Pakistan v Australia, 1st ODI, Dubai

Comeback chance for Shoaib and Symonds

April 21, 2009


Match facts

April 22, 2009
Start time 2.30pm (10.30GMT)

Big Picture

For a team which has had little international cricket in the recent past the next couple of weeks is a huge opportunity: Pakistan have only played two Tests and six ODIs in the last nine months, but will play five ODIs and a Twenty20 game over the next 16 days against the second-best team in one-day cricket. While that's a significant occasion for Pakistan, it'll also test their preparedness - if they come out rusty, their lack of match practice could be ruthlessly exposed. It'll help, though, that their team is being led Younis Khan, a captain who exudes positive energy and is probably the best man to keep team spirits high in such depressing times.

For Australia, the problem is the opposite: they've played 12 Tests and 18 ODIs in the last nine months, and they have so much more cricket coming up in the next few months that some of their big names have been forced to take a break. Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson are being rested, while Brett Lee isn't yet fit enough. In Ponting's absence, Michael Clarke will lead a team which has been struggling to assert itself in ODIs lately, losing a couple of series to South Africa and drawing one to New Zealand. The series is also an opportunity for a couple of players to return to the national fold - Andrew Symonds is back in ODIs after a ten-month absence, while Stuart Clark has an opportunity to stake his claim again after recovering from an elbow injury.

There'll be plenty of focus on the venue too: the Dubai Sports City Stadium will become the 172nd venue to host an ODI, and by all accounts the 25,000-seater has impressed both teams. With so much uncertainty over the security situation in Pakistan, a good show here will encourage more games - possibly even Tests - at this ground, which will be good news for Pakistan and for world cricket.


Form guide (last five ODIs, most recent first)

Pakistan LLWWW
Australia WLLLW



Watch out for

Andrew Symonds: Back in the Australian ODI team for the first time since July 2008, Symonds will be keen to prove he has worked on his attitude and his form, and is ready to perform at the top level again. Strong displays here will strengthen his case for a place in Australia's squad for the World Twenty20, and perhaps even the Ashes.

Shoaib Akhtar: There are plenty of question marks about Shoaib's form and fitness, but his ability to turn it on when fully focused isn't in doubt. The dry conditions in Dubai should help his reverse-swing too.


Team news

Pakistan are most likely to play three specialist fast bowlers - Shoaib, Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir - with Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik offering spin support. Nasir Jamshed should be back at the top of the order after missing the last couple of series.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Despite putting together century stands in their last two games in South Africa, Australia are likely to disturb the opening combination of Brad Haddin and Clarke, and instead put Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson at the top of the order. Haddin is likely to drop to No.3, with Clarke in next. With Johnson and Siddle resting and Lee injured, the bowling attack will have some changes too, and Clark might get an early chance to prove his fitness.

Australia (probable) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Brad Haddin (wk), 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 David Hussey, 7 Callum Ferguson, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Ben Laughlin.


Pitch and conditions

Pakistan aren't playing at home, but conditions at the Dubai Sports City Stadium will probably resemble those in Lahore or Karachi. The heat will be quite acute, and the dry conditions should offer plenty of encouragement for the spinners.


Stats and Trivia

Australia have been in wretched ODI form this year, winning only five matches out of 15, and losing nine.


Nathan Bracken has been one of the below-par performers during this period, with 16 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 39.93 and an economy rate of 5.34.


In 11 ODIs against Australia, Younis has only scored 158 runs at an average of 15.80, with one half-century.


These two teams last played an ODI more than three years ago, during the VB Series in February 2005. Australia won the best-of-three finals 2-0.


Quotes

"Personally, I'm delighted to be back in Aussie colours - I've had a few decent tussles with Pakistan over the years, my debut in Pakistan for starters, and the 2003 World Cup, and I've no doubt this will be a tough series against them. The challenge is there for all of us to roll up our sleeves and get into it."
Andrew Symonds is glad to be back in the ODI squad

"We've been given a fantastic opportunity to perform and put your hand up while guys are out resting or injured. It gives somebody else an opportunity to push for the 2011 World Cup."
Michael Clarke puts a positive spin to the fact that so many top players are missing from the Australian squad

"There is no alternative to playing at home but unfortunately we have to play in Emirates but the conditions here are similar to Pakistan and we feel it is like a home away from home. I hope Pakistani people who live here will come to encourage us."
Younis Khan tries to make the best of a difficult situation

"I am pleased at Shoaib's discipline both on and off the field. He has shown promise and he is bowling with commitment, and I have lots of hope that he would deliver for us, which, I tell you, is very important."
Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan coach, has high expectations from Shoaib Akhtar

