Australia will play India in a World Cup semi-final
What a night. The scorecard will say that it was one-sided, but it was a fierce contest nonetheless. It’s also a night of vindication for the much-criticised Shane Watson and the much-questioned Glenn Maxwell. They took Australia to victory from a vulnerable position, Watson with his second half-century of the tournament, Maxwell with another attacking hand.
The man of the match award goes to Josh Hazelwood, who took 4/35, and there’s a story in that too given he just came back into the side. He should edge Pat Cummins for a place in the semifinal. Pakistan didn’t have any core to their innings, each batsman made a start and then gave it away.
But defending a low 200s score was well within their remit, and this game should be remembered for the bowling of Wahab Riaz. Without Mohammed Irfan, injured and out of the tournament, Wahab had to take the lead. He did it against South Africa with 3/45, and he nearly did it tonight.
He ended with 2/54 tonight but it should really have been more like 4/40, having both Watson and Maxwell dropped early in their respective innings. Had those catches been taken, Pakistan might well have gone on to win. But the batsmen took their chances and were the ones to go on instead. Then there was Steve Smith, who played the night’s critical innings when the tension was high. He made 65.
So three of the semi-final spots have gone as expected, it only remains to be seen whether the West Indies can offer an upset against New Zealand tomorrow.
Until then, here’s the match report, and you can fill in your time with the Guardian World Cup Podcast, where we went deep into the stories of cricket outside the Top 10 nations, learning how things work around the world.
That’s all from us - this is Geoff Lemon bidding you farewell.
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33.5 overs: Australia 216-4 (Watson 64, Maxwell 44)
Six! Shot of the night, as Maxwell wants this done. Get a wide half-volley from Sohail Khan and he nearly cover-drives it into the second tier of the Adelaide Oval stands. How does a player get so much power on an off-side drive?
Maxwell takes a single, giving Watson the chance to finish the match, and...
Four! He does the honours, and Australia end at 216/4.
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33rd over: Australia 203-4 (Watson 60, Maxwell 35)
Wahab is gone, I’m afraid. He’s tired, the power has gone, the juice has run out.
SIX! And nothing says more than that, as Wahab bounces Watson without the menace of earlier and Watson nails the flat, hard, dangerous pull shot into the crowd at square leg. Then add four! as Watson leg-glances one that was heading down leg.
The 200 is up. They’re zooming to the total, but there’s time for one more contretemps as Wahab bowls a high bouncer, a wide isn’t called, Watson has something to say, and Wahab runs all the way down the pitch to get into his face one more time. You can’t fault his commitment tonight.
32nd over: Australia 193-4 (Watson 50, Maxwell 35)
Half century for Watson. 50 from 58 balls, five boundaries, as he raises that milestone with a single to midwicket from Ehsan Adil. I never know how to feel about good innings that come after a dropped catch. Watson’s non-fans will concentrate on him being dropped on four, but he’s played well since, and came through Wahab’s spell bravely.
Maxwell finds the field three times in a row, but at least gets some width.
Four! As he launches the bat at it, lifting it over cover.
Six! As he crashes the short ball over backward square leg, where Watson should have been caught.
11 from the over, and we’ve learned a lot about Maxwell tonight. I really wondered how he would play coming into a pressure situation. Rather than looking out of place, he’s taken the game on regardless and has taken it away.
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31st over: Australia 182-4 (Watson 49, Maxwell 25)
I don’t even know how to describe that. The first shot is easy enough, a full ball from Wahab that Maxwell clips through midwicket for four. The next: he knows it’s going to be a bouncer. Who said earlier that Maxwell would play Wahab from square leg? He basically does, backing away, flinching from the bouncer but simultaneously playing a rasping kind of cut shot / tennis smash to the point boundary.
Like this.
Ummmm... Textbook? LIVE: http://t.co/fww1ZoZlJx #cwc15 #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/bYt5TPmKS8
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 20, 2015
A couple of singles, then two more for Maxwell to cover.
30th over: Australia 169-4 (Watson 48, Maxwell 14)
Interesting shift: Rahat had just bowled a good tidy solitary over but Ehsan Adil has replaced him. It doesn’t work: Maxwell smacks a pull through midwicket, then takes a single, and Watson smashes the last ball of the over through cover. He’s looking good now. Poor Wahab Riaz.
6 - Wahab Riaz has now had the joint-most catches dropped off his bowling at #CWC15 - six, with Suranga Lakmal. Spills. #AUSvPAK
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) March 20, 2015
29th over: Australia 160-4 (Watson 44, Maxwell 9)
Here’s here. He’s back. Not quite a gunslinger, but we could call him The Man Who Offended Candice Falzon. Which given her current choice of company must take some serious doing. It’s Wahab Riaz.
Dropped!
So predictable in its way. It was Maxwell this time after Watson got away from strike with a single. Maxwell got a halfway short ball, was already crouching, then played a bizarre attempted forehand down the ground, instead got a slicing edge that went high to third man, and was put down. This was a far harder catch, Sohail Khan had to run around a long way and just couldn’t get there in time to put more than fingertips on it.
Another wide as Wahab strives for pace. He won’t worry too much, just keep trying to blast them out. Maxwell escapes strike with a more sensible block to cover. They add a couple more singles deflecting to leg.
Already seeing hipster revisionist theories about quality of that Wahab spell. Forget figures, that was unbelievable, match-flipping #CWC15
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) March 20, 2015
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28th over: Australia 153-4 (Watson 42, Maxwell 5)
Rahat Ali. Left-arm, swing, has bowled some quality spells this World Cup. Hasn’t bowled one today but Misbah has turned to him, asking him to produce something.
He has Maxwell discomfited to start with. A couple of defensive shots. A big swing that misses one angled across him and survives an appeal because the noise was the bat hitting the ground. A ball that hits him on the body as he tries to pull. Five dots, and then the pressure undone as Maxwell drives calmly and sanely and with his right and left hands in their usual place on the bat handle, and the ball goes very straight through mid-off for four.
27th over: Australia 149-4 (Watson 42, Maxwell 1)
A single each to Watson, Smith and Maxwell in that over, with the wicket of Smith separating those last two. Watson blocks out the last ball. The inexperienced seamer gets the biggest wicket of the day - can Pakistan muster the energy to keep pushing back, or are they feeling the slight let-down of earlier? The electricity has gone out of the crowd a bit, but another couple of wickets will bring it back. Pakistan need them quickly.
WICKET! Smith 65 (69 balls), lbw Ehsan
From out of nowhere, Australia’s key man has gone! Ehsan Adil, the least storied of this bowling attack, comes back on to bowl, and his fourth ball slips past Smith’s shot, angled toward the stumps, possibly toward leg side but there was no chance to review since Finch had already burned that option. It was really only the bowler appealing, but the finger went up after some serious thought.
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26th over: Australia 146-3 (Smith 64, Watson 41)
Shahid Afridi is getting nothing tonight. Smith comes down to lift him over mid-on, and it nearly carries the rope down to that long boundary. Then a deuce through cover, and a dodgy single, and seven from the over.
