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| Aussies stun Pakistan to reach the ICC finals |
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| Monday, 17 May 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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St Lucia, May 14: Pakistan did not know the strength of their competitor today, for Aussies it is never over untill the last over. Pakistan will be pinching themselves in disbelief, but their luck simply ran out last night. Michael Hussey played one of the greatest innings of his career to carry Australia into the final of the World Twenty20.
Australia who had not lost a game in the tournament were subjected to their first true test of their tournament. Pakistan scored a 191 to give their side a real chance of getting into the world cup finals. Cameron White played the lead role with a stunning six-hitting blitz that pulled his side out of the hole they found themselves in after losing four wickets for 62. Hussey, the “Mr Cricket”, then carried them across the line in a thrilling finish, with a cool-headed 24-ball 60. Australia needed 18 runs from the last over and Hussey managed it with a ball to spare, smacking Saeed Ajmal for two consecutive sixes and then a four. With scores level, he made the penultimate ball disappear over mid-wicket. The three-wicket win, chasing a 192, gives Australia a date with England in tomorrow’s final at Barbados. Pakistan, the defending champions, will return home, failing to make the final for the first time in three events. But they can be proud of their achievement. They showed themselves to be worthy semi-finalists, after being lucky to reach that stage. The Akmal siblings had given them a golden opportunity with two classy half-centuries. amran started off with a 34-ball 50 and Umar surpassed that blitz with an unbeaten 56 from 35 balls as Pakistan put a challenging 191 for six on the board. Playing against a team from the Indian Subcontinent for the fifth time in six games at this World T20, Australia looked like finally getting their comeuppance. Chasing the second-highest total of the tournament, they looked like falling short despite a valiant effort from White (43). Playing the first-half of the tournament like a bunch of headless chickens, Pakistan came out roaring against South Africa to clinch their spot in the semis. Still, few would have given them a chance of stopping the Australian juggernaut. The mighty men of Oz had looked virtually invincible as they strode into the semis with a 100 per cent record. They had not just won all their five pervious games, but annihilated opponents, which included Pakistan in the group stages. But you can never predict which Pakistan team will turn up on a given day. The one that had lost by 34-runs to Australia stayed back in the hotel, and the real World T20 champions turned up. There could have been some misgivings when Shahid Afridi lost the toss and Michael Clarke decided to let his pacemen loose on a shiny, damp wicket. Things went to plan for the first two overs as Dirk Nannes bowled a maiden and Shaun Tait had the Pakistan batsmen hopping at the crease. In the third over, however, Kamran decided to cut loose, smashing Nannes for two consecutive boundaries and taking 11 runs from the over. Salman Butt followed with two glorious drives through the off, again on the trot, as Tait conceded 13 from his second. The floodgates had opened.
3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."Newer news items:
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