Pakistan v Australia, 1st ODI, Dubai

April 22, 2009

Pakistan 171 for 6 (Akmal 48, Misbah 30*) beat Australia 168 (Hopes 48*, Haddin 40, Watson 40, Afridi 6-38) by four wickets

A team desperate to erase painful recent memories immediately settled in at their new, adopted venue, with a four-wicket win against a struggling Australian side in Dubai. The devastation caused by Shahid Afridi's career-best 6 for 38 had all but shut Australia out of the match before the halfway stage of their innings. A late recovery pushed them to 168 but it wasn't enough to seriously challenge an unpredictable Pakistan outfit. Pakistan stuttered, rebuilt, stumbled again and a late push by Afridi, contributing an adrenalin-filled yet brief 24, pushed them towards a win.

The ultimate difference between the two sides was spin. While Pakistan's pair of Afridi and Ajmal shared eight wickets, Australia's Nathan Hauritz bowled four overs and failed to pick up a wicket. It wouldn't be fair to blame Australia's lone specialist spinner for the defeat. It was a collective failure of their middle order to read the spinners who mercilessly ran through the batting and effected a top and middle-order crumbling to the tune of 8 for 27.

Australia's rapid demise was a reflection of their ordinary recent one-day form. A collapse of this magnitude exposed a weakness against spin which was also on show in South Africa, even with a number of familiar returning faces in the ranks. With the ball gripping and turning, Afridi's mixture of googlies and topspinners caused most of the problems, but the relatively inexperienced Ajmal offered little respite with his doosras.

At 95 for 1 in the 19th over, Younis Khan's pre-match prediction of chasing a target of 260-270 seemed a reality. That was until Afridi got the ball and the crowd to dance to his tunes. He began by getting rid of the most well-set batsman, Brad Haddin, for a brisk 40, tamely chipping a flighted delivery to short cover. Michael Clarke's struggles against the spin trio of Paul Harris, Roelof van der Merwe and Johan Botha in South Africa were well documented and the nightmare didn't end with the move to another country. He was flummoxed by an Ajmal doosra and edged behind before Afridi worked his magic.

A rusty Andrew Symonds nicked one to a refreshingly sharp Kamran Akmal, before Shane Watson, who had played neatly on his return to the side after injury by adding 54 with Haddin, was beaten by one which turned through the gate. Safe catching helped Pakistan and Misbah-ul-Haq showed his sharp reflexes to cling onto Callum Ferguson's edge to remove one of Australia's few in-form batsmen. Hauritz completely misjudged Ajmal's line, shouldered arms and lost his stumps.

The score suddenly read a shocking 110 for 7 and it brought back bad memories of their collapse at Centurion very recently. It wasn't the kind you would expect of the second best team in the world even in the worst of days. The spinners sensed a weak link and exploited it with clinical efficiency. Afridi's googlies proved too much for the tailenders Stuart Clark and Nathan Bracken as he collected his best ODI figures and Pakistan's best figures against Australia.

James Hopes enjoyed a free swing of the arms in the third Powerplay with an unbeaten 48 to push the score to 168, a big improvement from a hopeless 122 for 9, but the momentum was still with Pakistan.

The Australian seamers failed to get enough early breakthroughs to cause a serious flutter in the Pakistan camp. The dangerous Salman Butt was trapped lbw for 5 in the seven-over period before the dinner break before a fidgety Younis Khan holed out to midwicket.

Spin was introduced in the 13th over but Hauritz couldn't extract the same turn and bite that Afridi and Ajmal managed against his batsmen. He overpitched too often and that allowed Akmal to get forward and drive through the line. He used his feet well and chipped down the track to bisect the gaps in the infield.

Shoaib Malik contributed only 12 in a stand of 48 with Akmal, content to let his partner hog the strike. However, as Akmal motored along, a flashy drive outside off cost him his wicket and Clark had his revenge after being slashed for a four past slip two balls earlier. A loose dab by Malik brought Afridi to the crease, who began by clipping his first ball - a low full toss - past square leg and then pulling the next past midwicket.

He took Pakistan within 31 of the target before mishitting one to mid-on. The chase thereafter was scratchy, with Misbah holding fort as Pakistan got home with 35 balls to spare. It wasn't the most convincing of chases but good enough to prove a point. Moreover, they played with a hunger to win against a team dogged by injuries and knackered after a back-breaking summer.

