DUBAI: Pakistan's one-off T20 against Australia turned out a drab affair after an inauspicious batting performance by the hosts saw them crash to a six-wicket defeat at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Batting first the new look Pakistan top order including Awais Zia and Umer Amin on international comebacks and Saad Nasim on debut mustered a disappointing score of 96 for 9 in the allotted 20 overs.
Nasim top-scored with a boundary less 25 while Wahab Riaz chipped in with 16. Glenn Maxwell-the part time off-spinner took three wickets.
In reply an unbeaten 53 by David Warner helped the tourists complete an easy win.
Raza Hasan took two early wickets but the score was never going to challenge the Aussies who completed the win in the 14th over.
Besides Hasan, Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi took a wicket apiece for the green shirts who were a massive disappointment for a 25000 strong crowd who were rooting for the hosts
Correction: Earlier Glenn Maxwell was mistakenly identified as David Warner in the photo.
COMMENTS (33)
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how will they deal with 50 overs?
what was the fault of 20,000 people at stadium, pathetic show.....
Let,the cricket begin, leave politics outside the stadium resume in whatever slogans you believe in. Let's enjoy sport for what it is. A good well and fairly fought out game. May the better team win though I am a diehard Pak fan.
Even Australian supporters were saying Go Nawaz Go. See for yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDX0ern1DgY
Our cricket will never improve unless we take equal interest in improving our fielding....this is the only area which compensates any weakness in the area of batting or bowling...why we do not attach importance to this important area is a mystery....? watch all other better teams and one can easily observe the quality of fielding....why we do not learn from their field placements and techniques....? because we think we are better ? Our such arrogance and attitude of " we know all " will always make our team the most unpredictable team in the world. We will never be able to be a world class team....never, if we continue to be a SNOB.
Can someone tell me why Fawad Alam was not selected.??? What others did which he could not have done.
We can make all the excuses and blame everybody but the actual players. The fact is Afridi and his boys cut down to size by a better team.
Sad to say but everything in Pakistan has become out of control and political. The coaches and selectors are not perfect but they cannot come and play instead of the players. The great leader and greatest all-rounder Afridi failed miserably yet again. Those who have brought game into politics and politics in the game should be ashamed. We are not presenting a good picture of Pakistan in the world.
A "postive" loss for a "positive" captain. A lesson for all those who believe Afridi's approach is right for Pakistan. Afridi's approach is not even right for him, much less for Pakistan. He has a poor losing record as captain and this will continue until he will abruptly and childishly resign again. Just you wait and see. What's worse is he is a bad example for the younger talented batsmen like Umar Akmal who try to copy his style, only to be met with the same bad results as Afridi's stats show. Sadly as a nation we think Afridi is a better captain than Misbah who has a clear winning record as a captain in all forms of cricket, as well as great personal stats.Misbah wins by example whereas Afridi fails by example, yet we don't learn our lessons.
Sending people away is not a substitute for reform. The system needs reforming, performance will follow.
Poor Australians were probably confused. In a sports event it will go and score or make a run.
@Iqbal Hadi Zaidi: I was there inside the Stadium, people were less interested in the Match and non stop chanting "GO NAWAZ GO". Australian fielders were bewildered if they are in a Cricket Ground or in a Political gathering. Even the Australian spectators were chanting "GO NAWAZ GO"....:)
Waqar never had the ability to be a coach or a leader. He should've just stuck to giving bowling tips.
And really, he can't help with Pakistan's batting. Bowling isn't even the problem here.
Stop watching cricket UNLESS its the Pakistan Girls team playing......because they perform and play cricket.
How exactly are Pakistan 'hosts' when the game is held in Dubai, UAE?
I had different ideas about our team.I was absolutely wrong.This performance broadly reflects the moral of the people of Pakistan under current dispensation.
@Iqbal Hadi Zaidi: Did you take the CSS exam or were you a lateral entrant?
Really sad to see this performance I suupose we are using available talent. Certainly miss gul,Hafeez and ajmal. Certainly target was rather low but tomorrow(rather day after) is another day good luck boys.
@sami:
Grand flower is the batting coach and it was batting yet again which failed.
This is a conspiracy by BCCI and Big 3! They don't want Pakistan to win. India is behind all this.
@Iqbal Hadi Zaidi: It's despicable behavior . It was few trolls who obviously have no idea about the principle of keeping sports desperate from politics .
Overwhelming crowd was changing 'Pakistan Zindanad' - as they should.
By the way, why do you keep stressing that you were a former diplomat?!?!! Did you come through CSS or were you a lateral entrant from the army???
Please correct the photo caption. It's not David Warner in the photo, since he is left-handed. I think that's Glenn Maxwell.
@Iqbal Hadi Zaidi: With our team's performance, the attitude of Pakistani spectators is also humiliating. The expatriate Pakistanis who are cleaning their dirty laundry in front of other nations should be ashamed of themselves. Who should govern us and who should resign is our internal matter and we should solve it within our boundaries, Outside, we should stand united as one nation. You should watch Indians who irrespective of their political differences stood with their Prime Minister and welcomed him with open arms whereas Pakistani taxi drivers in New York had signs against their own Prime Minister. Shame on you for enjoying your own humiliation.
Someone at the helm like Shahryar sahib ought bring in his coaches and ask perhaps implore what are they teaching these guys. The shots they all got out on were so pedestrian and technically flawed that they were lucky to break a 50 run mark. As a matter of fact there were a lot of leg bye's and wides that accounted for a good percentage if the unenviable final score.
Don't get me wrong I am for the younger players but so technically flawed? Waqar, Andy Flower and mushy the reject have to be run out of town!
Did Shahid Afridi give Eid gift to us as he boasted off before start of the match? Shame on Afridi for not even reaching to double figure and that too at the time when our ship was more than half already sunk and you instead of playing captain's innings played like playing a street match. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi
No prays for cricket team ever,, 1992 world cup victory has become curse instead blessing we should abondon this sport in Pakistan..!!
As PTI fan; I will suggest "GO AFRIDI GO"; Afridi has dishearten his fans on Eid
waqar younis as coach is giving bad performance ; it is time now "GO WAQAR GO" now.
The collapse wasn't unexpected. Perhaps our men team could learn something from our Ladies Team that keeps striving and succeeding. Afridi should have been put to pasture a long time ago.
Our "parchi eleven" batted as expected. Let's see if they get defeated by 7 or more wickets.
Unbelievable must be believed. Just now at ARY TV I heard all people saying GO NAWAZ GO in stadium in Dubai watching 1st T 20 match between Australia and Pakistan. What next than may be tomorrow at Eid people instead of greeting with Eid Munbarak greet each other with GONAWAZ GO. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Former Diplomat