CT Pak V Aus: Aussie-Pak Thriller Denies India Even A Slim Chance

Just as India was to begin the chase of the West Indies’ score, Australia won the tightrope of a match against Pakistan in the other Group A match leaving no doubt about the semi finalists.
The Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, had stated that he would wait for the final minute before the toss to decide his team depending on how the match between Australia and Pakistan in the group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy. But perhaps the first hour should have stated clearly the direction in which the match was heading.
Pakistan were batting first but it appeared they were in no particular hurry to score runs. But even more bizarre was the manner in which the Australians bowled. While they stuck to their task, somehow one failed to get the sense of urgency about their wicket taking. After all, Australia had to win this match to go through to the semi finals and deny India a berth. What India really needed was for Pakistan to halt Australia, deny them a win, and leave India to chase down the West Indies target knowing clearly how fast they had to do it to up their run rate.
Apart from Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal, who made forty-four, only a partnership between Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah ul Haq, in this match for Imran Nazir, managed to take Pakistan to 205 off their fifty overs. But it was an innings without spark, energy or illumination.
The Australians appeared in cruise control mode, the top three batsmen putting on the runs capped by Michael Hussey’s sixty-four. But Australia suffered one of their worst middle order collapses that saw them on the brink of elimination.
Losing “Mr. Cricket” Hussey on 174, “Mr. Fix It” James Cameron on 175, and Cameron White on 176,had the Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, isolating himself from the rest of the pack in the Australian dressing room and chewing away at his nails. At eight down for 187, it was going seriously downhill for an Australian team that was confident up to that point when the match reached a-run-a-ball stage, Rana Naved ul Hasan bowling an outstanding maiden over the third last over of the match.
In the midst of the larger context, went missing Mohammad Asif’s figures of eight overs, thirty-four runs conceded and two wickets on his return after his one year ban.
It took a great deal of Australian grit and some not so sparkling Pakistan fielding that saw Australia tie the match on the penultimate over and then, eventually win the match on a bye off the last ball!
For India, it was all too late.

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