April 23, 2009

Australia opener Shaun Marsh will fly home from Australia's tour of the United Arab Emirates on Friday morning after scans confirmed a recurrence of a hamstring injury.

He will be replaced in the Australian squad by recent Test debutant Marcus North.

North will join his Australian teammates in Dubai on Friday night after flying in from England.

Marsh re-injured his left hamstring when he dived to make a sharp single while batting in Wednesday night's opening one-day loss against Pakistan in Dubai.

It was his first game in national colours since badly tearing the same muscle fielding against New Zealand at the WACA on February 1.

Marsh had scans in Dubai on Thursday, confirming the injury.

He will require further assessment before it is determined whether he will be fit to play in the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June.

But, given his return on Wednesday night came almost three months after the initial injury, he is likely to struggle to make it back in time for the Cup, which starts on June 5.

Shane Watson is expected to move up from No.3 to share the opening duties with Brad Haddin in Friday's match against Pakistan in Dubai.

David Hussey, who was 12th man in the opening game, should slot into the middle order.

North had been in England to play county cricket with Hampshire.

The 29-year-old played two Tests against South Africa in February and March, scoring a century on debut, but is yet to represent his country in the 50-over format.

His handy off-spin bowling would have helped his selection cause, given spin seems set to play a major part in the five-game series against Pakistan.

Pakistan spin duo Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal took eight wickets between them to set up their side's comfortable win on Wednesday.

Australia push to turn corner after opening setback

April 23, 2009

Match facts

April 24, 2009
Start time 3pm (11.00GMT)

Big Picture

After a bad start for Australia and a strong one for Pakistan, both teams are chasing more improvement for the second match of the five-game one-day series in Dubai on Friday. Pakistan's first engagement since the terror attacks in Lahore showed some batting rustiness, but there was no problem with their slow bowling, which remains a key problem for Australia despite the denials of Michael Clarke.

Australia's play in the middle order was awful as they lost 8 for 27 on the way to a four-wicket defeat. They have called for more video footage of Shahid Afridi, who took six wickets, and the offspinner Saeed Ajmal before the second game, but given their performance against slow bowlers over the past few months, it would be a surprise to see a major change in results.


Form guide (last five ODIs, most recent first)

Pakistan WLLWW
Australia LWLLL



Watch out for

Shahid Afridi dominating a match should not be a surprise, but the way he did it with the ball - and not the bat - was breathtaking. Afridi's 6 for 38 from 10 overs were career-best figures and he swept through Australia to set up the success. A 16-ball 24 also gave the team some momentum when they threatened to make the small chase overly difficult.

Another allrounder, James Hopes, had a fine day too, but his strong contributions of 48 not out and 2 for 22 off eight were dwarfed by Afridi's output. Hopes has developed into a handy performer with bat and ball and now needs his team-mates to fire around him.


Team news

Marcus North is in the squad following Shaun Marsh's quick exit with a hamstring injury, but his late arrival will probably rule him out of game two. Marsh returns home and his gap will require some series reshuffling, with Michael Clarke and Shane Watson contenders to partner Brad Haddin at the top of the order.

Australia (possible) 1 Michael Clarke (capt), 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Shane Watson, 4 David Hussey, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Callum Ferguson, 7 James Hopes, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.

Following their encouraging opening, Pakistan are unlikely to do too much to their side, which needs match practice following their unscheduled break. Expect Afridi and Ajmal to create more problems, especially if they work in tandem.

Pakistan (possible) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Younis Khan, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Nasir Jamshed, 8 Umar Gul, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Iftikhar Anjum, 11 Saeed Ajmal.


Pitch and conditions

This is the last game in Dubai before the series switches to Abu Dhabi for Monday's match. Clear and warm conditions are predicted for the day-night encounter.


Stats and Trivia

Pakistan have never been beaten by Australia in four ODIs in the United Arab Emirates


In 18 games in the UAE Australia have won 10 and lost eight.


Both Afridi and Ajmal recorded personal-best figures in the opening contest




Quotes

"We don't have exposure in domestic cricket in Australia to that style of bowling. It is difficult when the first time you get it is when you step up to international level ... My shoulder will probably get worn out throwing offspinners and doosras."
Australia's coach Tim Nielsen looks for ways to fix his team's spin problems

"It was a fantastic team effort. The fast bowlers did well to check the openers and then Afridi and Saeed Ajmal bowled very well. We wobbled a bit when batting but all's well that ends well."
Younis Khan after the opening success

Pakistan v Australia, 2nd ODI, Dubai

April 24, 2009

Australia 208 for 4 (Symonds 58, Hopes 48, Afridi 2-38) beat Pakistan 207 (Butt 57, Afridi 41, Hauritz 3-41, Symonds 2-12) by six wickets

Andrew Symonds may have cut his Rastafarian beads, but he showed tonight there had been no cutback on his competitive spirit or his aptitude as Australia levelled the series 1-1. His two-wicket over, in the face of a marauding Shoaib Akhtar, had kept Pakistan down to a par total, but his bigger contribution came with the bat when Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal threatened to run through Australia for the second time in a row.

