Australia tour of UAE: One off ODI vs. Afghanistan – Australia win by 66 runs
Australian pacers overcame a tough mid-innings resistance from Afghanistan to win the first-ever One Day International between the two sides by 66 runs, here at Sharjah on Saturday, August 25, 2012.
Despite some hiccups in the middle overs, the former World Champions did well to set an impressive total of 272 for 8 on a sluggish Sharjah wicket, courtesy skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Matthew-Wade-c1933, who each scored 75 runs.
The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mitchell-Aaron-Starc-c76392 led Australian pace attack then ripped through the Afghanistan line-up to bundle the minnows out for just 206 in 43.5 overs, and hand the side a comprehensive win in the one-off ODI.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Asghar-Stanikzai-c1094 played a calculated knock of 66 run while Mohammad Nabi struck a hard fought 46, sharing a fifth wicket stand of 86 runs, to bring Afghanistan back into the game, but the effort was not enough to upset the three-time world champs.
While chasing a competitive target of 273 to win, the Afghans got off to a tumultuous start, as they were reeling at 49 for 4 in the 12th over. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Pattinson-c1653
sent packing to wicketkeeper batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nawroz-Mangal-c2084 (nought) in his sixth over to leave Afghanistan 49 for four on the board.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nabi-c78373 and Stanikzai then took the charge of stabilising things for the minnows, sharing a half-century stand for the fifth wicket to push the mighty Aussies onto the back foot. The former struck four sixes and three fours while the latter cleared the boundary
six times, to take the side to 135 for 4 in the 31st over.
But http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MG-Johnson-c1945, while Stanikzai offered a catch to Clarke, off Mitch Starc’s bowling, on the last ball of the 36th over.
Gulbodin Naib’s cameo of 22 runs, studded with three towering sixes and a four, lacked support from the rest of the tail, and the whole team was bowled out in the 44th over, for 206.
Starc returned with startling figures of 4 for 47 from nine overs, including one maiden. Pattinson claimed three wickets while Johnson accounted for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Nabi-c77111 and Najibullah Zadran.
Earlier, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shapoor-Zadran-c89730 in the seventh over, with the scorecard reading just 37. But Wade and Clarke shared a three-digit stand for the second wicket to put the Kangaroos on course to
a competitive total. The partnership was worth 131 when off-spinner Nabi broke it in the 35th over, taking a return catch of Wade.
The mighty Aussies then lost Maxwell, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/George-Bailey-c1480 (23) added a quick 53 for the sixth wicket to ensure the Aussies put
up a fighting total of 272.
The Australians will now play http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 in three ODIs and an equal number of T20 Internationals, with the first encounter starting in Sharjah, on Tuesday, August 28.
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