press trust of india
Adelaide, March 20: Four-time former champions Australia set up an explosive semifinal clash against title-holders India in the cricket World Cup semifinal after comprehensively beating Pakistan by six wickets in the third quarterfinal here Friday.
Set a modest target of 214, Australia overcame a tumultuous start to go past the finishing line in 33.5 overs after the home pacers, led by Josh Hazlewood (4/35), wrecked the Pakistani batting line-up. Steve Smith (65, 69b, 7×4), Shane Watson (64 n o, 66b, 7×4, 1×6) and Glenn Maxwell (44 n o, 5×4, 2×6) took their team past the finishing line after surviving some anxious moments against Wahab Riaz (2/54) and company.
Pakistan had themselves to blame for the World Cup ouster as they dropped two easy catches, allowing the hosts to wriggle out of a precarious position. Riaz was simply outstanding in his opening spell of six overs, during which he snared two wickets conceding only 24 runs. The pacer bowled with aggression and passion, unsettling the Aussies with not just his deliveries but also with occasional glares and constant chirps, which irked the batsmen and invited jeers from the packed crowd. Had Rahat Ali latched on to the chance offered by Watson when he was only four in Riaz’s fourth over, the script could have been different. The Aussies then were 83 for three and in a spot of bother.
The Australians were poised rather precariously at 59 for three after skipper Michael Clarke (eight) failed to click. However, Smith and Watson shared 89 runs for the fourth wicket to steer Australia out of trouble and then Maxwell guided them to victory and a semifinal showdown March 26 with India at Sydney.
Smith was adjudged LBW off Ehsan Adil and despite being unconvinced by the decision, the batsman had to trudge off the field as Australia had exhausted their lone review by that stage. His fall did raise hopes of a Pakistan revival but they again let the opportunity slip when Sohail Khan dropped Maxwell’s miscued shot, once again leaving Riaz in agony.
Earlier, Hazlewood stood out with a brilliant spell as Australia’s disciplined bowlers strangled Pakistan with a thoroughly commanding performance, skittling them out for 213 in 49.5 overs.
Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc (2/40) kept it tight to begin with before Mitchell Johnson (1/42) intimidated the Pakistanis with his ferocious pace.
But then Pakistan batsmen were themselves to blame as quite a few of them got starts but failed to carry on. Haris Sohail (41), Misbah ul-Haq (34), Umar Akmal (20), Shoaib Maqsood (29) and Shahid Afridi (23) settled down in the middle only to throw it away with some reckless shots.
