Pakistan end Australia's undefeated World Cup victory run

Pakistan win by 4 wickets, ending Australia's victory streak stretching back to the 1999 tournament.

COLOMBO: Pakistan defeated defending champions Australia by four wickets on Saturday to take top spot in World Cup Group A.

The win brought to an end Australia's 34-match unbeaten run at the World Cup, a streak stretching back to the 1999 tournament.

Earlier, reigning champions Australia were shot out for 176 runs in 47 overs.

End of live updates

Forty-first over

Krejza is bowling his last over.

Razzaq smashes one away for four.

And another one! Thats it! Pakistan have won the match!

Fortieth over

Lee bowls again. He has three overs left.

Two runs from the over. Pakistan are 169/6, just eight short of victory.

Thirty-ninth over

Krejza is now bowling his ninth over.

Five runs from the over. Pakistan are now 167/6.

Twitter buzz:

hasanmubarak hasanmubarak We love you #SriLankans for supporting us!!

canyewtell CanYouTell Razzaq doesn't know how to run! He runs like like an old lady!

Thirty-eighth over

Tait to Abdur Razzaq. Quick two runs, well run by the batsmen.

Razzaq slashes at a wide ball, edges and falls just short of Haddin.

Six runs from the over. Pakistan are now 162/6.

Pakistan requires 15 runs from 72 balls.

Thirty-seventh over

Krejza bowls a tight over. Just one run from it. Pakistan are 156/6.

Thirty-sixth over

Tait bowling his seventh over.

One run from it. Pakistan are 155/6.

Thirty-fifth over

Krejza continues.

Umar Akmal cuts one for four.

Pakistan are now 154/6.

Thirty-fourth over

Johnson continues.

Four runs from the over. Pakistan are 147/6.

Twitter buzz:

jehan_ara jehan_ara :( Why did he have to play that shot? Boom Boom you forget you are supposed to be the captain

AreElKay Rabab Khan Very disappointing performance Afridi. Aye tune ki kittah?

afshankhoja Afshan Khoja Oh well good o see you walk over afridi

Thirty-third over

Krejza continues. Afridi looks a little confused out there.

Afridi is gone! He tries to hit one away for six and Brett Lee takes the catch. Where does Pakistan go from here?

Pakistan are 143/6.

Thirty-second over

Johnson comes back into the attack.

Asad Shafique is caught at slip, just four short of his 50.

Shahid Afridi replaces Shafique.

Pakistan are 139/5.

Thirty-first over

Krejza bowls his fifth.

Smashed for six straight down the ground! Umar Akmal is going solid.

Pakistan are 138/4.

Thirtieth over

Now Umar Akmal opens with a four!

Johnson goes for five runs. Pakistan are 131/4.

Twenty-ninth over

Tait continues. Asad Shafiq opens the over with a four.

Five runs from the over. Pakistan are 126/4.

Twenty-eighth over

Johnson continues. Just two runs form the over.

Pakistan are 122/4.

Twenty-seventh over

Shaun Tait comes into the attack now. Ponting mixing things up a little now.

Just two runs from the over. Pakistan are 120/4.

Twenty-sixth over

Ponting brings Mitchell Johnson back into the attack.

Umar Akmal smashes Johnson for four.

Nine runs from the over. Pakistan are 118/4.

Twenty-fifth over

We are now at the halfway point. Brett Lee continues.

Umar Akmal smashes Lee for four.

Eight runs from the over. Pakistan are 109/4.

Twenty-fourth over

Krejza continues. Just three runs off the over.

Pakistan are 101/4.

Twenty-third over

Brett Lee is back into the attack.

Good move from Ponting! Younis Khan is gone caught behind! Younis Khan goes for 31.

Misbahul Haq replaces Khan. And he is gone first ball! Brett Lee is on a hattrick.

End of the over. Pakistan are 98/4.

Twenty-second over

Krejza bowls his third over. Four runs from it. Pakistan are 96/2.

