Led superbly from the front by captain Michael Clarke Australia found their way from apparent defeat to victory in a tight one-day match against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi last night.
Australia's Michael Clarke was on song against Pakistan overnight.
Having struggled to reach 7-198 from their 50 overs on another slow pitch that assisted the spinners and made it hard for batsmen to force the ball -- especially once the pace bowlers were retired from the attack -- Australian ground down their opponents into something like the desert sands that surround the beautiful Sheik Zayed Stadium.
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Clarke, who top-scored with 66 before he was caught and bowled by Shahid Afridi, also claimed 3-15 from six overs of spin.
Pakistan eventually gave up the ghost, all out for 171 after 47.1 overs - having made all the running early to reach 95 without loss.
But from there Australia fought back -- as Clarke had always thought they could. ''It was a wonderful performance tonight,'' he said.
''I knew if we bowled and fielded well we had a good chance. Our execution was the key tonight.''
Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz (who also added 17 from 18 balls to push the Australian innings towards 200) grabbed the crucial breakthroughs when the Pakistan side appeared to be cantering towards victory, dismissing the opener Salman Butt (48 from 77 balls) and then claiming captain Younus Khan for a first-ball duck.
But the impressive 17-year-old opener Ahmed Shezad -- the unfortunate victim of a disastrous run-out blamed on Butt in his debut in the second match of the series -- played on with a maturity that belied his years.
Particularly strong off his legs, he worked the paceman behind square if they pitched up and pulled them if they dropped short. And he continued to score even when the introduction of spin, with Hauritz supported by Andrew Symonds' off-breaks, made runs harder to find on the slowing pitch.
Clarke finally brought himself on to bowl in the 25th over and Misbah-Ul-Haq, who had lifted Symonds over the rope at long on, attempted a repeat performance from the skipper's first ball only to be caught by Hauritz for 9.
The batsmen crossed and the very next ball Clarke went straight through the defences of Shezad (40 from 61 balls) to leave the Pakistan side in danger of disappointing the partisan crowd who stayed until the bitter end.
''I tried to wait as long as possible before I took the ball,'' he joked
Shahid Afridi, their best player in the series, came to the crease to join Shoaib Malik with the score 4-107 and with time to score the runs if only the Pakistan side could hold onto their wickets.
Malik did -- by a whisker, just managing to keep his foot on the line fo the crease when beaten by Hauritz and almost stumped by Haddin.
But Afridi, who took 2-31 in the Australian innings to give him 10 wickets for the series already, could not, becoming Clarke's third victim when he edged the Australian skipper -- who bowls rarely but often with telling effect - to David Hussey at third slip.
Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam was disappointed to witness another middle-order collapse, with the senior players letting the side down.
''I don't think Australia got us out; I think we got ourselves out,'' he said.
Hauritz finished with figures of 2-25 from his 10-over spell. Andrew
Symonds chipped in with the wicket of Yasir Arafat, bowled through the gate, and Nathan Bracken, who changed gears to slow cutters to suit the conditions, also nabbed the important wicket of Kamran Akmal.
The fall of Akmal left Pakistan chasing 58 runs for victory from 85 deliveries, but the numbers kept moving against them and reached an extremely challenging run a ball with six overs to bowl.
From there the result was an inevitability, with Saeed Ajmal, the off-spinner reported to the International Cricket Council for a suspect action, not out nought at the death.
Having struggled to reach 7-198 from their 50 overs on another slow pitch that assisted the spinners and made it hard for batsmen to force the ball -- especially once the pace bowlers were retired from the attack -- Australian ground down their opponents into something like the desert sands that surround the beautiful Sheik Zayed Stadium.
-----------------SCORECARD-----------------
Clarke, who top-scored with 66 before he was caught and bowled by Shahid Afridi, also claimed 3-15 from six overs of spin.
Pakistan eventually gave up the ghost, all out for 171 after 47.1 overs - having made all the running early to reach 95 without loss.
But from there Australia fought back -- as Clarke had always thought they could. ''It was a wonderful performance tonight,'' he said.
''I knew if we bowled and fielded well we had a good chance. Our execution was the key tonight.''
Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz (who also added 17 from 18 balls to push the Australian innings towards 200) grabbed the crucial breakthroughs when the Pakistan side appeared to be cantering towards victory, dismissing the opener Salman Butt (48 from 77 balls) and then claiming captain Younus Khan for a first-ball duck.
But the impressive 17-year-old opener Ahmed Shezad -- the unfortunate victim of a disastrous run-out blamed on Butt in his debut in the second match of the series -- played on with a maturity that belied his years.
Particularly strong off his legs, he worked the paceman behind square if they pitched up and pulled them if they dropped short. And he continued to score even when the introduction of spin, with Hauritz supported by Andrew Symonds' off-breaks, made runs harder to find on the slowing pitch.
Clarke finally brought himself on to bowl in the 25th over and Misbah-Ul-Haq, who had lifted Symonds over the rope at long on, attempted a repeat performance from the skipper's first ball only to be caught by Hauritz for 9.
The batsmen crossed and the very next ball Clarke went straight through the defences of Shezad (40 from 61 balls) to leave the Pakistan side in danger of disappointing the partisan crowd who stayed until the bitter end.
''I tried to wait as long as possible before I took the ball,'' he joked
Shahid Afridi, their best player in the series, came to the crease to join Shoaib Malik with the score 4-107 and with time to score the runs if only the Pakistan side could hold onto their wickets.
Malik did -- by a whisker, just managing to keep his foot on the line fo the crease when beaten by Hauritz and almost stumped by Haddin.
But Afridi, who took 2-31 in the Australian innings to give him 10 wickets for the series already, could not, becoming Clarke's third victim when he edged the Australian skipper -- who bowls rarely but often with telling effect - to David Hussey at third slip.
Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam was disappointed to witness another middle-order collapse, with the senior players letting the side down.
''I don't think Australia got us out; I think we got ourselves out,'' he said.
Hauritz finished with figures of 2-25 from his 10-over spell. Andrew
Symonds chipped in with the wicket of Yasir Arafat, bowled through the gate, and Nathan Bracken, who changed gears to slow cutters to suit the conditions, also nabbed the important wicket of Kamran Akmal.
The fall of Akmal left Pakistan chasing 58 runs for victory from 85 deliveries, but the numbers kept moving against them and reached an extremely challenging run a ball with six overs to bowl.
From there the result was an inevitability, with Saeed Ajmal, the off-spinner reported to the International Cricket Council for a suspect action, not out nought at the death.
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