Judging by this correspondence Robert Wilson is in his cups. Misbah might be inclined to join him should this match slip. He writes (Robert, not Misbah): “Dearest Geoff, I know you have a bugbear against the Channel Nine commentary team but I think there is something you have not fully understood.”
“I have a two-egg pigeon’s nest on my window-sill so there’s always at least one pigeon there, doing her thing. But I swear to the Almighty above that as I soon as I turn up the volume on the cricket, there are immediately half a dozen, all staring unsettlingly at me, making that noise (the French call it caracoule). They’re clearly fascinated, overcome. They can’t get enough. I think I am becoming some kind of piegeon prophet of wisdom and inter-overs quipping.”
25th over: Australia 139-3 (Smith 57, Watson 41)
Haris Sohail is at least bowling tidily, four singles from the over, mostly pushed down the ground. You’d think he’d want to take as long to bowl his over as possible, he’s really only there to give the quicks time to rest.
24th over: Australia 135-3 (Smith 55, Watson 39)
Spin from both ends, Afridi comes back. Has this game slipped? Australia only need about 80 more. Single, single, two, three, single, single. Watson reaps most of the profit. Nine from the over.
23rd over: Australia 126-3 (Smith 53, Watson 32)
A breather for everyone as Misbah brings on Haris Sohail to bowl some left-arm spin around the wicket. He does well actually, after singles from the first two balls the over only goes for three. Having survived the firestorm Watson isn’t going to give it away against a firefly.
There are pretty great: responses to a question I posed on Twitter.
Had Watto been caught, how would Maxwell have played that spell from Wahab? #CWC15
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) March 20, 2015
@GeoffLemonSport briefly
— Marc West (@westius) March 20, 2015
@GeoffLemonSport From square leg probably
— Brian Clifford (@Cliffo1981) March 20, 2015
@GeoffLemonSport left handed
— Freo Pope (@FreoPope) March 20, 2015
22nd over: Australia 123-3 (Smith 52, Watson 30)
Sohail Khan is seeing it slip away, I’m afraid. He’s been sucked into bowling short at Watson, and twice in the over the big Australian bullies him away to the fence. Slip in a couple of wides and a single and that’s 11 from the over.
Asks Anand, “Isn’t it the definition of irony when Sourav Ganguly talks about taking the eye off the ball while playing short pitched bowling? On another count, why isn’t Wahab slipping in a toe crusher after peppering Watson with the short ball. Mustn’t this be one of the basic lessons in the waqar coaching manual for fast bowlers?”
We’ve just seen a montage of six bouncers from Wahab that could have had Watson out. His luck was in, but I have to say he faced up to it bravely.
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21st over: Australia 112-3 (Smith 52, Watson 21)
Oh yes. Rahat Ali comes back, has a quiet start to the over, but then Smith steps out to a wide ball and drives gloriously through cover for four.
“Your head is part of your body,” KP informs us on the radio. With know-all technical jargon like that it’s no wonder he was unpopular in the dressing room.
That’s a half-century to Steve Smith, and a fine one as well. He’s a long way to having won Australia a World Cup semi-final spot. 52 from 53 balls, six boundaries.
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20th over: Australia 106-3 (Smith 48, Watson 20)
Smith is just working in singles, taking another from Sohail. Watson breathes several more sighs of relief and drives through cover for four. Then two runs through midwicket, and a single through square. On to 20. He doesn’t always go on, but that dropped catch looks like it’ll hurt Pakistan tonight. If they’d taken that, had the momentum, and got Maxwell quickly... well, who knows.
The hundred is up. Australia are halfway there.
19th over: Australia 98-3 (Smith 47, Watson 13)
I’m going to run out of words to describe this Wahab Riaz spell. It’s magic. We don’t get this in ODIs. And somehow Watson still isn’t out. Once more Smith deflects the first ball behind square for a single. Is he just keen to get off strike? Should he be leaving Watson to face this music?
Yet another time Watson gets a bouncer at his throat and fends it away off the splice to land safely away to the leg side. Wahab might be tiring, he sends a wide over Watson’s head and another down the leg side. Watson deflects a ball to square leg without too much confidence, but gets two runs because the keeper has to chase it.
Asks James Lane, “As a one-eyed Oz supporter, is it wrong for me to fantasise about Pakistan winning - just to see Wahab vs India?”
Not on this showing. Deep breath, everybody.
18th over: Australia 93-3 (Smith 46, Watson 11)
Sohail Khan replaces Afridi after two overs, Misbah wants to stick with relative pace. But it suits Watson: after Smith taps into the covers for a single, Watson clobbers a short ball for four.
Kevin Pietersen is on the radio suggesting that Watson would have had a moment of relief facing bouncers 10 or 15 kilometres per hour slower. That makes sense. KP on the radio is actually pretty good. Maybe England cricket should convince him to stay there and defuse all the fuss.
Five from the over.
17th over: Australia 88-3 (Smith 45, Watson 7)
Dropped!
Shane Watson has been dropped at deep backward square. Again it was Wahab, again it was a bouncer, again it was fierce pace. Watson hooked. Big top edge. Rahat Ali was under it. As far as outfield catches go, it was straightforward. He waited, didn’t have to move, it came to him... and it went straight through his hands into his chest and dropped safe.
Wahab screamed in frustration and punched the air. Misbah keeps his cool but there’s some flint in his eye, I can tell you. Wahab bowls the next ball, Smith blocks it, and Wahab smashes the stumps down with a throw. Smith stares him down. Wahab is full of rage.
Watson gets back on strike. Wahab bowls a bouncer just down the leg side, and the crowd cheers louder for a wide than you’d ever hear.
The second-last ball is another ripper and again Watson fends just wide of the short leg. Maybe Misbah should get another couple of close catchers in. Watson works two runs to square leg to finish the over and the crowd roar. He’s looked ungainly but he’s faced down this hostile bowling with outward calm. I’d be curious to know whether Glenn Maxwell would have survived that spell.
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16th over: Australia 83-3 (Smith 44, Watson 4)
Smith is keeping Australia’s day together. Much like Kane Williamson for New Zealand, as long as those class players are there at three, they provide the cohesion and calm. Pakistan need to try to get him off strike and bowl as little to him as possible. Starve him.
Instead he’s feasting: nine runs from Afridi’s over, including a boundary, all worked to the on-side. A couple of twos as well, Smith just picked those off at will.
15th over: Australia 74-3 (Smith 36, Watson 3)
Wahab Riaz is bowling fire. He’s tickling 150 kilometres per hour and he’s firing them short. Smith faces a couple of uncomfortable balls before getting off strike. Watson then makes Smith look as though he were reclining in a lounge chair. Wahab gives Watson a snorter at his through, fended away off the bat handle to a vacant area on the off side. There’s only one bat-pad, and he’s on the other side.
Next ball Watson fends just short of that catcher.
Next ball Watson edges as he jumps, high over slip and away for a run.
Three fierce short balls and frankly Watto didn’t have a clue against one of them. That’s not just pure pace, but perfect direction as well. This might be the best spell I’ve seen this World Cup.