Twenty-first over

Watson bowls.

Younis Khan edges one, first slip is missing and that one goes for four.

Younis Khan plays a cover drive and it goes for four again! Pakistan are steadily progressing towards the target.

Pakistan are now 92/2.

Twentieth over

Krejza is smack for four down the ground by Younis Khan. Lazy effort by Mitchell Johnson in trying to stop the ball from reaching the boundary.

Five runs from the over. Pakistan are 84/2.

Ninteenth over

Shane Watson bowls. Asad Shafiq edges one away for four.

Pakistan are now 79/2.

Can Pakistan take it from here? 99 runs required from 31 overs.

Eighteenth over

Jason Krejza comes into the attack. Australia turn to spin for a breakthrough.

Just one from the over, Pakistan are 73/2.

Seventeenth over

Watson bowls to Asad Shafiq.

Looks like Rameez Raja is also supporting Australia today. Yellow tie?

Just one run from the over, Pakistan are 72/2.

Sixteenth over

Shaun Tait opens the over with a wide ball.

Played well for three runs by Younis Khan.

Younis Khan smashes a full toss straight down the ground for four.

Nine runs from the over. Pakistan are 71/2.

Fifteenth over

Shane Watson bowls the first over after drinks.

Just three runs off the over. Pakistan are 62/2.

Fourteenth over

Shaun Tait comes into the attack.

Tait had picked up 23 wickets in the 2007 edition of the ICC World Cup.

Maiden over right there, the only exciting moment being the short ball bowled at the start of the over. Pakistan are 59/2.

And thats the drinks break.

Thirteenth over

Watson to Khan. We are into the third over of the Bowling Powerplay 14 runs off it so far.

Just two runs off the over. Pakistan have a run rate of 4.53.

Pakistan are 59/2.

Twelvth over

Johnson bowling to Asad Shafiq.

Asad Shafiq plays one on leg, that one almost makes it to the boundary, three runs taken.

Six runs from the over. Pakistan are now 57/2.

Eleventh over

Shane Watson comes into the attack.

Asad Shafiq works one away for four. Fifty up for Pakistan.

Six runs from the over.

Pakistan are now 51/2.

Tenth over

Mitchell Johnson into the attack. Maiden over. Pakistan are now 45/2.

Ninth over

Lee bowling to Kamran Akmal.

Smacked away for four on the first ball.

Asad Shafiq has injured himself grounding the bat. The physio is on the field for treatment. And he is back up again.

Lee is smacked for four once again. Two balls, eight runs.

Big shout for LBW! Kamran Akmal is given out and he has taken the review. The review goes for the on-field call and the decision stays. Akmal is gone for 23.

Younis Khan replaces Kamran Akmal. Pakistan are 45/2

Eighth over

Johnson bowls to Shafique (11) and Akmal (15).

Misfield on the last delivery sends the ball over the boundary for a four.

Pakistan are 37/1 and need 140 runs to win.

Seventh over

Lee bowls to Shafique and Akmal.

Couple of singles taken .

At the end of the over, Pakistan are 33/1 and need 144 to win.

Sixth over

Mitchell Johnson bowls to Shafique and K Akmal.

What  lovely four courtesy Akmal! We need more of those.

And another four from Akmal! Delivery bowled wide of stump and smacked away to the boundary.

At the end of the over, Pakistan are 30/1 and need 147 to win.

Fifth over

Lee bowls to Shafique and K Akmal.

Big LBW appeal by Australians for Akmal. Original decision is not out. Decision stays! That was close.

Maiden over! Pakistan 21/1

Fourth over

Tait bowls to Asad Shafique and K Akmal.

A fine shot by Shafique goes for four!

At the end of the over, Pakistan are 21/1 and need 156 runs to win

Twitter buzz:

SteveHealyyy BRETT LEE HAS COME OUT LIKE A MAN POSESSED- with a cricket ball. 