Afridi and Ajmal had undone James Hopes' good work at the top, bringing the game right back into the balance, when Symonds came in to bat. Hopes, filling in for the injured Shaun Marsh at the top of the order, had put Australia on their way to a chase of a tricky 207, before Ajmal and Afridi struck in back-to-back overs.

The contest was always going to come to life when the spinners came on. Before that Hopes had weathered the storm from hostile and accurate Shoaib and Umar Gul. That initial spell resulted in the early wicket of Brad Haddin, but Hopes counter-attacked and brought the run-rate within manageable proportions.

From 19 for 1 in six overs, Hopes cut and drove Gul and Shoaib for three boundaries and a six in the next three overs. Australia reached 70 for 1 in 14 overs, when spin was first introduced.

Australia tried to play the mind game, going for the batting Powerplay immediately, and trying to delay the introduction of the dangerous spinners. Pakistan played ball, and went on with Afridi and Ajmal anyway. From 70 in 14 they moved to 91 in 20 in a tense period of play.

In the 21st, Ajmal got Watson with a doosra, the batsman looking to pull without reading the spin. In the end Watson tried unsuccessfully to pull out of the pull, and top-edged. In the next over, Afridi beat a Hopes sweep with a straight and full delivery.

Batting was not easy then, what with Test fields in place and the ball turning big, and Australia coming off a monumental collapse in the previous game. Ajmal and Afridi attacked, but Symonds tackled them superbly. Even early on in the innings, he picked Ajmal's doosra. For good measure he let Ajmal know every time he saw the away-spinner. His 58 comprised only four boundaries and a six, the first of which was the team's first boundary in 17 overs.

The value of Symonds' knock grew when put in comparison with his partner Michael Clarke's effort. Clarke struggled to pick the spin, and was patchy all the way through. At one point, out of a 58-run stand Clarke had scored only eight.

Symonds' sensible batting also coincided with Pakistan gradually running out of the spinners' quota, and with a small total to defend they had to bring back the pace bowlers on. Once that happened it was a cruise for Australia, with close to four an over required.

Even that small target was thanks to Symonds' effective over at the death. Shoaib's 14-ball 25 had lifted Pakistan from 176 for 7, but just when it looked he would take Pakistan to a more competitive total, Symonds struck with two in the 46th over to not even allow them a full quota of 50 overs.

That was not the last twist of a slow yet dramatic first innings of the game. A disciplined Australia had done well to pull Pakistan back after they had threatened twice to move out of their grasp.

First it was Younis Khan who recovered from a sluggish start to get into fluent mode only to be dismissed for 28. Then Shahid Afridi played an uncharacteristically responsible innings, but when he looked set to launch Pakistan into the safe zone, Hopes got him with seven overs to go.

Following the early run-out of 17-year-old debutant Ahmed Shehzad, Pakistan made an edgy start. Salman Butt and Younis were literally edgy against Nathan Bracken and ODI debutant Doug Bollinger, both left-arm seamers. They troubled both the batsmen with their angle and movement both ways. By the end of the ninth over Pakistan had crawled to 28 for 1, having faced a maiden each from both the bowlers.

With Hopes came the change of angle, and Younis helped himself to three boundaries in his first two overs. In the next seven overs Pakistan doubled their score, mainly via Younis who scored 20 off 14 during that period. The sight of Ben Laughlin lit his eyes up, a short loosener first up widened them further, and an edge resulted as he went to cut the leather off the ball.

Two more wickets, punctuated by an especially asphyxiating spell by Bollinger, meant Pakistan were struggling in the middle overs, five down for 122. Bollinger went for 26 in his 10 overs, including a middle spell of four overs for five runs.

But then Afridi lifted them, not looking to hit the ball out of the ground every time he faced up. The main feature of his innings was his late-cuts, and placement for quick runs. He actually faced 40 balls, the most he has since his 52-ball 85 against Zimbabwe last January. Afridi also read the game well, picking a slower ball early during the Powerplay, when Australia had both third man and fine leg up in the circle. That was his only six. Afridi, along with Ajmal, provided Australia with a tough examination, but he was not the best allrounder on the night.

Change of scenery will decide tight series

April 26, 2009

Match facts

April 27, 2009
Start time 3pm (11.00GMT)

Big Picture

A committed Australia hit back to level the series on Friday and show they would not be swept aside by Pakistan's crafty spin. While Shahid Afridi starred again with both disciplines, the performance of Andrew Symonds, who struck a half-century and two blows with the ball, gave Michael Clarke's team a big boost after the allrounder's troubles on and off the field over the past year.

After Symonds' innings the Australians were able to cruise to an important victory by six wickets, which moved them alongside their opponents, who were more professional in the opening match in Dubai on Wednesday. Abu Dhabi hosts the final three encounters of the tight series that is testing the progress of both sides as they peer towards the World Twenty20 in June.


Form guide (last five ODIs, most recent first)

Pakistan LWLLW
Australia WLWLL



Watch out for

Andrew Symonds displayed good form with the bat for the first time in a long time during his 58 on Friday, an innings which was a relief to him and his supporters. More strong showings in the final three games will help seal his passage to England.

Salman Butt was lucky to survive after his awful mix-up with Ahmed Shehzad in the third over on Friday, but he stayed calm following his reprieve and moved to a useful half-century. With Pakistan's batting not going as well as their bowling, Butt has an important job at the top of the order in setting up the side for a match-winning total.


Team news

Clarke called Australia's performance on Friday "brilliant" so don't expect too many changes to the line-up. James Hopes fitted in well at opener and Doug Bollinger was tight in his maiden ODI. Stuart Clark and Ben Hilfenhaus are also in the squad so one of them may come in for the young Ben Laughlin.

Australia (possible) 1 Brad Haddin (wk), 2 James Hopes, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Callum Ferguson, 7 David Hussey, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pakistan's batting continued to contain rust on Friday as they were dismissed in the 47th over and some tinkering to the line-up could occur. Shehzad, the 17-year-old opener, will be keen for another chance after his unfortunate run-out for 4 on debut.

Pakistan (possible) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Iftikhar Anjum, 11 Saeed Ajmal.


Pitch and conditions

Abu Dhabi is about 125km south-west of Dubai and its ground is the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. The forecast for Monday is a warm, clear day with a maximum of 37C.


Stats and Trivia

Symonds' half-century on Friday was only his fourth in state and international cricket since the beginning of 2008-09
Afridi picked up his 250th ODI wicket in Dubai and has eight victims in two matches
Australia's win in game two took their record for the year to six wins in 17 matches


Quotes

"Now we've had a win and hopefully we can start getting a bit of a roll on from here. We've spoken about the amount of games we've failed to win in the last little bit, so hopefully from here we can continue to improve. We've got things we can work on but [Friday] was not a bad effort from us."
Andrew Symonds

"We knew that Australia would come down hard on us, they were our fears."
Younis Khan

All-round Clarke ensures series lead

April 27, 2009

Australia 198 for 7 (Clarke 66, Ferguson 41, Gul 3-38, Afridi 2-31) beat Pakistan 171 (Butt 48, Shehzad 40, Clarke 3-15, Hauritz 2-25 ) by 27 runs

Pakistan's propensity to self-destruct cost them the lead in this series in dramatic manner, a batting collapse against spin handing Australia an improbable win. Michael Clarke, the Australian captain, turned in a superb all-round performance with a gritty 66 in the face of some penetrative spin bowling before picking up 3 for 15 amid Pakistan's middle-order chaos. His spin partners, Nathan Hauritz and Andrew Symonds, helped defend a below-par score of 198 as Pakistan fell short by 27 runs.

Spinners have been making headlines in the IPL in South Africa and the story today wasn't any different in the northern hemisphere. Pakistan's own spin trio strangled the runs and picked up three wickets and, by the time their openers Salman Butt and Ahmed Shehzad added 95, the hosts looked set for a series lead. That's when spin worked its magic again.

The cycle-stand collapse - in which shoddy shot selection played no small part - had strong statistical parallels with Australia's in Dubai during the first ODI. Back then, Australia slipped from 95 for 1 to 122 for 9. Today, Pakistan's collapse started at 95 and ended 76 runs later.

