Pakistan snap Australia's 34-game WC unbeaten streak

Rex Clementine
Colombo, Mar 19 (PTI) Pakistan snapped defending champion
Australia's 34-game unbeaten streak in the World Cup with a
four-wicket upset victory in their high-profile last league
match to top Group A here on Saturday.
Pakistan, who were incidentally the last team to have
beaten Australia in World Cup before Saturday, first shot
their opponents out for a modest 176 in 46.4 overs before
chasing down the target with nine overs to spare at Premadasa
stadium.
Chasing 177 for a win, Pakistan suffered early jolts with
fast bowler Brett Lee ripping through their top-order with a
sensational four-wicket burst before romping home.
Asad Shafiq, who scored 78 not out against Zimbabwe in
Pakistan's earlier match, top-scored with 46 while Umar Akmal
and Younis Khan chipped in with 44 not out and 31
respectively.
Run rate was never an issue as the target was small but
Pakistan were in danger when they were six down for 142 in the
33rd over before Umar and Abdul Razzaq (20 not out) took their
side home after stitching 46 runs for the unbroken seventh
wicket stand.
Razzaq hit the winning run -- a four -- as Pakistan
reached 178 for six in 41 overs.
Both the sides have already qualified for quarterfinals
before the match but with Saturday's win, Pakistan top Group A
with 10 points while Australia (nine) finished third behind
Sri Lanka (nine) on net run rate. New Zealand are fourth with
eight points.
Pakistan play the fourth-ranked side from Group B, which
will be decided after the match between India and West Indies
in Chennai on Sunday.
Australia, who were last defeated by Pakistan in the
World Cup match at Leeds in May 1999, posted their sixth
lowest total in the showpiece event and lowest in first
innings since 1992 edition, with Brad Haddin top-scoring with
42 after electing to bat.
Lee kept Australia in for a chance with a devastating
spell of fast bowling including two wickets in consecutive
balls, but ultimately found that the total they were defending
was too small.
After removing both the Pakistan openers Mohammed Hafeez
(5) and Kamran Akmal (23) in his five-over first spell, Lee
returned to dismiss Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq (0) with
consecutive balls in the 23rd over though he could not
complete his hat-trict.
Lee, who extracted pace and carry from the slow track,
gave Australia an early breakthrough by dismissing Hafeez LBW
in the third over.
Hafeez closed the face of his bat too early while trying
to work a quick and straight delivery through midwicket only
to offer a catch to the bowler in his follow-through as
Pakistan were one down for just 12 runs.
Kamran, however, continued his aggressive batting,
smashing Mitchell Johnson for two fours in the sixth over
after the fast bowler replaced an ineffective Shaun Tait who
conceded 13 runs in his two-over first spell.
It was Lee again, who provided the second breakthrough
for Australia by claiming Kamran's wicket in the ninth over.
Kamran missed the line of a Lee full length delivery
which hit his pads and the umpire gave him out LBW. The
Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman went for a review and the
third umpire upheld the original decision. Kamran hit five
fours in his 27-ball 23.
Shane Watson and Johnson were able to contain the scoring
rate after Ponting took bowling powerplay in the 11th over but
they failed to get the breakthrough.
Ponting had to bring Lee back into attack and he
immediately struck in the fourth ball of his second spell with
scalps of Younis and Misbah, both edging to wicketkeeper
Haddin.
Younis, who stitched a 53-run stand with Shafiq for the
third wicket to steady the Pakistan innings from the early
jolt, hit four boundaries in his 42-ball innings.
Shafiq and Umar then shared 41 crucial runs for the fifth
wicket before the former fell to Johnson in the 32nd over,
leaving Pakistan needing 38 runs from 18 overs with five
wickets in hand.
Another quick Pakistani wicket fell in the form of
captain Shahid Afridi (2) who unnecessarily tried to slog only
to be caught at long-on by Lee.
The crucial wicket raised hopes of a famous victory by
Australia but Umar and Razzaq batted sensibly to deny them any
further success.
Earlier, Pakistan produced a clinical bowling display to
bundle out Australia for 176 in 46.4 overs. The Pakistani
bowlers stuck to a superb line and length to rattle the
Australian batsmen with their top half dismissed for 134.
Pacer Umar Gul was the pick of the bowlers with figures
of three for 30 runs. The other seamers Razzaq and Wahab Riaz
chipped in with two and one wicket respectively.
The spin trio of Shahid Afridi, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad
Hafeez also made the maximum use of a slow track, picking up a
wicket each as Australia lost wickets at regular intervals.
Haddin top-scored with 42 runs with three fours and a
six. Vice-captain Michael Clarke and Steven Smith were the
other main contributors with 34 and 25 respectively.
After losing Shane Watson cheaply for nine, Australia
recovered through a 63-run stand between wicketkeeper Brad
Haddin and captain Ricky Ponting.
The 19th over of the innings bowled by part-timer Hafeez
proved to be crucial as Ponting attempted to cut a delivery
only to edge it to wicketkeeper. Ponting was ruled not out by
umpire Marais Erasmus but Pakistan successfully reviewed the
decision and TV replays were clear that Ponting had edged it.
There was heated exchange of words between Pakistani
players and non-striker Haddin while the decision was being
reviewed and then Ponting too got involved in the altercation
before walking back to the pavilion.