourne: Australia thrashed Pakistan in the second test match to claim three match series 2-0 with one game to spare. Pakistan were bowled out for 163 runs, going down by an innings and 18 runs  

Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon led the Australian bowling attack and wrapped up tourist in mere two sessions on the final day.

Pakistan were 91-5 in its second innings at tea, and needs to score 181 just to make Australia bat again.

Opener Azhar Ali was unbeaten on 34 and represented the tourists' best hope of avoiding defeat, while Sarfraz Ahmed was one not out.

There will be at least 37 overs in the last session, with Pakistan needing to hold on if it is to keep the series alive going into next week's third test in Sydney.

Australia captain Steve Smith set up the victory push with an unbeaten 165. He shared 154 runs for the eighth wicket with a free-hitting Mitchell Starc, who smashed a record seven sixes in his 91-ball 84 runs.

Australia declared its first innings on 624-8, in response to Pakistan's 443-8 declared, a lead of 181 runs.

Josh Hazelwood dismissed opener Sami Aslam prior to lunch and, with the first ball after the resumption, Starc trapped Babar Azam lbw to immediately put Pakistan on the defensive at 6-2.

Azhar continued from where he left off in the first innings, when he hit an unbeaten 205. He and veteran Younis Khan (24) shared 57 runs for the third wicket before the innings unraveled.

Lyon forced Younis to lob a catch to Peter Handscomb at short leg, and two balls later claimed the prized scalp of skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (0).

Misbah swept the first ball he faced dangerously, and then repeated the sweep only to lob a simple catch to Nic Maddinson at backward square leg. Pakistan had slumped from a seemingly comfortable 63-2 to 63-4 in the space of three balls.