14th over: Australia 72-3 (Smith 35, Watson 2)
Right. Riiiiight. There’s a Starman, waiting in the sky. His name is Shahid Afridi, and he never bowls a wide.*
Misbah brings on spin. What’s more, he brings himself into bat-pad, under the helmet. Rare for a captain, but that’s the kind of captain Misbah is - unfussy, no frills, happy to do the hard work himself among a core of batsmen who most often leave him to do it.
Watson tries a big shot, Smith gets a big inside edge, but they can’t clobber Afridi or get out to him. Five from the over, in ones and twos. Watson trying to counterattack with that smash to deep midwicket but with no timing. He has 2 from 10 balls.
*May or may not be true.
13th over: Australia 67-3 (Smith 31, Watson 1)
What an over from Wahab. Smith took a single from the first ball and Wahab gave Watson a fierce working over from the next five. Four of them were short, one was at the stumps. Watson was jumping, twisting, and very nearly being caught behind from the last short ball. Wahab kept following up down the pitch, at one stage looking Watson in the eye while applauding as though he were trying to gee up the crowd. This is hostile stuff. Watson isn’t shy though.
12th over: Australia 66-3 (Smith 30, Watson 1)
Right then. Shane Watson is at the crease at 5, rather than Maxwell. Smith takes the responsibility with a cover drive for four, amid a few singles. Seven from the over.
11th over: Australia 59-3 (Smith 24, Watson 0)
Sorry, just lost our connection for a minute there. Catching up. Three runs and the Clarke wicket from Wahab’s over. It was a little unexpected, Clarke had looked very smooth from his first ball, and only a couple of balls before his dismissal had played a Wahab bouncer comfortably away for a single. But they had the fieldsman in about eight yards from the bat on the leg side, and credit to Misbah for the aggressive placement. Clarke couldn’t control the shot and found him easily. Three runs and the wicket from the over.
WICKET! Clarke 8 (11 balls), c Maqsood b Wahab
There’s a catch among the pigeons! The Aussie skipper has got a short ball at the sternum, not the fiercest bouncer he’s ever dealt with but it’s come off the splice of the bat and lobbed to the short leg. Now the game is open.
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10th over: Australia 56-2 (Smith 22, Clarke 7)
Four runs from Rahat’s over, as Clarke ticks over a couple of doubles.
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9th over: Australia 52-2 (Smith 22, Clarke 3)
The breakthrough comes courtesy of Cranky Wahab Riaz, who had an entertaining clash with Mitchell Starc while Wahab was batting.
Before this innings, Wahab had 14 wickets at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 24 in this World Cup. Warner worked three runs through cover, got the strike back, very nearly gloved a bouncer down the leg side that was called wide, then handed Wahab his 15th wicket.
Enter El Capitán Australiano, Miguel Clarke. He is away quickly, taking two through midwicket from his second ball and a single from his third. Olé.
Updated
WICKET! Warner 24 (23 balls), c Rahat b Wabab
More like David Waner, am I right? His star has faded, as he ramps a short ball from Wahab Riaz in the air to third man for a very good catch diving forward.
Updated
8th over: Australia 44-1 (Warner 21, Smith 21)
Smith works a couple of couples from Rahat, square either side of the wicket. He’s drawn level with David Warner’s 21 by the end of the over.
Loath as I am to criticise Kumar Sangakkara, this is where he went wrong against South Africa. When early wickets fell he became super cautious and dug in. It was important that he stayed, but he almost stopped scoring at all. That let bowlers like Duminy settle in and take wickets later. Here, when the early wicket fell, Smith made sure to keep the scoring going, even without any aggressive shots. Easier said than done, of course, but his response has quickly taken some of the nerviness out of this situation.
7th over: Australia 40-1 (Warner 21, Smith 17)
Pakistan trying to apply pressure after that early wicket, but Smith is expert at popping open the valve. He leaves, he defends, he doesn’t strike cleanly, but eventually he gets one wide enough from Sohail and drives it through cover for four. He and Warner have rattled their team along to 40 already.
6th over: Australia 35-1 (Warner 21, Smith 12)
Rahat Ali is on already, a whippish slender left-armer who can swerve the ball. His first ball pitches short and Warner has no urge for circumspection, playing a forehand swat over mid-on for four.
Smith gets strike after a single and caresses a cover drive - four more. Then he takes three runs from the final ball, turning it through midwicket. It makes such a difference to Australia having Smith walk in and bat well. He’s been circumspect, respectful, and still moved to 12 from 11 balls.
Finch lbw. He refers it... one of the worst referrals ever. Unless he thought it was the 18th century & middle stumps hadn't been invented.
— Andy Zaltzman (@ZaltzCricket) March 20, 2015
5th over: Australia 23-1 (Warner 16, Smith 5)
Four to start the over, good shot from Smith as he flicks square of the wicket to a leg-side-ish ball. He’s not in any hurry though, leaving and blocking a few before he and Warner trade singles. Six from Sohail’s over.
“That review was absolutely woeful,” agrees Rudi Edsall. “Warner should be given out for not telling Finch not to review it. Opening batsmen should be told never ever review unless you’ve smashed it.”
4th over: Australia 17-1 (Warner 15, Smith 0)
Ehsan Adil does well here, drawing a couple of defensive shots from Warner, then a couple of mis-hit whacks at cover. All he can get is a couple of runs through backward point.
“Australia v Pakistan. World Cup 1/4 Final. Friday night,” reports Sam Lobashcher. “And Channel 9 on the Gold Coast are showing a replay of Gilmore Girls... Kerry Packer would be rolling in his substantial grave.”
Not that it isn’t an excellent show, Sam. Just ask the guy doing the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge, involving the 300-odd books that she read during the series.
3rd over: Australia 15-1 (Warner 13, Smith 0)
Great second over from Sohail. He’s the key with no Mohammed Irfan. Rahat Ali has the skill to back him up. Two runs from the first ball, then the wicket, then a series of dots to a defence-minded Steve Smith.
WICKET! Finch 2 (5 balls), lbw Sohail Khan
There’s the early one they needed, and it’s compounded by one of the worst lbw reviews you are ever likely to see. Finch got a full ball slanted at his pads, missed his attempted whip across the line, then had a long chat with Warner after he was given out. They went the DRS review, which almost never works against lbw calls because they’re always clipping somewhere, but in this case it was hitting halfway up middle and leg. A waste of that insurance policy.
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2nd over: Australia 13-0 (Warner 13, Finch 0)
Ehsan Adil, the long and lanky right-hander, will start the bowling at the other end. He’s only playing his sixth ODI today, and has three career wickets. No pressure. Warner gets two through midwicket, then slashes four over slips. Finch hasn’t scored.
1st over: Australia 7-0 (Warner 7, Finch 0)
Still quite light here at Adelaide Oval, some shreds of sunlight sticking to the turf as the day falls toward its customary conclusion.
It’s Sohail Khan starting off, he’s had a good World Cup with 11 wickets so far at a good rate of 4.5 per over. Warner leaves his first ball, but the second gets shape into the batsman, takes the inside edge and looked like it was going to bowl him but Warner’s back pad got in the way. Warner then essays almost a defensive shot for four, he times it past Misbah’s dive at cover. Then he drives three down the ground.