 

Nadir_Hassan Hafeez pre-emptively does Pakistan a favour for the quarters by showing what a terrible batsmen he is

 

EvoIX2NV Brett lee looks unplayable. Wicked balling #pakistan #australia#cwc2011 #cricket

Third over

Lee bowls to K Akmal (6)  and Hafeez (5) .

Hafeez is gone! Caught and bowled by Lee who made a rude gesture towards the end.

Pakistan are 12/1

Asad Shafique is the new man in facing formidable Lee.

Pakistan 13/1

Second over

Shaun Tait bowls to K Akmal and Hafeez. And Hafeez whacks the ball to the boundary for a four!

At the end of the over, Pakistan need 166 to win, and are 11/0.

First over

Brett Lee bowls to Kamran Akmal and Muhammad Hafeez.

And Kamran skies the ball over the boundary for a four!

The batsmen are involved in a mix-up! This is not good this early in the game guys.

Pakistan are 4/0

The four-time champions, unbeaten for 34 matches in the tournament dating back to 1999, struggled for momentum through out their innings after opting to bat first.

A 63-run second wicket stand between Brad Haddin (42) and captain Ricky Ponting (19), who failed once again with the bat, was the only notable partnership in the Australian innings. Paceman Umar Gul (3-30) bowled superbly with both the new and the old ball for the 1992 champions, who were the last team to defeat Australia in a World Cup match in 1999.

S. Watson b Umar Gul 9

B. Haddin c Kamran Akmal b Wahab Riaz 42

R. Ponting c Kamran Akmal b Mohammad Hafeez 19

M. Clarke b Abdul Razzaq 34 C. White run out 8

M. Hussey c Misbah-ul-Haq b Abdur Rehman 12

S. Smith b Shahid Afridi 25 M. Johnson c Kamran Akmal b Abdul Razzaq 0

B. Krejza b Umar Gul 7

B. Lee c Misbah-ul-Haq b Umar Gul 5

S. Tait not out 0

Extras: (lb-5 w-10) 15 Total: (all out; 46.4 overs) 176 Fall of wickets: 1-12 2-75 3-90 4-117 5-134 6-144 7-147 8-169 9-176

Bowling: Umar Gul 7.4-1-30-3 (1w), Abdur Rehman 10-0-34-1 (1w), Shahid Afridi 9-0-34-1 (1w), Wahab Riaz 6-0-39-1 (3w), Mohammad Hafeez 10-0-26-1, Abdul Razzaq 4-0-8-2. Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz.




End of first innings

47th over

Gul bowls to Tait and Lee.

Impressive bowling by Gul.

And Lee caught out by Younus! Thats the end of the Australian innings.

Twitter buzz:

samishah If i was a woman i would give my womb to Gul.

 

HumaImtiaz Marry me Gul. MARRY ME.

 

digitizingpros Australia scored their lowest total in a world cup since 1992. Good job Green!

nadinesammy I can't really believe the Aussie batting collpase, maybe I should be watching this match

 

Adnan1903 Whats Bothams problem with Afridi's celebration? What a sore loser he is. @wasimakramlive please knock some sense into him.

NabihaChauhdry OH MY GOD! :D MORE CATASTROPHIC THAN THE JAPAN QUAKES WERE THE GREEN SHIRTS FOR THE ASHES :D

46th over

Afridi bowls to Smith(24)  and Lee (4) . Batting Powerplay taken for remaining over.

Afridi strikes! Smith bowled out

Shaun Tait is the new man in

Australia are 176/9

Twitter buzz:

whodamac he track is dodgy, wait for Tait and Lee

 

wnabcreative whoever win between Pak and Aus will finish 1st from GB, so they most likely gonna met WI in quarter.

 

Kaution01 Umar Gul is my fav bowler , Afridi fav batsman

 

CougarJacques That Krejza dismissal would have been perfect had the middle stump cartwheeled ;-) Brett Lee - my fave #aus cricketer

 

45th over

Gul bowls to Smith and Krejza.

