Pakistan complete a mini-Whitewash against Australia, win second Twenty20 by 11 Runs
Pakistan completed a mini-whitewash against Australia by winning the 2nd Twenty20 International against Australia at Birmingham by 11 runs. It was not a usual sight for Pakistan fans at all; their team winning two on the trot against Australia in any form of the game is something that has not happened in a long while.
The Pakistan team look like a well-oiled machine under the new captain Shahid Afridi. The team displayed a clinical performance against Australia; a term not normally used for the men in green. The young Pakistan side showed immense character and skill to win two on the bounce against the mighty Aussies.
There were a number of similarities in the two matches; in fact, in all three matches between the two teams, going back to the semifinal of the 2010 T20 World Cup. Shahid Afridi once again managed to win the toss and chose to bat first.
Just like the first game, Shahzaib Hasan failed to impress. The big hitting all-rounder once again fell prey to his own strength; that is to go after the bowling right from the word go. Michael Clarke surprised Pakistan by throwing the ball to David Hussey to open the bowling, and he obliged with a wicket in his first over.
And just like the last two matches between the two teams, Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal formed a solid partnership, taking on the Australian attack. There was no holding back, as both mixed caution with aggression.
Salman Butt (31 off 21 balls) and Kamran Akmal (33 off 25 balls) were both dismissed within a space of 3 overs, while Shoaib Malik (12 off 16 balls), after getting off to a good start, failed to carry on. Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal still had a good enough platform to build on, but after putting on 30, both perished in 2 balls’ succession in the 17th over: Dirk Nannes accounted for Umar Akmal (25 off 21 balls) and then Shahid Afridi (18 off 13 balls) in quick succession, which was followed by the run out of Abdul Razzaq (by DJ Hussey) in the 18th over. Down the order, Umar Gul and Mohammad Aamer (in a wonderful score of 21 off 11 balls) guided the team to 162, which was still a defendable total, considering Pakistan scored 167 in the first match and managed to win by 23 runs.
Australia had vowed not to repeat the same mistake as in their last match, but they did. Mohammad Aamer was once again the man with an early wicket; he trapped David Warner lbw for just 1 run, and Paine was sent back by Shoaib Akhtar, who was having a much better spell compared to the first game. Akhtar was consistently bowling at more than 90 miles per hour and forcing the batsmen back.
The Aussie captain Michael Clarke finally managed to get 30 runs (off 17 balls), but still could not carry on, chopping one onto the stumps of Mohammad Aamer.
Australia failed to get a single decent partnership going, as Pakistan kept plugging away. In the middle overs, the spin twins Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal squeezed the Aussie batting and the required rate started to creep up.
And once David Hussey (33 off 27 balls, caught and bowled by Saeed Ajmal in the 15th over) and Cameron White (7 off 8 balls, caught by Shoaib Malik off the bowling of Shahid Afridi in the 14th over) were back in the pavilion, it was once again Michael Hussey against Pakistan.
The incredible left-hander continued his nonchalant style of batting, collecting boundaries at will, and once again there were shades of the World Cup semifinal, but thankfully for Pakistan, it turned out to be more like the 1st Twenty20 than the one in the Caribbean, as Umar Gul once again came back to remove Michael Hussey (in the 18th over, when he had made 25 runs), and the match was all but over after that.
Aamer got his 3rd wicket by dismissing Mitchell Johnson and the match was finally over by a run out (Shaun Tait) in the 20th over. Australia were all out for 151, falling short by 11 runs.
Pakistan have at last won a series against Australia; even though it is a two-match Twenty20 win, but still Pakistan will still be happy to have a whitewash against the 4 time world champions (in the 50-overs format). Mohammad Aamer was named man of the match for his 3 wickets and 21 runs.
The two teams will lock horns soon in a two-match Test series.
Tags: