Pakistan vs Australia, Hobart, Tasmania

[Zainub]

I'm srurprised both of u have hinted you would personally probably have left Malik from our line up - for me, he's been our best batsman last season, and as a quality fielder and top class top to middle order player (in form as well) there is absolutely no way I could have left him out.

Anyway, this is the side we picked: Butt Akmal Hafeez Malik Inzi Youhanna Razzaq Afridi Mahmood Akhtar Naved-ul-Hassan

We won the toss, batted first and got 272-7 which must be described as a very good total on this surface. Main scorers were Inzi (68) and Butt (61) but the real star of the show was Afridi, who hit a typically hurrince type knock to get 56 in just 26 balls.

It all started with Pakistan's experiment to promote w/k Kamran Akmal as pinch hitting opener failing, as he made just 5, and Mohammad Hafeex who followed him at 3, also went for a duck, Pakistan were in early trouble at 2-30 in less then 8 completed overs. However Shoaib Malik batted beautify and he and Butt put an invaluable 53 run partnership before Malik was undone (out LBW) by a good piece of bowling from Andrew Symonds for a well made 32(43). Soon after Pakistan lost Butt for 61 to Hogg, caught by Lehman playing a lose shot, and at 4-117 in the 28th over, there still was an awful lot of work to do.

However, Inzi, who don't forget has been woefully out of touch for all this tour, literally batted him self into form, working his innings around taking a lot singles and building a platform for the death. Despite the appauling running between the wickets, we some how prevented any run outs and he and Youhann added 74 runs in good time for the 5th wicket, before Yousuf Youhanna got out for exactly 31 in the 42nd over going for big runs. Enter Abdul Razzaq. He looked in no mood to hang around from the looks of things, and in just his first over at the crease he dispatched Glenn McGrath to mid wicket for four. However, Inzi was trapped plumb in front of 68 at nearly run a ball, and at 6-204 in 43.5 overs we were again looking a bit vulnerable.

All that changed quickly, as Afridi displayed some fantastic power hitting, and Razzaq was content on giving him the strike and playing second fiddle. His partnership with Abdul Razzaq [12(14)] saw Pakistan add 47 runs in just 4.4 overs at a run rate of 10.07, as he hit out in grand style mostly over the off side. Brilliant to watch - awsome entertaintment. The parnership was eventually broken by McGrath in the 48th over but by then the damage had alread been done. Afridi was dropped by Symonds of the last ball of the 49th over, although that was a difficult catch, had been taken, it could have meant the difference between Pakistan getting 260 plus or Pakistan getting 270 plus. As it turned out Afridi hit another 6 in the last over, and with the help of Azhar Mahmood who made 3 of 3, we ended up it 272-7 in out alloted overs.

Piegeon's figures before his last spell were 7 overs for 17 runs, 2 maidens and a wicket, after his 2nd spell they looked like 10 over 2 maidens 2 wickets for 58, I guess that would sum up how well Afrid was hitting the ball. Even some one the quality of McGrath has no answers. Great to watch. Awsome. Absolutely breaktaking stuff.

Hopefully, we'll bowl well, and then this should be a really great game of cricket. Can't wait. Common Pakistan!

[Zainub]

Good game of cricket today, unfortunately for us, we didn't win. Lost by 4 wickets in the end - that might suggest it was a close affair, which it was looking to be like at one point, but in fairness Australia were always ahead, and in the end they managed to chase down the revised target of 253 from 45 overs (there was a rain delay) rather comfortably. Michael Clarke made 97 from 99 balls and added 107 for the opening wickets in just under 17 overs with Katich who made 38 him self. Then Punter and Martyn went for not many and Australia just kept losing wicket at times when they shouldn't have, and it made us feel we could in with a chance, which we were. But Australia were always ahead of the run rate, so we were the team playing under more pressure.

Brad Haddin, fresh from his 100 againt us in the tour game, came into bat with Aus 5-186 in the 33rd over after Razzaq had just bowled Symonds (choped on) after he'd played a poor shot. Another quick wicket at that stage and it would have certainly send the cat amongst the pigeons. Wasn't to happen though. Haddin batted beautify. He and Boof manovered the strike to perfection, taking singles, playing risk free and even then managing to score easliy at over five an over.

The match result probably was sealed in the 42nd over: an over from Naved-ul-Hasan where he was taken for nine runs by Haddin before he was dismissed of a slower ball of its last ball for an excellent 30 of as many balls - a perfect cameo inning for this stage of the match. From than on, Australia needed just 10 more to win. And they did in just 6 balls. Shoaib's next over proved to be the final of the match as Darren Lehman finished with 49 not out and Brad Hoss 3 not out, Australia winning for 4 wickets with 12 balls to spare. And we (once again) could only depart contemplating the "what could have been"...

So why did we lose this time?

Was it because 272 runs were not enough?

Or was it because we didn't bowl well enough?

Or was it a combination of both?

Or may be Australia just batted too well?

Hmm, we can talk about that, but for me Naved-ul-Hassan should have taken the c&b chance he was offered by Clarke early on in his innings, had that been taken, who knows what could have happened. Our best bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, registering lack lastures figures of 8 over 0 maidens 54 run for 0 wickets (ecomony rate of 6.75) also must be a thing of concern. Not to mention the extras, they were a total of 19, including 6 wides and 8 no balls, that is two and a half extra overs. Good to see Razzaq bowling well.

I'm not happy though with the batting order we selected. It doesn't look right. How can we play Hafeez at 3 when Shoaib Malik has been in excellent form batting at that position? And Inzi must bat at 4.

[Zainub]

Originally Posted by Shaka

Shoaib Malik showing his value once again today, playing handicapped as a specialist batsman only. Fantastically positive 31 before being sawn off by a poor lbw decision form Daryl Harper. More proof if it were needed that it's time for the new gaurd of umpires.

Poor decision, you must be kidding, I thought it was pretty straight forward for my money

[Shaka]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

Poor decision, you must be kidding, I thought it was pretty straight forward for my money

The ball spun a mile and generally in those situations a batsman always gets the benefit of the doubt Zainub. Even Benaud commented it might have been doing too much and anything heading towards/past leg stump shouldn't be given IMO, unless the ball isn't spinning at all. Malik could definitely count himself unlucky on that one.

272 was a defendable score but the openers got Australia off to a great start and after that it was a case of trying to drag the game back, which the support bowlers made a good go of for me, but we needed a contribution from our strike bowler and didn't get it. I didn't see the full Australian innings but Clarke played a crucial knock and obviously Haddin's contribution at the end was important. Nice to see Shahid Afridi enjoying himself down under.