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Scorecard:

Pakistan: 191 for 6 (20 overs)

(Umar Akmal 56* off 35 balls, Kamran Akmal 50 off 34 balls, Salman Butt 32 off 30 balls, Smith 1 for 23)

Australia: 197 for 7 (19.5 overs)

(M Hussey 60* off 24 balls, White 43 off 31 balls, Haddin 25 off 20 balls, Aamer 3 for 35, Rehman 2 for 33)

Pakistan, World Champions vs Australia, I-don’t-know-this-stuff was a match which was difficult to predict. However, once Pakistan enters the knockout stage, they are known to become very dangerous. Today was no different. Pakistan, batting first put up great partnerships. 82 for first wicket in 9.4 overs and then 46 in last 3 overs!!! Actually they put 73 in last 5 overs!! Akmal brothers did very well to score a bulk of runs.

Australia were in comparison 4 down for 67 in 10 overs. The dream run seemed to run out of steam. Getting 125 runs in 10 overs seemed too tough especially with 4 wickets gone. David Hussey sparked for a second and put 43 in 4.1 overs. Well 10 rpo was not enough and the asking rate had got even higher. Another 4 overs and 34 runs later White departed and the asking rate had gone to the north pole! 3.3 overs left and 52 runs to get put the asking rate at 14.9 rpo. Was this it? 4balls and 5 runs more and Smith departs! 2 overs 5 balls and 48 to get. It was over. Eyes moist, Australians had started packing their bags. Next 5 balls got 14 runs. 34 in 2 overs left. Another 16 runs in the next over, and 18 left. Still looked too daunting. Just one wicket and it’d be over. The over began with Johnson on strike! One of the first ball meant 17 to be taken in 5 balls! Mike Hussey hits 6,6,4,6 to reach with a ball to spare! This is the innings of his lifetime!

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Scorecard:

Pakistan: 148 for 7 (20 overs)

(Umar Akmal 51 off 33 balls, Kamran Akmal 37 off 33 balls, Afridi 30 off 18 balls, Langeveldt 4 for 19)

South Africa: 137 for 7 (20 overs)

(DeVilliers 53 off 41 balls, Kallis 22 off 21 balls, Ajmal 4 for 26, Rehman 2 for 35)

Pakistan today put up a moderate target for the South Africans. Pakistan began too cautiously, going by the ruckus at home where a witch hunt has already begun. They were a dismal 23 for 3 in 7 overs! Their caution was to no avail and they were going at less than 3.3 an over and still had lost 3 wickets. Well, this strategy was not working. And there were possibly just 13 overs left for them in tournament. They picked up a little to be 50 for 3 in 10 overs. The 2 Akmals had been there for 6.2 overs putting up 32 runs. Then they decided to give it one last charge. And by the end of 16 overs they were 124 for 4. In 6 overs they had added 74 runs! Well, this charge gave them the confidence and they could finish at 148 adding 24 runs from last 24 balls. Nothing great, but surely defendable if they bowl right today!

South Africa began the now famous Zulu Freeze. They choked once again. They just couldn’t move the scoreboard. They didn’t have a single double digit over, till it was quite late. In 14 overs they were 78 for 4. Now with 71 runs to get and 6 overs in hand, things were getting very tough. DeVilliers did give it one last heave and got 20 runs in the 15th over. But that was it, he went in the next over and then there was just no resistance as Pakistani bowlers walked all over the remaining batsmen.

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