The game had drifted from Australia during the first 22 overs of the chase with Pakistan comfortably placed in terms of the required rate and wickets in hand. Only a lapse in concentration from the batsmen could have resulted in a breakthrough and exactly that caused Butt's downfall when he poked Hauritz to Clarke at first slip. The bowler had caused a few flutters in his previous over when he beat the left-hander and the fielders may have sensed that something was about to give. The next ball stopped on Younis Khan, who chipped it to a diving Andrew Symonds at midwicket and Australia had two in two. Misbah-ul-Haq negotiated the hat-trick ball and, in the next over, hit Symonds for a straight six. That prompted the captain to bring himself on and his move paid immediate dividends, Misbah holing out to long-on off the very first ball. The next delivery was an arm ball that Shehzad failed to read and was bowled. Once again, two off two.

That brought together Malik and Afridi, and there was a period of relative calm for Pakistan, though not without the odd scare - including an appeal for a stumping when the third umpire pressed the button for the red light by mistake. One sensed, though, that Afridi wouldn't last too long - and sure enough, determined to break the shackles with a big hit, he advanced down the track and edged to slip. Pakistan had lost half their side in the space of 28 runs and the Australians, having smelt blood, didn't need a second invitation to move in for the kill.

The rest of the wickets were a blur. A miscommunication between Kamran Akmal and Malik, over a single that was there for the taking, summed up the utter confusion. Two balls later, Akmal chipped Bracken to mid-on and he too was history. Yasir Arafat went for a slog and was bowled, Tanvir pulled and top-edged before Umar Gul threw his bat and was bowled Stuart Clark, bringing the match to an end

The drama overshadowed Australia's own struggles with the bat, and Clarke's return to form couldn't have come at a better moment. He was the spinners' bunny in South Africa and in the first ODI but today the fluency returned. He walked in after James Hopes' run-out - off a direct hit by Younis - and eased off the blocks with some crisply timed shots and soft punches down the ground off the seamers. He added 46 for the third wicket with Haddin to help Australia after the loss of two quick wickets.

His effort against the spinners was more impressive given that the ball was gripping and turning and Afridi was varying his pace and slipping in the odd googly. While he attacked the batsmen and looked to pick up wickets, the others - Malik and Saeed Ajmal - teased with flight and cramped the batsmen for room and in general kept it simple.

Clarke wasn't afraid to use his feet but Afridi cleverly dropped the ball short and forced him to defend. He hit the odd wide delivery to the boundary and began to push the singles with a lot more ease in the company of Callum Ferguson, who managed to rotate the strike with Clarke in a 54-run stand, though it included a 10-over spell without a boundary.

Clarke broke the spell with a cover-driven boundary off Ajmal and, in the 38th over, Australia took the batting Powerplay. Clarke pulled Afridi to square leg but the bowler had his revenge when he fired one short, quick and forced the batsman to check his shot. He ended up chipping it tamely to Afridi and was gone - but not before a match-winning 66.

Time running out for Pakistan

April 30, 2009

Match facts

May 1, 2009
Start time 3pm (11.00GMT)

Big Picture

Australia are one win away from wrapping up the series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, but not much talk has centred around the team's on-field performance. Since the offspinner Saeed Ajmal was reported for a suspect action the sides have been under more intense focus than during the opening three matches.

Ajmal was fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board for comments directed to Shane Watson and Younis Khan asked why Australia are involved in so many controversies when they face India and Pakistan. Michael Clarke maintained the series had been played in a good spirit.

The talking points will shift to the middle during Friday's fourth ODI in Abu Dhabi. Australia lead 2-1 in the five-match contest - Pakistan lost 10 for 76 in Monday's defeat - as they finalise their preparations for the start of their engagements in England in June.


Form guide (last five ODIs, most recent first)

Pakistan LLWLL
Australia WWLWL



Watch out for

Shahid Afridi has been outstanding in the opening three fixtures and remains Australia's biggest threat. His 10 victims at 10.70 have caused the most problems, but his 71 runs have also been a headache. The worry for Pakistan has been finding people to offer him significant assistance.

He hasn't been as effective as Afridi, but Nathan Hauritz has been a key performer for Australia. Since coming back into the one-day team in January he has 13 wickets in nine games and in this series has five at 18.60 along with an economy rate of 3.57. The prospect of more spinning surfaces in the remaining matches will lift his mood further.


Team news

Brett Lee is in town after joining the squad this week, but he won't bowl on Friday and is unlikely to be picked until the Twenty20 to end the tour. The rotation of the attack is the main issue for the squad, with Stuart Clark keen for more work and Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Bracken, Ben Laughlin and Doug Bollinger also in the outfit.

