Updated September 08, 2012 11:45:04
Pakistan beat Australia in an extraordinary second Twenty20 international that came down to a super over after both sides hit 151 runs from their 20 overs.
The victory seals a series victory for Pakistan with one match to play and means Australia slips below Ireland to tenth in the Twenty20 rankings.
After the disappointment Australia will take positives out of this match which must rank as one of the greatest in the history of the shortest format of the game.
Australia hit 11 from its super over bowled by Pakistan's death bowler specialist Umar Gul, a total Pakistan surpassed from its final ball.
Gul speared in trademark yorkers which Aussie openers Shane Watson and David Warner struggled to get the ball away initially before the latter came down the wicket for the fourth ball and flicked for four to fine leg.
After a wide, Warner holed out to long on and George Bailey, who earlier hit 42 from 27 balls, came in for the last ball and hit two runs to deep midwicket.
Pat Cummins was given the responsibility for Australia and was feasted on by Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq.
After hitting an air-shot first up, Akmal flat-batted the second ball past Cummins for four. Following a single, Razzaq smashed the ball over point for another boundary.
Razzaq then miss-hit the next ball and was fortunate to see the ball drop just before David Hussey at mid on.
Cummins' attempted bouncer was then called a wide and Akmal, needing only to block the last ball due to his side scoring more boundaries in the super over, scampered through for a single to seal victory.
"I was always very confident and all the time I had belief in the boys that we would win," Pakistan captain Mohammed Hafeez said.
"It's a great sign for me that everyone is responding so well, especially under pressure, and it's very pleasing for me as captain. Everyone's getting confidence and I'm very proud."
Bailey said the Australian players should take heart in their performance.
"Whenever it's so close you run things through your mind and there are a lot of what-ifs," he said.
"We can take a lot of positives from the match and in terms of a spectacle it was a terrific match."
On two occasions during regular play it seemed Australia would comfortably wrap up victory.
At the mid-point of its innings, with Shane Watson and Mike Hussey at the crease and the score at 1 for 79, Saaed Ajmal - who earlier took the wicket of Warner following his blistering 31 off 19 balls - came back into bowl and trapped Watson leg before.
Cameron White was run out in the next over swinging the game back in the balance.
Despite Mike Hussey falling to Gul for 23, Australia was well on the way to victory when Bailey during a super captain's knock hit consecutive boundaries in the penultimate over leaving Australia needing 12 off nine balls. A series-equalling victory seemed there for the taking.
Matthew Wade was then run out superbly by a direct throw from long leg by substitute fielder Yasir Arafat and then Bailey holed out from the first ball of the last over - bowled by Razzaq's first ball of the series.
Again Arafat was the key fielder running in from long leg after Bailey miss-hit Razzaq's slower bouncer.
After three successive singles it seemed that Pakistan would wrap up victory only for Cummins, who famously guided Australia to Test victory in Johannesburg last year, to hit a towering six over long on.
Then needing one run to win off the last ball, Cummins holed out to mid off.
Pakistan posted 4 for 151 - one it will have been confident of defending after Australia was bowled out for 89 in game one.
After winning the toss the Pakistan skipper led the way with a hard-hitting 45 while Nasir Jamshed also smashed 45 and Kamran Akmal was unbeaten on 43 from 26 deliveries.
Dan Christian claimed one of the greatest catches in Twenty20 history to dismiss Jamshed off the bowling of Cummins.
Christian ran back with the flight of the ball at mid-off and lunged full length to complete a miraculous catch in the fingertips of his left hand.
Jamshed fell at 2 for 89, coming to the crease with the score on 13 after debutant Mitchell Starc bowled Imran Nazir for a duck. Starc returned the tidy figures of 1 for 17 off four overs.
Mike Hussey dropped a simple chance at deep cover off David Hussey's bowling when Jamshed was on 13.
Hafeez, who appeared to be lbw to Cummins in the opening over but was given the benefit of the doubt, eventually holed out to long-on from the bowling of Watson.
Umar Akmal scored 13 before being caught on the boundary off Christian's bowling in the final over.
Spinner Brad Hogg, who was recalled for Xavier Doherty, had a nightmare return to the line-up and finished with 0 for 38. Paceman Cummins (1 for 37) was also expensive.
ABC/AAP
Tags: sport,
cricket,
twenty20,
united-arab-emirates,
pakistan,
australia First posted September 08, 2012 06:12:59
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