A lionhearted effort by Pakistan’s bowlers powered the 2009 champions to a 16-run win over Australia in a high-scoring World Twenty20 match in Mirpur on Sunday. PHOTO: AFP
Umar Akmal smashed 94 off 54 balls as Pakistan bounced back after a morale-sapping loss against India to defeat Australia by 16 runs in the World Twenty20 in Dhaka on Sunday.
Umar’s elder brother, Kamran Akmal, contributed a run-a-ball 31 and Shahid Afridi remained unbeaten on 20 off 11 balls to lift Pakistan to 191 for five after being sent in to bat.
Australia were bowled out for 175 in reply, with the last wicket falling on the final ball of the match, despite a spectacular third-wicket partnership of 118 from 64 balls between Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch.
Maxwell hit 74 off 33 balls with six sixes and seven boundaries, while Finch chipped in with 65 that included two sixes and seven fours.
The pair came together after 35-year-old left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who opened the bowling, dismissed David Warner and Shane Watson in the first over to make it eight for two.
Maxwell and Finch launched a brilliant counter-attack to raise Australia’s 100 by the eighth over, with Maxwell contributing 58 off 20 balls.
Seamer Bilawal Bhatti conceded 30 runs in the eighth over, giving away two sixes and three fours, besides bowling a waist-high full toss that fetched five extra runs.
A relieved Pakistan finally saw Maxwell off in the 12th over when he attempted to sweep Shahid Afridi and holed out to Ahmed Shehzad on the square-leg fence.
Afridi also bowled skipper George Bailey for four as Australia lost their last seven wickets lost for 29 runs.
Umar showed his real talent today: Hafeez
Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said the plan to attack from the start paid off.
“I think were were a bit defensive against India, but today [Sunday] the boys went out and expressed themselves,” said Hafeez. “Umar showed his real talent today [Sunday].
“We wanted him to attack and that’s what he did. It is good to have a win under our belts. It gives us the confidence for the matches to come.”
Australian skipper George Bailey said poor catching let his team down.
“Batting and bowling can go either way, but fielding was in our hands,” he said. “We’ve set high standards and we didn’t do well today.
“Pakistan bowled really well and did not allow us to build on the momentum that Maxwell and Finch created.”
The Akmal brothers put on 96 for the third wicket after Pakistan were reduced to 25 for two by the fifth over, losing the key wickets of Ahmed Shehzad and Hafeez. Umar Akmal hit four sixes and nine boundaries before he fell in the final over, caught on the fence attempting another big hit off Mitchell Starc.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2014.
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Australia team is a joke.
That's aggression was missing in Team Green playing against India. Hope they will keep the heart bigger playing against other teams too.
Good that we win and so appears the atmosphere here at this comment column neat and clean totally free of pollution from east side of the country which otherwise would have overwhelmed the environment here much to the pride of the liberal ET
Well played Pakistan, need to remain positive and be consistent.