Gul bowls Krejza out on 7! What a wonderful delivery.

Brett Lee is the new man in.

And he whacks a four! Good start by Lee.

At the end of the over, Australia 173/8

44th over

Afridi bowls to Krejza and Smith (24 off 26 balls).

At the end of the over, Australia are 167/7

43rd over

Gul bowls to Krejza and Smith.

Smith times a beautiful boundary! And thats a four for the kanagaroos. Afridi looks very upset.

Australia are 163/7

42nd over

Rehman bowls to Krejza and Smith.

At the end of the over, Australia are 155/7

Twitter update:

cricketbetting Good stuff so far from Pakistan. You know they're off if Kamran can catch

 

Ifi_Ali Pakistan were last team to beat Australia in 1999. We are on course to take back that record today Inshallah

 

LFCiaran Would love to see Australia lose for the first time in 35 World Cup matches or whatever it is...

41st over

Razzaq bowls Krejza and Smith.

Australia are playing a defensive game, no big hits.

At the end of the over, Australia are 149/7

40th over

Rehman bowls to Krejza and Smith.

At the end of the over, Australia are 148/7

39th over

Razzaq bowls to Johnson and Smith.

Two runs off the first ball, dot ball follows.

And Johnson caught behing by Akmal on zero runs! Keep the wickets tumbling Greens! You're on fire.

Jason Krejza is the new man in.

At the end of the over, Australia are 147/7

38th over

Rehman bowls to Smith (6) and Hussey (12).

And Hussey's been caught out by Misbah!

Lovely stuff, Greens! Micthell Johnson is the new man in.

Australia are looking shaky, 144/6

Here's the Twitter buzz:

SerepticuS Chacha cricket has been jet-skiing around Columbo (via Wasim Akram) HAH rock on ;)

 

WajihaSaid Misbah it would be nice if one of those dives actually resulted in stopping a ball!

 

RDMZN Brad Haddin - nasty piece of work. hope he finally gets reprimanded for his behaviour. Remember the Benn incident which he caused

 

abkhan121m ChaCha Cricket Is Very Happy

 

tammyhaq PRESSUREEE keep it on

 

INDEPENDENT_MG Clarke out, AUS position now upgraded to 'precarious' by #tms 131-5. But beer and football are now calling me, seductively

 

Sohailyy Whys afridi shouting out his squad! Pakistan are playing great

37th over

Razzaq bowls to Smith and Hussey.

One run of the over so far, Razzaq is showing us some lovely bowling.

Single to end the over and Australia are now 142/5

36th over

Rehman bowls o Smith (3) and Hussey (10).

At the end of the over, Australia are 140/5

 

35th over

Fast bowler Abdur Razzaq bowls his first over of the innings.

And Razzaq has bowled Clarke out on 34 runs!

What a beautiful delivery. Steven Smith is the new man in.

Australia are are 136/5

Twitter update:

muntaqa Muntaqa Peracha  Inspired bowling change from #Afridi; #Razzaq does the trick with his notorious in-cutter! #Pakistan #CWC2011

 

iShahnaz Bets on Hussey being done in by Umar Gul, soon. Anyone?

 

 

omizzz Australia is just a ferocious side. Batting to balling till fielding....All aspects of cricket covered.

 

kaflec now mike hussey, he is like superglue #needwicket
WajihaSaid Afridi should really get a wicket. Must maintain the highest wicket taker in the tournament status

 

aamer_mehmood This batting pair should be removed ASAP! #cwc2011

34th over

Rehman bowls to Clarke and Hussey.

At the end of the over, Australia are 134/4

 

33rd over

Hafeez bowls to Clarke and Hussey.

As Asad Shafique lunges to get the ball, Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja say they are impressed with Team Green's fielding today. Good going, boys! That's a bit of rare praise.

At the end of the over, Australia are 130/4

32nd over

Afridi bowls the over to Clarke (27) and Hussey (2).