Finch on strike and there’s a big appeal against him first ball as he’s hit in front of middle stump. It looked a touch high. HawkEye has it both out and not out - it’s more than clipping the stumps, with just less than half the ball hitting the bails. If you’re going to rely on ball-tracking technology, it’s ridiculous that this result can be considered not out. Let’s go all the way or not at all.
Hello world. Thanks to my colleague, “Bertrand” Russell Jackson for that first innings tour of duty. Geoff Lemon joining you for Part II. Now - 213 in an Australian World Cup knockout game. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It’s down to Pakistan’s bowlers to see whether they can make this game anywhere near as dramatic as the 1999 semifinal. Who is today’s Allan Donald?
Pakistan all out for 213
Have Pakistan reached the end of the line in this 2015 World Cup or have they got another heroic bowling performance left in them? One thing is for sure, Wahab Riaz will be fired up to do some damage after tangling with Mitch Starc when he batted.
Again Pakistan’s batting was a tale of squandered opportunities. They slumped to 24-2 when openers Shehzad and Sarfraz departed, but Misbah (34) and Haris Sohail (41) looked during their 73-run partnership as though they’d pull it out of the fire. Sadly they didn’t, both departing to truly regrettable shots.
Eight Pakistan batsmen reached double figures, but all of them threw away their starts. Umar Akmal (20) and Shahid Afridi (23) did what they generally do; batted like millionaires and departed as quickly as they came. Wahab (16) dug in and then counter-attacked, while Ehsan Adil (15) did what he could to get the Pakistan total past 200.
The Australian bowlers had a productive outing. The pick of them was Josh Hazlewood with 4-35 from his 10 after beating Pat Cummins to the 11th place in the team, Mitch Starc struggled a little in patches but finished with 2-40 off 10 because he’d take wickets with a ball of cotton at the moment. Johnson and Faulkner took a wicket each and had their moments, while Maxwell jagged 2 of the filthiest dismissals you’d ever see.
Can Pakistan recover from that disappointing batting effort? Everything will depend on Rahat and Wahab. Joinging you shortly will be Geoff Lemon - gentleman, scholar and OBO wizard.
WICKET! Ehsan Adil c Starc b Faulkner 15 (Pakistan all out for 213)
Bang! I spoke too soon. Ehsan Adil has had enough of nudging and promptly thumps James Faulkner down over long-on for a very welcome six. That’s followed by a very fortunate 9 iron in the same direction, from which he picks up two, but his luck runs out from the penultimate ball of the innings when a wild hook loops down to Starc at fine leg. The catch is far from easy to pull off but Starc dives forward athletically and holds it.
That’s that for Pakistan. It was an innings of missed opportunities and shambolic dismissals. Australia will chase 214 for a place in the semi final.
49th over: Pakistan 206-9 (Adil 9, Rahat 5)
There is something admirable about the way Rahat and Ehsan are sticking around until the bitter end but their lack of success in making contact with the ball is proving somewhat frustrating to the crowd. Rahat gets a single to finish the over so Watson has ended up with 0-17 from 5 overs.
48th over: Pakistan 205-9 (Adil 9, Rahat 4)
Faulkner’s had more dots than a dalmation today, to quote the comments section of Shane Warne’s Instagram account. There’s four of them in this over and two singles. His economy at the death is a real asset in this side.
47th over: Pakistan 203-9 (Adil 8, Rahat 3)
Imagine if Pakistan had some wickets in hand right now... That would have been an idea, wouldn’t it? Shane Watson’s on again, finding the going reasonably easy against numbers 10 and 11 but they’re hanging in there all the same. Can they scrounge another 15-20 runs?
46th over: Pakistan 200-9 (Adil 6, Rahat 2)
Well there’s a psychological win for Pakistan. They’ve posted 200. Chris Purcell fears the wrath of Wahab. “I always found it a good strategy to wind up fast bowlers. They start trying too hard and spraying it around, and make for easy pickings, or so I usually heard when I was in A&E.”
“I was very shy about wearing shorts back then,” says commentator Sourav Ganguly of his youth. He should be in the cockpit on Airplane. Do you like movies about Gladiators, Sourav?
45th over: Pakistan 196-9 (Adil 3, Rahat 1)
When we look back at it, one of the great mysteries of this World Cup will be how on earth Rahat Ali survived for five balls against rampaging Mitch Starc. He glides a single down to third man and then Ehsan almost perishes from an edge to the cordon. It bounces just short of Clarke at second slip.
WICKET! Sohail Khan c Haddin b Hazlewood 4 (Pakistan 195-9)
44th over: Pakistan 195-9 (Adil 3)
Now Sohail Khan departs to a brainless shot. I suppose there’s no point in stopping now, is there? It’s Hazlewood’s last ball and it’s short, so the tailender swipes towards cow but ends up top-edging it behind the wicket to Haddin. How far below par is this score going to end up? 80? 120?
Ian Forth is back with a theory. “Have Pakistan misheard the team talk? Are they playing like cornered lemmings?”
43rd over: Pakistan 192-8 (Adil 0, Sohail 4)
Having been bunted for two by Sohail Khan, Starc decides the next one will bounce in his own half of the pitch and trampoline past the tailender’s ears. Pretty sound logic, if you’re a fast bowler.
@rustyjacko Watched Watson "chase" a ball to the boundary and thought 'Watto moves like a Tiger' #AUSvPAK #CWC15 pic.twitter.com/GEHBoAFqN6
— wonk_arama (@wonk_arama) March 20, 2015
WICKET! Wahab c Haddin b Starc 16 (Pakistan 188-8)
Wahab’s running battle with Starc is eventually his undoing. He dances down the deck and tries to hit the Aussie into Tuesday, but instead gets a thick edge through to the ever-gleeful Haddin. Starc can finally afford himself a smile, which is a much better look on the big, goofy New South Welshman.
42nd over: Pakistan 188-7 (Wahab 16, Adil 0)
Ehsan Adil is the new man for Pakistan and he gets his eye in by watchfully negotiating three dot balls from Hazlewood, who has returned with a wicket maiden and in the process silenced a few of the pre-game doubters. 3-32 off 9 is his analysis so far, an excellent day’s work.
WICKET! Maqsood c Johnson b Hazlewood 29 (Pakistan 188-7)
Another wicket falls and again it’s to an injudicious stroke by a well-set batsman. Maqsood makes room outside off stump and slashes Hazlewood in the direction of point but here’s the issue with that; there’s usually a man there. This time it’s Johnson, who juggles the catch but eventually holds it.
41st over: Pakistan 188-6 (Maqsood 29, Wahab 16)
There’s some real spice in this game at the moment. Wahab belts Starc for a boundary through mid-wicket and then almost has his head taken off by lightning-fast bouncer. These two guys hate each other at the moment.
40th over: Pakistan 182-6 (Maqsood 28, Wahab 11)
A question out of that Starc-Wahab imbroglio: is it ever a good idea to wind up a bloke of Wahab’s size who can bowl at 150 clicks? My impulse - and call me a wimp here - is probably not. Wahab attacks Faulkner too now, bashing him down the ground for four and then picking up 5 when a wild throw from Itch Johnson speeds away for 4 overthrows.
