Australia have managed to clinch victory by two wickets in a thrilling encounter against Pakistan at Centurion. The win has assured the Aussies of a place in the semi-finals where they will face England. In doing so, India’s hopes of staying alive in the Champions Trophy came to an end.
Pakistan got off to a cautious start with the bat while the ball was seaming around in the early stages, and ensured that they kept wickets intact. The Australian bowlers, however, did extremely well to keep the scoring down through the middle overs which resulted in the teams being very closely matched on the Castrol Index. They continued the good work through the Extreme Performance overs, reducing Pakistan to a nominal total of 205.
In reply, Australia got off to a handsome start with the bat in the Quick Start overs and looked like they would comfortably chase down this total. The Pakistani spinners dried the runs up in the middle overs but an 81-run stand between Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey kept the Aussies well ahead till the 35-over mark.
Pakistan fought back admirably in the Extreme Performance period where they picked up four wickets and edged past Australia on the Castrol Index going in the last eight overs of the match. This is a clear indication of how they were in a stronger position to seal the victory going into the closing stages. However, Australia’s tail-enders held their own and denied the men in green the two wickets they needed in an extreme pressure situation.
Michael Hussey was declared the Man of the Match for his 64 off 87 balls – the highest individual score in the match – and was scored with a Batting Momentum of 73 on a pitch where the other batsmen struggled.
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