Four runs of the over

Australia are 125/4

 

31st over

Hafeez bowls to Haddin and White.

And White run out after Misbah throws the ball to Akmal at the stumps!

Michael Hussey is the new man in.

At the end of the over, Australia are 121/4

Twitter reactions:

hannah_itfc Good bit of wicketkeeping + Kamran Akmal = Words I never thought I'd hear.

 

BulldogShane Akmal appeals for anything that isn't byes.

 

AftabIrshad #hafeez going very well #rehman need to learn something from him

 

DrAwab Pakistani team needs to learn to SING its NATIONAL ANTHEM PROUDLY !!!

 

beefman138 Afridi's bowling is just like Chris Harris' bowling. How on earth does he keep a low run-rate with such tripe?  #HitTheBuggerForSix!

30th over

Afridi bowls to Clarke and White.

Singles taken on first three deliveries. Where's the wicket taking magic?

At the end of the over, Australia are 117/3

 

29th over

Hafeez bowls to Clarke (22) and White (4) .

28th over

Afridi bowls to Clarke and White.

Two runs off the second delivery.

At the end of the over, Australia are 107/3

27th over

Hafeez bowls to Clarke and White.

At the end of the over, Australia are 102/3

Twitter update:

SerepticuS Come one #Pakistan! Make #Australia beg for EVERY inch... for EVERY single run!

 

kurtrudder Nate Hornblower  #cwc2011 gotta love that stat, Australia unbeaten in their past 34 world cup matches

 

kishoremurari Kishore Murari  im sure #pak would give more than 100 in last 10 ovr and hey will loose the match as well #CWC2011
imsabbah Sabbah Haji  Aye haye, Waqar Younis in dashing sleeveless. Glared at Umar Guland he ek dum got up and said he's okay. #SlightlyFakeNews

26th over

Hafeez bowls to Clarke (14) and White (2) . Wide bowled on first ball.

Second delivery races to the boundary for four.

Australia make 100 runs!

At the end of the over, the scorecard is 100/3

 

25th over

Hafeez bowls to Cameron White (new man on the crease) and Clarke.

At the end of the over, Australia are 93/3

Here's the Twitter buzz:

SerepticuS Come one #Pakistan! Make #Australia beg for EVERY inch... for EVERY single run!

 

 

HumaImtiaz AKMAL! AKMAL? AKMAL! WAIT WHAT.

 

24th over

Riaz bowls to Haddin and Clarke.

And Haddin is caught behind by Akmal!

What a splendid delivery and an important wicket. Haddin gone for 42 runs. Akmal's gloves have lost their springs!

Australia are 92/3 at the end of the over

23rd over

Hafeez bowls to Clarke and Haddin.

No run on the first ball. Single taken by by Haddin.

At the end of the over, Australia are 89/2

22nd over

Riaz bowls to Clarke (6) and Haddin (40). Hope this over is better for him.

At the end of he over, Australia are 87/2

21st over

Hafeez bowls to Haddin and Clarke.

At the end of the over, Australia are 83/1

20th over

Riaz bowls to new man in Michael Clarke and Haddin (37).

One single followed by a few dot balls.

And the last balls gets away for a four! Poor Riaz, he's been unlucky today.

At the end of the over, Australia are 82/2

19th over

Hafeez bowls to Haddin and Ponting (19).

And Ponting out!!! Caught behind by Kamran Akmal! The original decision given by the umpire has been reversed. That was clearly out.

Australia are 76/2 at the end of the over

Twitter update:

mirza9 See ya later ponting!!!!!!! Hahahahaha!!!!!!! Wooooooooohoooooooooooooooooo!!!! #pakistan way to barely hold on akmal!

 

Nadir_Hassan Waiting for all the Wahab Riaz hate to come pouring out. Remember, it's not his fault that Afridi chose him for the match.

 

mirza9 Colleague when he saw Ponting was on strike: "Khargosh aa gaya khargosh! Khargosh lagta hai, masoom sa."

 

mirza9 Has any team ever used more bowlers in the first 15 overs than Afridi has today?

18th over

Afridi bowls to the over to Haddin and Ponting.

Commentators note that Afridi is bowling the slowest he's bowled in the entire tournament.

At the end of the over, Australia are 73/1

17th over

Hafeez bowls to Haddin and Ponting.

At the end of the over, Australia are 71/1

16th over

Afridi bowls to Haddin (32) and Ponting (16). No runs taken on first two deliveries.

Afridi and Akmal appeal for an LBW but the umpire is not convinced.

Australia are 70/1

15th over

Mohammad Hafeez bowls to Haddin (30) and Ponting (15).

At the end of the over, Australia are 67/1

14th over

Wahab Riaz bowls the over to Haddin (28) and Ponting (6).

Ponting skies the ball over the keeper's head for a four! Looked like it was going to be a six. Come on greens, time for a wicket. Australia are looking comfortable here.

Ponting hits a "majestic" (in the words of Ramiz Raja) cover drive for four on the last ball!

Riaz has had an expensive over (12 runs)

Australia are 64/1 at the end of the over

13th over

Afridi bowls to Haddin and Ponting. Single taken by Ponting.

Wow, the next ball is whacked away for a four by Haddin!

At the end of the over, the kangaroos are 52/1

 

12th over

Wahab Riaz bowls the over to Haddin and Ponting.

Single of the first ball. Another single.

And Haddin smacks the ball away for a four!

The runs are piling for the Kangaroos.

And another ball runs towards the boundary, Asad Shafiq makes a quick slide to stop it and the batsmen run 2.

At the end of the over, Australia are 47/1

 

11th over

Skipper Afridi bowls his first over. Come on, Boom Boom! Shake those stumps.

Powerplay has been taken.

At the end of the over, Australia are 37/1

10th over

Rehman bowls to Haddin  and Ponting.

One run off the over.

Australia are 36/1

Ninth over

Gul bowls to Haddin and Ponting. Wide signalled by umpire, and it runs off to the boundary for four!

This is not good.

Big appeal by Gul for LBW on next delivery but umpire is not convinced.

Haddin whacks the last ball on the boundary for four!

At the end of the over, Australia are 35/1

Here's a Twitter update:

alexlobov The Aussies don't need to actually make runs. They're relying on Ponting's ego to magically inflate their final score. IDIOTS

 

HumaImtiaz YAAR Akmal.

 

mirza9 My boss is looking at me with an expression that says, "this kid has no shame." He's right.

Eighth over

Rehman bowls to Haddin and Ponting. Single taken on first delivery.

Fifth delivery is a wide.

At the end of the over, Australia are 23/1

Seventh over

Gul bowls the over to Haddin and Ponting. No runs taken on first three deliveries.

Good over by Gul! Just one run given. Australia are 21/1

Sixth over

Rehman bowls the over to Haddin and Ponting. And Haddin skies that for a six! What a powerful hit, he's scored 8 runs so far.

At the end of the over, Australia are 20/1

 

Fifth over

Umar Gul bowls to Watson and Haddin. And he bowls Shane Watson out after making 9 runs! What a fantastic delivery that was. This is big wicket for Pakistan,

Captain Ponting aka Grumpy face comes to the crease.

Australia are 12/1 at the end of the over

Here's some Twitterciation for Gul's fantastic wicket:

Nadir_Hassan As happy as I am that Umar Gul got a wicket, what makes this truly delightful is that he got the Eva Braun of cricket out.

 

mirza9 Oh lovely stuff from Gul. Upended!

 

HumaImtiaz Oh Gully, you beautiful, beautiful bowler.

 

Fourth over

Rehman bowls to Haddin and Watson.