The Aussies have been a little ragged in the last 5 minutes, a mini-moment in this game that might have consequences later. Wahab is giving Pakistan a spark too. They really needed it.
39th over: Pakistan 171-6 (Maqsood 26, Wahab 2)
Something quite unusual is happening here; Mitchell Starc isn’t nailing the base of off-stump every second over. The way Wahab is struggling to lay bat on it, he’d be a lot better off aiming for the timber than angling for an edge to the cordon. He’s sledging away at Wahab but he really shouldn’t. He can only blame himself.
There follows some drama when Wahab marches down the pitch and tells Marias Erasmus he’s not happy. Even more brilliant is when he walks a third of the way down the track to Starc’s next ball. ‘I’m not afraid of you, punk’ seems to be his message. Great stuff.
38th over: Pakistan 168-6 (Maqsood 25, Wahab 1)
Wahab is the reverse Afridi at the moment. He looks like he’ll get out at any moment, don’t get me wrong, but that’s on account of innefectual defensive prodding rather than maniac swiping. A single to Maqsood is the only score of another frugal Faulkner over.
37th over: Pakistan 167-6 (Maqsood 24, Wahab 1)
Mitch Starc might have removed Maqsood here but for the glacial movements of Shane Watson at a squarish mid-on. Starc squared the batsman up and the leading edged looped up to mid wicket, yet Watson not only moved across slowly to the drop zone but also refused to dive. He must have friends in the TV production crew because it’s neither mentioned nor replayed. Maybe the Gods are reminding Starc that he can’t have it all his way.
Watson like a panther in the field there. Or possibly a Panzer. #AUSvPAK #CWC15
— Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) March 20, 2015
36th over: Pakistan 162-6 (Maqsood 20, Wahab 0)
Now James Faulkner is also back to tighten the screws and tighten them he does, conceding just a single to Maqsood. Will Wahab yield to the need for circumspection? His teammates would probably think he was a madman.
35th over: Pakistan 161-6 (Maqsood 19, Wahab 0)
With Australia all over Pakistan now, Mitch Starc is brought back into the attack in an attempt to kill it off quickly. Maqsood deals with him adeptly to start with, but this might be the calm before the storm.
WICKET! Afridi c Finch b Hazlewood 23 (Pakistan 158-6)
34th over: Pakistan 158-6 (Maqsood 16)
If you’re currently on the outskirts of Adelaide and feeling a stiff breeze, it’s probably on account of the fresh-air shot Shahid Afridi just took at Josh Hazlewood. Two balls later he repeats that and top-edges four high over the head of Brad Haddin. “It’s quite something when Afridi is out there,” says Michael Slater, as opposed to ‘not out there’, which is what he’ll probably be shortly if he doesn’t pull his head in.
Ergh....right on cue, Afridi belts a short one from Hazlewood straight into the hands of Finch in the deep. They’re giving him fielding practice out there. Brainless cricket, though probably a fitting way for Afridi to go out if that was his final ODI innings. He’s been a beautiful, deeply flawed genius.
33rd over: Pakistan 152-5 (Maqsood 15, Afridi 18)
One thing you don’t want to do when you’re bowling to Shahid Afridi is give him width outside off-stump, especially at half-volley length. Given such leniency from Johnson, old Boom-Boom annihilates the left-armer for a six over cover.
Adam Hirst is loving this. “Pakistan 130-5 and Afridi in? Cricket gift from the Gods.” With that, it’s drinks at the Adelaide Oval.
32nd over: Pakistan 143-5 (Maqsood 13, Afridi 11)
Josh Hazlewood returns to the attack now and you’d think Mitchell Stac is also starting to lick his lips the way Afridi is swinging for the fences. After a two and a single to Maqsood, Afridi even manages to catch the eye with a one, extravagantly slicing Hazlewood over the cordon. Maqsood catches Afridi-itis, slogging Hazlewood for four towards cow in a manner that probably causes several copies of the MCC coaching manual to spontaneously combust.
31st over: Pakistan 135-5 (Maqsood 6, Afridi 10)
A dropped catch from Johnson! He squares Maqsood up beaitifully with a well-directed short ball but the return catch, which really bobbles up, bounces out of his left hand as he dives across the pitch. The over costs just the one run but also denies Afridi the strike against Maxwell. Boooooo!!!!
30th over: Pakistan 134-5 (Maqsood 5, Afridi 10)
It’s as though Shahid Afridi views Glenn Maxwell’s rise as a batsman as a threat to his title as the most impetuous stroke-maker in cricket. Afridi goes on an immediate kamikaze assault, belting 10 runs in 5 balls with an assortment of absolute filth. This could be a lot of fun, but it could also be brief.
WICKET! Akmal c Finch b Maxwell 20 (Pakistan 124-5)
Maxwell and Finch combine again! Umar Akmal, you incredibly loose cannon. This one was a rank long-hop from Maxwell and the Pakistani batsman just hammered straight down the throat of Finch, almost literally. Finch actually did well to hold it in the style of an Aussie Rules chest mark and though ungainly, it did the job.
29th over: Pakistan 124-4 (Akmal 15, Maqsood 5)
To come for Pakistan are the mercurial but entirely unreliable Afridi and the productive Wahab. Not a disaster, but Michael Slater is predicting/barrracking for a Pakistan collapse now. That won’t happen if Johnson starts bowling half-colleys like that one that Akmal caresses down the ground for a boundary.
Here’s the unfortunate thing though: the pitch has a lot less spice in it. The Australian batsmen definitely won’t be concerned by what they’re seeing.
28th over: Pakistan 118-4 (Akmal 15, Maqsood 4)
Now it’s Maxwell tying the Pakistanis in knots. His over goes for four runs but he almost claims a flustered Akmal with his final delivery, which rips past the outside edge. Clarke will be rapt that he’s burning through Maxwell’s overs with such little scoreboard damage.
27th over: Pakistan 114-4 (Akmal 13, Maqsood 2)
Maqsood gets a gift from Johnson, getting off the mark with two from a full toss. Can Pakistan recover from the loss of the two set batsman? It might fall away very quickly if these two don’t dig in.
WICKET! Sohail c Haddin b Johnson 41 (Pakistan 112-4)
Oh dear. He battled hard but after working his way to 41, Sohail perishes to a truly awful shot. Johnson angles one across him and with minimal footwork he just lazily swipes at it to send a thick edge through to Haddin. The keeper has some work to do diving to his left but it’s a lot better moment for him than the one an over earlier.
26th over: Pakistan 108-3 (Sohail 40, Akmal 10)
There is a quite bizarre moment here when Umar Akmal cuts four but the Aussies appeal for a hit-wicket verdict. The bails are off but it was Aussie keeper Brad Haddin who dislodged them, not the batsman. Why did Haddin even allow the umpires to go through the motions of a review? Ridiculous stuff.