Australia (possible) 1 Brad Haddin (wk), 2 James Hopes, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Callum Ferguson, 7 David Hussey, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Yasir Arafat replaced Shoaib Akhtar in the previous game, but with Pakistan needing to win to stay in touch Shoaib could be recalled to provide some firepower. Ajmal will be feeling vulnerable despite some encouraging returns.

Pakistan (possible) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Iftikhar Anjum, 11 Saeed Ajmal.


Pitch and conditions

The conditions in the UAE, with the low and spinning pitches, are unusual for the Australians, but the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has been enjoying it. "The beauty about international cricket is you get the opportunity to play on so many different wickets," he told AAP. "The wickets are a bit slower and lower than they are in Australia and they turn a bit more, but that's the beauty of it, we're playing in different conditions against a totally different side." A similar surface is expected on Friday, when the temperature is predicted to range between 25 and 41C.


Stats and Trivia

In a tough tournament for batsmen, James Hopes leads the run-list with 111, one ahead of Salman Butt
Australia have not won a one-day series since sweeping aside Bangladesh in September
Only three half-centuries have been scored in the series


Quotes

"You see a lot now in one-day games, teams consistently getting up near the 300, but as we've seen here all the games have been a contest and I think that's all you're after ... It's enjoyable sometimes to come and play on different wickets and have different plans in mind, to get 220 is a very good score in these sorts of conditions, so it's been quite good."
Brad Haddin

"We will learn a lot from this experience, by playing against the Australian team."
Younis Khan

Clarke and Bollinger seal series

May 1, 2009

Australia 200 for 2 (Clarke 100*, Watson 85*) beat Pakistan 197 (Ahmed Shehzad 43, Shahid Afridi 40, Bollinger 5-35) by eight wickets

Stand-in Australian captain Michael Clarke produced a superb century to seal the five-match series with a game to spare after an eight-wicket win in Abu Dhabi. An unbeaten hundred, his fourth in one-day cricket and first as captain, was arguably his finest and was the key to Australia's comfortable pursuit of Pakistan's 197.

Clarke and Shane Watson combined for a record-breaking 197-run partnership to lift Australia from its knees after Shoaib Akhtar wound back the clock with two early wickets in a blistering opening spell. Shoaib, on return after being left out of game three, claimed Brad Haddin and debutant Marcus North to leave Australia reeling at 3 for 2. But Clarke and Watson negotiated the rest of Shoaib's sharp four-over opening spell before flourishing under the floodlights.

The captain's innings was easily the best and most fluent of the series and featured sublime footwork and timing against both pace and spin. The ease with which he found the boundary was breath-taking as he produced nearly every shot in the book, punctuated by a crushing cover drive to bring up three figures.

Watson's innings was at times the total antithesis of his captain's but certainly no less valuable. For long periods he fought the Pakistan attack, the Sheik Zayed Stadium surface and even his own mind. Saeed Ajmal, whose ten overs cost just 20, mesmerised him but could not claim his wicket. Watson provided resolute support for his captain while exorcising his own demons with his best performance since returning from injury.

The chase was never really threatened after the initial Shoaib burst. The spinners proved a handful but could not break Watson's resolve and never looked like breaking Clarke's.

Doug Bollinger produced an exceptional bowling performance in just his second one-day international to help bowl out Pakistan for 197. Returning in place of Ben Hilfenhaus, Bollinger claimed his first wicket with the third ball of the day and came back in the 35th over to claim four more victims.

He finished with a fine 5 for 35 from 7.4 overs on another very slow pitch. It was the Australians who were expected to wilt in the oppressive conditions but they produced a disciplined effort to stifle Pakistan.

Shahid Afridi led a late rescue mission with a run-a-ball 40 to guide Pakistan to their total after they lost regular wickets in the blazing heat. They stumbled early after winning the toss, slumping to 12 for 2, and it could have been 12 for 3 after Misbah-ul-Haq survived a huge appeal for caught behind first ball off Nathan Bracken. Bracken was unfortunate to claim just 2 for 31 from his 10 overs.

Misbah (34) and the 17-year-old Ahmed Shehzad (43) set about rebuilding the innings during a steady stand. They wrestled with the impeccable lengths of the four Australian fast bowlers who were very effective with their changes of pace. Bracken and Stuart Clark were particularly difficult to get away on a wicket which became lower and slower as the innings wore on.

The two Pakistani batsmen were far more comfortable against the finger spinners. Nathan Hauritz and Clarke orchestrated Pakistan's collapse on Monday, but there had been a clear rethink in strategy by the batsmen. Hauritz was tidy in claiming 1 for 34 but the other three finger spinners all conceded more than five runs per over.

The big shots were shelved, barring a poorly executed slog sweep from Shehzad, as the batsmen worked the spinners into the gaps and ran neatly between the wickets. Afridi and Shoaib Malik accelerated during the middle period and a total of 240 looked a distinct possibility, but the reintroduction of Bollinger and Clark changed things dramatically.

Afridi's innings defied expectation. His strike-rate was typically brisk, he farmed the strike well to protect the lower order, was inventive but calculated with his stroke-play and placement, while his running was atypically intelligent.

But his departure in the batting Powerplay signalled the beginning of the end for Pakistan as Bollinger and Bracken cleaned up by cleverly mixing their lengths and pace. Australia have sealed the series 3-1 with a match to play and might have the opportunity to use Brett Lee in the dead rubber.

Satisfied Australia make Pakistan sweat

May 2, 2009


Match facts

May 3, 2009
Start time 3pm (11.00GMT)

Big Picture

Australia won their first series since beating Bangladesh in September with a strong victory in Abu Dhabi on Friday and the players can relax over the final two games of their United Arab Emirates tour. Sunday's fifth ODI and Thursday's Twenty20 are the last opportunities to tinker ahead of the World Twenty20 and Michael Clarke's men will also be looking forward to a short break before the tournament in England next month.

Clarke was on fire in the heat on Friday, registering 100 off 122 balls in the eight-wicket success, while Shane Watson battled to a timely 85 not out. "It's been a while since we've won a one-day series and to play the type of cricket we have in tough conditions, hot conditions, tough wickets, especially after coming from South Africa, the conditions have been so different," Clarke told AAP. "I'm rapt with the way we've performed."

Doug Bollinger set up the win with the first five wickets of his career as Pakistan reached 197. "A lot of credit has to go to our bowlers, Dougy's come in and he's had to wait a long time for his opportunity," Clarke said. "Not only has he repaid the selectors for showing him faith, but I think he's done a lot to push his name forward for future one-day selection and maybe even the Twenty20 World Cup."

Pakistan's series has gone downhill since their satisfying win in the opening game. The form of Shoaib Akhtar in the early overs of the second innings on Friday showed he still carries a dose of magic, which has been one of the few highlights for the "home" side in the UAE.


Form guide (last five ODIs, most recent first)

Pakistan LLLWL
Australia WWWLW



Watch out for

Shane Watson scraped and scrapped while carrying his bat on Friday in an unfamiliar style. He has become a muscular free-scorer in the past few seasons and now that he has proved himself with some serious runs in a long stay, he can enjoy the final encounters and seal his spot on the tour of England.

The opener Ahmed Shehzad, 17, could still be at school but is learning about international cricket instead. After a run-out mix-up on debut, he has followed his 4 with 40 and 43, showing his promise and gaining invaluable experience against a useful bowling line-up. An adventurous slog sweep ended his display on Friday, but if he goes further than a half-century his side will be in good health.


Team news

Some more experiments are likely now the final game is a dead rubber. Brett Lee could be trialled earlier than expected and Ben Laughlin will come into contention. Marcus North would like another go after his debut lasted only four balls thanks to Shoaib.

Australia (possible) 1 Brad Haddin (wk), 2 Shane Watson, 3 Marcus North, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Callum Ferguson, 7 James Hopes, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pakistan have gone close on occasions in the past three games without matching their opening success. Resting Umar Gul on Friday was a strange decision considering the situation of the series, and he should be back to partner Shoaib unless either of them are too tired.

Pakistan (possible) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Iftikhar Anjum, 11 Saeed Ajmal.


Pitch and conditions

While parts of Australia shiver, the UAE has been boiling and the tourists will be pleased to return home to more bearable conditions next week. On Friday the match started with the temperature around 43C and a maximum of 37C is expected on Sunday, along with another surface offering spin and low bounce.


Stats and Trivia

If Australia win the final game they will move one point behind the No. 1 South Africa and take their overall record in the UAE to 14 wins in 24 matches
Doug Bollinger's 5 for 35 lifted him to third on the series wicket list, one behind Nathan Hauritz and five behind Shahid Afridi
Clarke's century has been the only one of a series controlled by the bowlers


Quotes

"He's bowled beautifully and the rest of the guys, the rest of the bowlers, probably didn't get the same rewards as Dougy, but they did a fantastic job."
Michael Clarke has more praise for Bollinger

"When Shoaib got two early wickets, we thought we could win, but Clarke and Watson batted superbly."
Younis Khan looks back at Friday's missed chance