At the end of the over, Australia are 10/0

Here's the Twitter buzz:

Nadir_Hassan Well, I guess Umar Gul's match is over which means we'll have the honour of losing to South Africa in the quarters

 

HumaImtiaz Pakistan loses toss, is going to bowl first. Pakistanis, time to pray that Kamran Akmal hasnt dipped into his Xanax supply.

 

Nadir_Hassan Forget sentimentality. Wahab Riaz is a better choice than Shoaib Akhtar. But expect lost of revisionism about Shoaib today

 

Akhido_Blaque This should be a cracker... Australia has won the toss and will bat first against Pakistan

 

msarosh Fact that Afridi said they've won the toss not the match without even being asked, tells you they're under pressure

 

WajihaSaid Pakistan vs. Australia. here we go! here we go! here we go! *glues self to the idiot box*

 

Hinasafi RT @MudassarAlvi: again i repeat i am disappointed like anything seeing No Rawalpindi express in the team

 

Third over

Fast bowler Gul bowls to Haddin and Watson. Gul seems to be in pain, the physiotherapist was called onto the pitch to examine the injury. Hope its nothing serious, we need the Gulldozer!

Watson takes a single.

At the end of the over, Australia are 8/0

Second over

Left arm spinner Abdur Rehman bowls to Watson and Haddin. Watson smacks a delivery to the boundary for a four!

LBW appeal by Rehman bowling to Watson, umpire's original devision is not out but the bowler has asked for a review. And the original decision stands.

At the end of the over, Australia are 6/0

 

First over

Fast bowler Umar Gul opens the bowling for Pakistan. Batsmen Brad Haddin and Shane Watson are opening for Australia.

The Australian team remains unchanged since the last Group match.

At the end of the over, Australia are 1/0

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, spinner Saeed Ajmal and opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad are not playing this match. Wasim Akram says he would have played Akhtar as he is a "match winning bowler".

A Star Cricket reporter says Colombo has "been painted green" by enthusiastic Pakistani fans who are cheering their support for team Green.

While Australia are the only team to have won all their matches in World Cup 2011, their victories have not come easy. Captain Ricky Ponting has been labelled "Mr Grumpy" by the Indian Express, who speculate that a win against Pakistan could turn Ponting's frown upside down.

Pakistan, on the other hand have had a topsy turvy ride to the quarter finals. Having lost only to New Zealand, the team's fielding and opening batsmen have been heavily criticised for poor performances.

While the Kangaroos are formidable opponents, Pakistan can take some relief from the fact that they were also the last team to beat Australia in a World Cup match, at Headingley in 1999.

Here's the probably squad (courtey cricinfo.com):

Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Steven Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Jason Krejza, 11 Shaun Tait

Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbahul Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Abdur Rehman, 11 Wahab Riaz

Here are some quotes from Hindustan Times:

"Pakistan are a dangerous side," said Ponting "They’ve beaten Sri lanka here. They have a number of match-winners. Afridi and Gul are their standout players," he told reporters in Colombo.

"The Australians are very tough both mentally and physically but we know how to tackle them," Afridi told reporters. "We will come out with something new to beat them tomorrow," he added.

Here's the Twitter buzz:

sharmeenochinoy Sharmeen Obaid  #Colombo festive & ready for #Pakistancricket match today almost feels like home everyone wearing green and there are so many of us here!

keshyperion Rooting for Aus today. Only India should end the Aus winning streak.

 

farvaB Apparently no racist banners allowed inside stadium. Is " halal kangaroo meat" racist?

 

ShirazHassan Shiraz Hassan  Pakistan will play Quarter final against South Africa or West Indies.

 

BlackSky4 AnjaNa_AjNabi­ ­ Best of Luck my Greem Team ­

 

adeelatwork Adeel Suhail Jafrani  Can someone pls tell Hamid Mir to talk abt cricket and not abt politics and possible of match fixing in #pakvsaus

 

siDDki Basit SiDiKi  #Pakistan Vs #Australia Today. Would be a High Voltage Drama