25th over: Pakistan 102-3 (Sohail 40, Akmal 4)
It’s Johnson who appears to ruffle up the new man Akmal and that he does with a fast bouncer. Akmal slashes down to third man for one but it’s a shot that’s not without its risks. Johnson chuckles, the sadistic laugh of a man who knows who knows he can break every single bone in your body.
@rustyjacko I'd agree with the "build a platform first" strategy, but not every attack has a Starc and Faulkner bowling in the death.
— Kirt M (@kirtmorgs) March 20, 2015
24th over: Pakistan 101-3 (Sohail 40, Akmal 3)
Ooh, Maxwell almost gets Umar Akmal too, drawing him forward and claiming an edge that flies away for two past Brad Haddin’s gloves. No matter, it was a partnership-breaking over from Maxwell and you get the sense that Clarke might go for the jugular now. Starc time? Johnson?
WICKET! Misbah c Finch b Maxwell 34 (Pakistan 97-3)
Housemates unite! They used to share a house and now Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch have combined to remove the Pakistan captain. Cannily reintroduced by Clarke, Maxwell floats one in and Misbah can’t help himself from attempting a 3rd six to the on side. He doesn’t quite get hold of it, skying it into the deep where Finch runs around and snafffles a handy catch.
23rd over: Pakistan 96-2 (Sohail 38, Misbah 34)
Watson recovers from the minor pasting he copped in his last over and bowls with miserly intent. Sohail turns the last delivery down to fine leg for a single and maintenance of the strike, which is a pretty good idea at the moment.
22nd over: Pakistan 93-2 (Sohail 37, Misbah 33)
This partnership is now worth 67 runs at a rate of 4.18. It hasn’t all been dynamic but it’s definitely halted Australia’s early momentum. “I reckon Pakistan have the edge so far,” says reader James Lane. “The pattern of the tournament thus far has been: build a platform, get to around 200 with wickets in hand, and blast to around 300. They’re on track, and their bowling’s their strongest suit. Pressure will be very much on the Australians.”
I’d agree and more than anything, I just want Misbah to get that maiden ODI ton.
21st over: Pakistan 90-2 (Sohail 35, Misbah 32)
Haris Sohail continues to live dangerously, this time gloving an attempted hook just over the gloves of a leaping Brad Haddin. Sohail does a bit better against the next one, a length ball that is slapped through mid-on for a boundary. Shane Watson, need I even mention it, is not impressed with this development.
“Penguins can’t walk backwards,” says Ian Forth. “Mind you, they can’t walk forwards either. They waddle in both directions. Perfect for England?” I’m starting to feel like David Attenborough.
20th over: Pakistan 83-2 (Sohail 28, Misbah 32)
Clarke’s had enough of Maxwell doing five-sixths of his job so he brings James Faulkner into the attack for his first bowl of the day. Only two runs come from the over as Faulkner mixes around his line, length and speed.
When the commentators say Watson’s a ‘big match player’ do they just mean that he’s big and plays matches? #AUSvPAK #CWC15
— Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) March 20, 2015
19th over: Pakistan 81-2 (Sohail 27, Misbah 31)
With Johnson in need of a rest, we’ve reached Watto hour. The big all-rounder limbers up and lumbers in, gently easing his way into his first bowling spell of the day. He keeps it tight at first and then Haris Sohail has an absolute brain-fade, stepping down the track and trying to hoof the ball over cow and into a neighbouring suburb but instead top-edging within a few metres of third man. Misbah is straight down the pitch to give him a bollocking and rightly so.
@rustyjacko no shortage of Black Caps in New Zealand rubbish eating though
— Mark Illingworth (@illingworthm) March 20, 2015
18th over: Pakistan 77-2 (Sohail 25, Misbah 29)
Maxwell’s job is to rip through his overs quickly and keep the run rate down, which he does again for five balls before Misbah clicks into gear and thumps him for another six over cow. It’s a bit of a pattern, that one.
17th over: Pakistan 69-2 (Sohail 24, Misbah 22)
“Maybe it’s some secret Pakistani glue,” says a very diplomatic Allan Border as he discusses Bailgate from earlier. Back in the middle, Haris Sohail shuts Wasim Akram up with an attractive drive down the ground for three as Mitch Johnson continues to oscillate between lengths too short or full.
Gavin Robertson - presumably not the ex-Australian off-spinner - is in the house. “Given that the national animal of Scotland is the Unicorn,” he says, “your theory that mythology in this area equates to failure in ODI seems extremely plausible.”
16th over: Pakistan 65-2 (Sohail 21, Misbah 21)
Wasim Akram is a hard taskmaster. He’s fuming here when Haris Sohail takes four balls to get off strike against Maxwell but surely it’s no great drama just yet. Plenty of time, Wasim. It’s a very productive over from Maxwell, actually. Even Misbah looks shaky when the off-spinner jags one in and almost claims an edge. That Sohail single is the only run.
Thomas Thompson has a contibution to the Kangaroo/Emu debate, if it is one. “It’s true Australians eat both members of their national emblem, but I always thought the more interesting ‘fact’ was that the reason both animals are on the emblem is that they’re the only two animals who can’t walk backwards. Cause Aussies never take a backwards step, you see... Not sure this is based in any semblance of fact but I’ll continue to spout it”
You know what grinds my gears, Thomas? That butchered Australian ‘coat of arms’ that Cricket Australia use on these Australian shirts. It’s a corporate logo, not a coast of arms. Get rid of it.
15th over: Pakistan 64-2 (Sohail 20, Misbah 21)
Perhaps the problem with my current perception of Johnson is that we’re comparing his form to the godly heights he reached in 2013-14. No-one can live up to that. The positive today is that he’s stemming the flow of runs, which hasn’t exactly been his strength in this World Cup. Only 3 come from this over.
The bails with the light in are heavier than the lignum vitae ones used on windy days. So something else against the bowler.
— mike selvey (@selvecricket) March 20, 2015
14th over: Pakistan 61-2 (Sohail 19, Misbah 19)
Lacking a specialist spinner again, Clarke turns now to Glenn Maxwell and his offies. For five balls it all goes to plan for the Aussies - a scattering of singles being the only damage - but Misbah’s seen enough and promptly creams Maxwell over cow for towering six.
Reader Ian Forth is giving me column ideas. “There aren’t any tigers left in Pakistan, and no lions in England either. Plenty of kangaroos and emus in Australia, though,” he says. “Only a matter of time before a blog linking success to a rejection of mythology. Russell? Geoff? Barney?”
Australians do eat Kangaroos though. Where would that sit in the argument?
13th over: Pakistan 52-2 (Sohail 17, Misbah 12)
At the risk of mozzing him completely, it looks like Haris Sohail is locked on today. Wedded to the aggressive strokes of the previous over is more solid defence here to Johnson. Every time he makes runs I wonder why he’s not a superstar, to be honest.
Johnson must be short on ideas to be coming around the wicket to a left-hander but that’s what he does for what should have been his penultimate delivery. It’s a bouncer but so loose and high it’s called a wide. Haris picks up a single from the next and Johnson trots back out to the deep to ponder his strategy.
