Spinners held their nerve in crucial moments to snatch a breathtaking 16-run victory for Pakistan over Australia, keeping the former champions alive in the ICC World Twenty20 at Mirpur on Sunday. Set a target of 192 runs, Australia seemed coasting when Glen Maxwell hit a blistering 74 off 33 balls and shared 118 runs with Aaron Finch for the third wicket before Pakistan spinners slowly regained the control.
Shahid Afridi somehow managed to stop the onslaught of Maxwell, who struck seven fours and six sixes in his maiden Twenty20 fifty, and then bowled George Bailey to bring a twist in what looked like a straightforward chase for Australia otherwise.
Saeed Ajmal swung the game decisively to Pakistan’s way in the 18th over by uprooting the leg stump of Finch, who made 65 from 54 balls. Ajmal conceded just one run in six balls of the over to leave Australia needing 30 runs in the last two overs.
This was too much of on asking for the Australian tail in a pressure-cooker situation and they succumbed finally having been dismissed for 175 runs in the last over of the innings.
All-rounder Bilawal Bhatti claimed two wickets in the last over to finish with 2-36 as Australia lost their last eight wickets for 49 runs.
Sent in to bat first, Pakistan thought they had enough total as man-of-the-match Umar Akmal powered them to 191-5 with his career best 94 from 54 balls, but Maxwell, with his sheer power-hitting, made it almost irrelevant.
Pakistan sprung a surprise by opening the bowling with unheralded Zulfiqar Babar, the 35-year-old left-arm spinner, who replaced Junaid Khan from the squad that lost to arch-rivals India by seven wickets in their first match.
The strategy brought rich dividends as Babar bowled opener David Warner and made one-down Shane Watson a catch of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal in the first over to stun Australia.
Finch and Maxwell steadied the innings and launched a counter-attack soon to leave the Pakistani bowlers in complete disarray. Bhatti bore the burnt, giving away 30 runs in his first over as Maxwell blazed his way to fifty off just 18 balls, the fourth quickest in the history of Twenty20.
Ajmal dropped Maxwell off Umar Gul on 70, taking Pakistan on the verge of yet another thrashing before Afridi brought them back into the contest.
The win made Pakistan the first team to come out victorious in a Twenty20 international despite losing the toss at Mirpur.
Pakistan had an unspectacular start as Dough Bollinger and Watson removed Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez respectively to leave Pakistan at 2-25.
Umar Akmal, who passed a late fitness test and played with a pain killer, was dropped by Brad Hogg on 22 and he made Australia pay for it, racing to his fifty from 28 balls. His elder brother Kmran Akmal supported him with a run-a-ball 31.
The younger Akmal missed the chance of scoring a century when he was caught by Maxwell at long-on off Mitchell Starc while attempting his fifth six.
Akmal left the crease grimacing as Pakistan had five balls still left in their innings. Afridi made a good use of it to remain unbeaten on 20 from 11 balls to set up the competitive total.
BRIEF SCORES
Pakistan 191-5 in 20 overs (U Akmal 94, K Akmal 31, S Afridi 20 not out; NM Coulter-Nile 2-36) v Australia 175 in 20 overs (G Maxwell 74, A Finch 65; Z Babar 2-26, U Gul 2-29, S Afridi 2-30, B Bhatti 2-36).
Result: Pakistan won by 16 runs.
Man of the match: U Akmal (PAK)
-With New Age input
