Whitewash threatens: Australia win second in a row to take ODI series

Worryingly familiar story as batting collapse leads to Pakistan downfall.

Australia defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the second ODI in Dubai to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Misbahul Haq opted to bat first, anticipating turn later on in the game on what seemed to be a spin-friendly track. However, despite a 126-run stand by the experimental opening pair of Ahmed Shehzad and Sarfaraz Ahmed, Pakistan were only able to post a 215-run total after yet another poor showing by the middle order.

The innings was a tale of two halves as the first 25 overs went for 126-0, while the next 25 went for 89-10. The century opening stand was Pakistan’s first since Muhammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed made 141 against India on January 3, 2013; a run that stretches 43 matches. However, it made for bleak reading after that as wickets fell at regular intervals and runs dried up as batsmen looked to consolidate but got out after taking their time. Misbahul Haq and Fawad Alam were the two main culprits, making 15 off 29 and 20 off 39 respectively. Asad Shafiq would also be disappointed at throwing away his wicket with a rash shot after making 29.

Mitchell Johnson was the pick of the Australian bowlers with figures of 3-40 but was not at his usual threatening self. Misbah had said on Thursday that his batsmen ‘know how to cope with the bowlers they play against’ but that did not seem to be the case as all of Johnson’s three wickets were down to poor shot selection.

Perhaps the biggest indictment of Pakistan’s batting display was that Sarfaraz, often left out of the side for not being up to the mark with the bat, was the highest run scorer for Pakistan in the innings and also leads the charts for them in the series.

Defending the meagre total, Pakistan troubled the Australian batsmen early on, with debutant Raza Hasan coaxing an edge out of Aaron Finch in the first over that fell just short of Umar Akmal at slip. Finch eventually edged Muhammad Irfan to the keeper and when Sarfaraz also caught Steven Smith off Zulfiqar Babar’s bowling to make it 39-2, it seemed that Australia would make a meal out of the small total.

However, that was not to be as Glenn Maxwell played a telling 76-run knock off just 81 balls before falling to Babar. Brad Haddin and James Faulkner then added 39 to finish off the chase with 40 balls to spare.

The defeat is Pakistan’s 19th loss to the team from down under in the last decade, having won just five times in 24 meetings between the two. With the World Cup in Australia round the corner, team management and players must go back to the drawing board to address the problems that have been plaguing the team for a while now.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2014.

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