12th over: Pakistan 49-2 (Sohail 16, Misbah 11)
There might have been a temptation within Michael Clarke to give Hazlewood a spell but he gives him a sixth over in the hope of squeezing out one more top order wicket before considering the deployment of Faulkner and Maxwell. Perhaps Hazlewood is a little short on gas now because he sends down a real slot ball that Sohail hammers through mid-off for a boundary. “It wasn’t a bad ball,” says Brett Lee. He’s talking rubbish.
The over finishes with another Sohail boundary, this one cracked through cover with something close to disdain. A mistake to bowl Hazlewood for six? Probably.
11th over: Pakistan 38-2 (Sohail 7, Misbah 9)
It’s hard to see how Mitchell Johnson will take wickets if he continues to bang it in short as his stock ball. He gets Haris Sohail ducking a few times but there’s no real danger in this over, even if it’s a tight one. The important thing for Pakistan is that they’re consolidating with this pair. We know Misbah will take his time but he really needs Sohail hit his straps too.
10th over: Pakistan 37-2 (Sohail 7, Misbah 8)
There were some publicly-expressed doubts about Hazlewood as this game got under way (Warnie, we’re looking at you) but he’s bowling beautifully today. First up in this over he thinks he’s trapped Misbah in front but replays indicate why he got no love from Dharma - it was definitely high.
Again Haris Sohail fails to cash in on a bad ball and attractive stroke, creaming a loose one outside off stump straight to the man at point. Half a metre either way and it was a boundary.
Pakistan in #CWC15 after 10 overs 46/1 (224) 25/4 (160) 14/2 (235/7) 41/1 (339/6) 35/1 (222) 65/0 (241/3) #BingPredicts #DimagSay #AusvPak
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) March 20, 2015
9th over: Pakistan 36-2 (Sohail 7, Misbah 7)
Now it’s Mitchell Johnson’s turn to sling a few down and his first delivery certainly catches the eye; full and angling across Misbah, the Pakistani skipper can’t resist an attempt to crash it through cover but instead chops a thick outside edge milimetres past his off stump and down to the fine leg boundary for four. There’s plenty of singles too. Johnson just doesn’t look that threatening at the moment, does he?
Anthony Reynolds has emailed in. “Been texting a mate who all throughout WC 2015 has been telling all who’ll listen that the ‘cornered tigers’ are on the march, summoning the spirit of Imran 92.”
“His day of reckoning is here - present at the game and shouldn’t be too hard to miss, certainly the palest and blondest patron in the crowd with lime green (albeit the reissued version of the 92 kit) on.Unfortunately I’m stuck at work and on the road tonight, so I can’t even try to spot him on the telly.”
I’ll keep an eye out, Anthony.
8th over: Pakistan 28-2 (Sohail 6, Misbah 1)
Hazlewood backs up again to Haris Sohail, who has been a bystander for the last 5 minutes but now has a chance to adjust to the pace. In defence the left-hander is far more convincing than his departed colleagues, all decisive footwork and emphatically-straight bat. He picks up two and might have cashed in on a half-volley to finish the over but his cracking drive goes straight to short mid-off.
3 slips and a gully at Adelaide Oval? The world has gone mad!
— Adam Zampa (@zamps63) March 20, 2015
7th over: Pakistan 26-2 (Sohail 4, Misbah 1)
Things settle down a little early in the Starc over but he’s probing Misbah, slanting it across the right hander and trying to set him up. But for what? A huge in-swinging yorker? No, it’s a 151kpmh bouncer that whistles past the Pakistani captain’s nose. Great stuff. Starc follows it with another but having practiced it now, Misbah’s evasive action is far more convincing. Does he regret electing to bat now? The next 15 overs will tell us.
Hit the stumps... but the bail stayed on! Amazing... LIVE: http://t.co/fww1ZoZlJx #cwc15 #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/v64HU4CyBv
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 20, 2015
6th over: Pakistan 26-2 (Sohail 4, Misbah 1)
There’s even more drama in the Hazlewood over when Misbah looks to have been bowled behind his legs but the bail, having been lit up upon the leg stump being glanced by the ball, stays in position. Twice now in this tournament a batsman as been ‘bowled’ but survived. Hazlewood looks like he’s had his lunch money stolen, pleading to Umpire Dharmasena for an unconventional overrule. None is forthcoming.
Finally Misbah gets off the mark with a single to fine leg. It could be his last ODI knock. Will this be an iconic World Cup moment?
WICKET! Shehzad c Clarke b Hazlewood 5 (Pakistan 24-2)
This is a disastrous start for Pakistan. Shehzad perishes in much the same fashion as his opening partner only this time to the right-handed Hazlewood and from a ball that was a little closer to his body. He drives lustily but his thick edge flies to second-slipper Michael Clarke at the perfect height, so the Aussie skipper can just fall into it as he clasps the ball. The Aussies are right on top.
Updated
5th over: Pakistan 24-1 (Shehzad 5, Sohail 4)
Bang! Haris Sohail wastes no time kick-starting his innings when he thrashes Starc through point for an eye-catching boundary.
WICKET! Sarfraz c Watson b Starc 10 (Pakistan 20-1)
Starc starts the over with a wide and Sarfraz looks to be gaining some ascendancy when he pulls him for an authoritative boundary through square leg but Starc gets immediate revenge, pushing one wide and away from the right-hander and claiming an edge. Sarfraz can’t resist an impetuous nibble and it flies through to the safe hands of Watson at slip. He had to dive for that, Watson, but he stayed calm and held it.
Updated
4th over: Pakistan 13-0 (Shehzad 5, Sarfraz 3)
They’re not exactly a visual feast, this pair of opening batsmen. Shehzad has been a dependable contributor for his side in the last six months but he moves his feet like a lead-footed drunk trying to negotiate the gap between a train carriage and a station platform. After an early single to Sarfraz, Shehzad sees off five Hazlewood dots with a mixture of ducking and clunky defence.
3nd over: Pakistan 12-0 (Shehzad 5, Sarfraz 3)
Mitchell Starc is bowling so well at the moment that the art of surviving his swerving rockets involves a fair bit of guesswork and preemptive decision-making. Shehzad thinks he can push the left-armer to the point region but a quarter of the way through his stroke the ball is almost in Brad Haddin’s gloves. The best place to be when Starc bowls with a white ball is at the non-strikers end, to be honest.
Sarfraz finally gets off the mark by flicking Starc down to fine leg for two, then looks to the heavens once he’s crossed for the second. He’ll be trouble for Australia if he gets his eye in, mind you.
2nd over: Pakistan 6-0 (Shehzad 2, Sarfraz 0)
Recalled to the side today, Josh Hazlewood is straight into the thick of things and cranking the speedometer into the 145kmph region. Shehzad bunts him for a single but he gives Sarfraz the hurry-up, forcing him onto the back foot and into ungainly defensive action.
The first boundary of the match comes when Hazlewood strays onto the hip of Sarfraz to concede four leg byes. Warnie’s all over him. I guess he needs a whipping boy now that Starc is bowling well.
1st over: Pakistan 1-0 (Shehzad 1, Sarfraz 0)
“I think it’s a good toss to lose,” says Shane Warne before adding, “It’s a good toss to bat first.” But which Warnie to trust?
