#CWC15: Australia down Pakistan to set up tasty India clash

Joy Chakravarty 14:46 20/03/2015
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  • Hitting big: Under-fire Shane Watson guided the team home with 64 not out.

    ADELAIDE — Australia dodged a bullet against Pakistan and booked their semi-final spot in the 2015 World Cup with a six-wicket victory, for which they had to battle hard.

    What was looking like the most banal match of the tournament after an extremely inept batting display from Pakistan, burst into life with Wahab Riaz unleashing a most hostile spell of fast bowling which had the Australian batsmen hopping likes kangaroos in distress.

    After setting up a modest target of 214, Pakistan roared back into the match when Riaz dismissed David Warner with the third ball of his first over, and then captain Michael Clarke with the fourth ball of his second over.

    With Aaron Finch falling leg before to Sohail Khan earlier, Australia were 59-3. And somehow, the two wickets, coupled with the sight of Shane Watson, just seemed to fire up Riaz even more.

    The 29-year-old from Lahore was earlier riled by Mitchell Starc while batting. After he was beaten by an away-swinger, the Australian walked up to the batsman and told him the colour of the ball. Riaz did not appreciate the information much, and it showed up when he was bowling.

    It was six overs that spread terror. On a pitch that had some appreciable carry but was essentially a batting beauty, Riaz kept the length short and tested the survivor skills of both Watson and Steve Smith. He consistently bowled around the 145kmph mark, and his fastest delivery was a 150kmph. Watson was struck on the finger or the handle of his bat three times, while he had to take evasive action on nine of the 24 balls he faced in that spell.

    The plan to bowl short at Watson almost worked out for Riaz, when on the first ball of his fifth over, Watson edged an intended hook straight to Rahat Ali at fine leg, who dropped a sitter. Watson was on four and Australia on 83, and the result of the match could have been completely different had he held on to it.

    Watson could make only three unconvincing scoring shots he faced in that Riaz spell. The pressure was so intense on the batsmen, and captain Misbah-ul Haq started suffocating them more by donning the helmet himself and fielding at forward short-leg.

    To the credit of Watson and Smith, they did see through the Riaz spell of 6-0-24-2 without any further loss of wicket. Watson went on to make an unbeaten 64 (66 balls, 7×4, 1×6) and Smith (65, 69b, 7×4) was adjudged leg before to Ehsan Adil, but they added 89 crucial runs for the fourth wicket. It was then left for Glenn Maxwell to muscle out 44 runs in 29 balls to ensure the co-hosts advance in the tournament.

    When Pakistan batted, seven of their players managed to score 15 or more, which showed that they got the time to get their eyes in, but the top score was still 41 by Haris Sohail.

    Apart from a partnership of 73 runs for the third wicket between Sohail (41, 57b, 4×4) and captain Misbah-ul Haq (34, 59b, 1×4, 2×6), there were no decent stands throughout the innings.

    For Australia, Josh Hazlewood, who was drafted into the side in place of Pat Cummins, took 4-35, while Starc regained his placed as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament (18 wickets, one more than India’s Mohammad Shami) with figures of 3-40.

    Australia will now take on India in the second semi-final, to be played at Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday, March 26.

    However, it was right-arm seamer Sohail Khan who gave Pakistan an opening by trapping Aaron Finch leg-before in the third over. Wahab, brought into the attack in the ninth over as the fourth bowler, struck with his third legal delivery by having the dangerous Warner caught at third man for 24.

    Wahab removed Clarke in his next over as the Australian captain fended at a short ball and lobbed an easy catch to Sohaib Maqsood close to the wicket on the on-side.

    Watson was greeted to the wicket with a barrage of short-pitched deliveries from the fired-up Wahab, one of which nearly cost him his wicket when he was on four. The all-rounder hooked a bouncer high to fine-leg where Rahat got under the ball but dropped the catch to loud groans from the Pakistani fielders and supporters in the packed stands.

    The pressure eased as a tiring Wahab was taken off after his sixth over, allowing Smith and Watson to build a partnership. The pair stayed together till the 27th over, taking the total to 148 for three, when seamer Ehsan Adil broke through by having Smith leg-before as the batsman missed an attempted flick.
    Wahab, returning to the attack in the 29th over, almost claimed another wicket with his second delivery back as Maxwell top-edged a pull, but Sohail Khan failed to hold the ball at third man. Maxwell sent Australia cruising to victory with a typically aggressive knock before Watson hit the clinching boundary, with Pakistan left ruing the lack of runs on the board by their batsmen.

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