Aussie win sends India out
Mike Hussey hit an important 64
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By Lewis Bazley. |  |
Wednesday, 30, Sep 2009 04:26
By Will Haine.
Australia qualified for the Champions Trophy semi-final stage after they crept to a dramatic last ball win against Pakistan, and knocked India out of the competition in the process.
Defending just 205 runs, Pakistan made a spirited fight-back reducing Australia from 157-3 to 187-8, before Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz scraped the win, which sees both teams progress to the semi-finals.
The Aussies' victory means they top Group A and will now play England yet again in their semi-final at Centurion Park on Friday.
Pakistan will meet Group B winners New Zealand at The Wanderers on Saturday.
Younis Khan's men limped to 205-6 from their 50 overs against Australia, thanks to some tight bowling and some unimaginative batting.
Mohammad Yousuf (45), Kamran Akmal (44) and Misbah-ul-Haq (41) weighed in with sizable contributions, but Pakistan never really got going and Mitchell Johnson (2-45) proved to be their chief nuisance.
Australia set about their run-chase in positive fashion, with Tim Paine (29) and Shane Watson (24) taking the attack to the Pakistani bowlers from the first delivery.
Captain Ricky Ponting played a watchful knock before he was dismissed by Shoaib Malik for 32, while Mike Hussey expressed himself at the other end; top-scoring with a fluent 64.
When Callum Ferguson was sent back to the pavilion, Australia were still coasting, but an awesome bowling display by Rana Naved(1-39), Saeed Ajmal (2-31) and Mohammad Asif (2-34) almost snatched an unlikely victory.
The toss this morning was won by Ponting, who chose to field, citing that the amount of rain in recent days would provide assistance for the bowlers.
Pakistan opted to partner Akmal at the top of the order with the unpredictable Shahid Afridi, but the decision failed to have the desired affect, and Afridi was out to Johnson 15.
Akmal was next to go, chopping Watson (2-32) onto his stumps, and the captain, Younis, soon followed when he holed out to mid-on off the bowling of Johnson.
Malik (27), Yousuf, and Misbah then all looked comfortable at the crease, but they lacked urgency in the middle overs with plenty of wickets still intact and finally laboured to 205.
Paine and Watson quickly put on 44 for the first wicket, before Umar Gul had Watson caught behind after he had scored a rapid 24.
The skipper then joined Paine (29) at the crease, but the young wicketkeeper was trapped in-front by the menacing Afridi with the 59 runs on the board.
Ponting looked assured, but went to Malik after Gul took a stunning tumbling catch on the leg-side boundary.
Next to go was Ferguson, who was cleaned-up by absolute ripper from Saaed Ajmal.
Australia were beginning to get nervous, and things got worse when Hussey was yorked by Rana Naved with 31 runs still required. Things were to get even worse when James Hopes hit an Asif delivery straight down the throat of mid-off.
Asif then did for Cameron White, with a wonderful reverse-swinger and, all of a sudden, the Aussies had lost three wickets for only two runs.
Johnson was Ajmal's next victim, before some gutsy batting from Lee and Hauritz saw Australia to the win, and a shot at place in the Champions Trophy final.