And we’re under way! Mitch Starc is short outside off stump to start with and Shehzad clips him away for a nerve-settling single through the covers. Moments later to Sarfraz he produces and absolute gem to beat the Pakistani opener all ends up. With his feet going nowhere, Sarfraz gropes unconvincingly and can’t do a thing about the ball screaming through the gate. How did it not castle him? Sarfraz drives the final ball of the over attractively, but Clarke cuts it off at cover.
More cornered Tigers
We have our first email of the day, from OBO regular Geoff Foley. He’s stepped forward with a gem. “Rusty, I for one cannot go past a mention of Imran’s cornered tigers without my mind harking back to this piece of champagne comedy.”
WARNING: this was made in the early 90s, back when even comedy broadcast by the ABC had its racially-problematic moments.
Full-kit...Legend?
Legend gets thrown around too often. But this guy is clearly one. #Adelaide #cwc15 #AusvPak ping: @WankersFullKit pic.twitter.com/VeI6JFcbCo
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) March 20, 2015
Pakistan - the glory years
For further reading on Pakistan – beyond Barney Ronay’s aforementioned preview – I can’t recommend highly enough Osman Samiuddin’s recently released magnum opus, ‘The Unquiet Ones – A History of Pakistan Cricket.’ It’s a glorious book. Here’s Osman on the 1992 World Cup winners, in this case demystifying Imran’s famous ‘cornered Tigers’ speech:
“Another senior member says it was just the ‘usual geeing-up-talk shit, nothing specific. Can’t even remember what was being said, because Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s qawwalis were blaring in the background at the time.’ A few can’t recall where or at what point the meeting happened. One member, Zahid Fazal has even said there was no such meeting at all; Imran wore the tiger t-shirt regularly for one-day finals, Fazal said, and the only time he referred to it during the World Cup was to television anchors and once on the morning of the final.”
Well, well, well. Here’s a clip of Imran doing the Tiger routine with Ian Chappell, by the way. I think I’m responsible for at least 1000 views.
Our line-ups today
Australia: Warner, Finch, Smith, Clarke (c), Maxwell, Watson, Faulkner, Haddin, Johnson, Starc, Hazlewood.
Pakistan: Shehzad, Sarfraz, Haris Sohail, Misbah (c), Maqsood, Umar Akmal, Afridi, Wahab, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil.
Yasir Shah misses out again, the poor bloke. Warnie tipped him as a world-beater before the tournament. Who’d be a spinner?
Pakistan win the toss and bat
Damien Fleming walks Misbah and Michael Clarke out to the middle and don’t they look a picture in their respective lime green and canary yellow kits? It’s the 1988-89 Benson and Hedges World Series Cup all over again.
Misbah calls tails and it comes up trumps. “This looks a little different from the last two pitches,” he says, before confirming that they’ll go in with the same side that played against Ireland.
“I’m not that bothered to be honest,” says Clarke of the fact his side will bowl first. “You’ve gotta bowl at one time, what about now?” Quite.
Australian team news
There’s been a fair bit of pre-game speculation as to which of Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood would get the nod today and we now know it’s the latter. Cummins has been expensive at times and with a little extra grass on this Adelaide pitch, they’ve gone for the Haze.
Premable
Hello OBOers and welcome to this World Cup quarter final in Adelaide between co-hosts Australia and everyone’s second-favourite team, Pakistan. If you’re a Pakistani, I guess it’s fair enough if they’re your actual favourite.
Russell Jackson here to take you through the first half of this one. Geoff Lemon will take you through to the bitter end in his usual freewheeling style. You can get me on russell.jackson@theguardian.com with all your comments and quips, or via twitter: @rustyjacko
As I settle into the blogging position, please let your mind’s eye establish the fact that I’m doing so in a 1992 Pakistan World Cup shirt (as Rob Gordon would say, “original - not re-released – underlined…”). Frankly I’m excited for this match. They were hopeless in the lead-up, hopeless in the tournament’s opening stages and they’re both undermanned and unfancied today, but the thought that Pakistan could cause a massive upset gives this game a certain edge. I have strong Wahab Riaz feelings, I have Misbah breakthrough-century feelings and I have Australian top-order collapse feelings. Just feelings though.
Getting a little less subjective, here’s a few other thoughts to ponder:
- Pakistan are battered and bruised. They’ll go into this game without Mohammad Irfan, the left-arm quick who is – as far as I’m aware – the only man taller than that absurd robot from the opening ceremony. That means Wahab Riaz and Rahat Ali need to stand up when it counts – finals time. But will seamer Ehsan Adil or leggie Yasir Shah come in for Irfan? On this pacier Adelaide pitch, maybe poor Yasir will miss out.
- Pakistan has lost 23 of its last 30 ODIs against Australia. I’ll go out on a limb and say that’s pretty ordinary. Before their 4-game winning streak they take into this match, they’d lost 12 out of 14 ODIs against all comers. The Aussies have only won 2 of their last 6 ODIs at Adelaide, mind you.
- Australia boasts arguably the most potent paceman in limited overs cricket right now in Mitchell Starc. He’s averaging 8.5 in this tournament. Absurd. Starc’s yorker must be vying with Shapoor Zadran’s hair as the most evocative sight of this World Cup.
- What Australia don’t have is a host of frugal back-ups; all of Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson and Pat Cummins have been taken apart at times. They make Glenn Maxwell look like a miser. Bless you James Faulkner, bless you. Lacking containment, they’ll need to blast Pakistan out.
- If Pakistan do lose, this is the last we’ll see of Misbah in ODIs. Perhaps Shahid Afridi too, though we all know he’ll be pushing for a spot in the 2019 squad, by which time he’ll be…what…32? 33?
- This Pakistan side beat South Africa. That’s nothing to sneeze at.
- My prediction: this will be a battle of the quicks and very hard work for the batsmen.
Russ will be here shortly to guide you through the first innings. In the meantime, here’s Barney Ronay on Pakistan, the World Cup’s anti-England.
Forza Pakistan! And not just for the obvious reasons. True, this time around Misbah-ul-Haq’s team of tyros, fill-ins and grand old men come equipped with the full Pakistan hand of brittle flair and operatic background drama. But there is a little something extra too. As cricket has been transformed since the last World Cup, Pakistan have remained a nation apart. Never mind the Big Three – England, Australia and India – meet the barely-operational one: a team without a home, without bargaining chips in the ongoing wrangle for cricket’s global future, and who are in their own way a kind of anti-England. Here is a team that appears constantly to be on the verge of sputtering to a messy halt – wheels falling off, doors blown out, management structures razed – but which just keeps revving along all the same.
Not that Pakistan are expected to win in Adelaide. They have lost 23 of their past 30 ODIs against Australia, while defeat to West Indies by 150 runs last monthmade it 12 losses out of 14 before a mini-surge of four straight wins took them to this stage. Of course this is a hugely depleted Pakistan. Much has been made in England of the absence of a single ageing star batsman with two ODI hundreds in the last seven years. Pakistan meanwhile have five bowlers in the current top 40 of the ICC ODI rankings – but only one of them actually available to play against Australia.
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