Pakistan vs Australia 2nd ODI: Live score updates

 

Roar Guru

By Suneer Chowdhary, 31 Aug 2012 Suneer Chowdhary is a Roar Guru

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 Cricket, Mitchell Starc, Saeed Ajmal

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In a short series like this, a first match defeat pushes the second game into the realms of do-or-die. Pakistan face that issue when they play Australia in the second ODI at Abu Dhabi on Friday, August 31. Join us at 11.55pm Australia time for live score updates.

Australia took a 1-0 lead in the series at Sharjah as man-of-the-match Mitchell Starc ran through the Pakistani order, picking up five wickets in the process.

Rustiness could have been an excuse for the shoddy batting display. But for a side with most players having directly entered the series after featuring in a T20 tournament as recently as last week, it may not cut ice.

Captain Misbah ul Haq bemoaned the absence of lower order contributions despite going into the game with eight batsmen.

Kamran Akmal, on a comeback trail, scored just four while Shahid Afridi lasted all of one delivery and departed without opening his account.

Even Sohail Tanvir, who has a highest score of 59 batting at number nine, failed to trouble the scores as Pakistan lost six for 39 and failed to capitalise on a solid platform provided by Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal.

Credit also where it’s due. Starc’s form has shown no signs of letting up since he grabbed a handful of scalps in the Friends Life T20 earlier this season.

Even the usually erratic Mitchell Johnson had reasonable returns while James Pattinson bowled the spell of his short ODI career and ended with 2/19 in nine overs.

On a difficult pitch and under some tough weather conditions, Australia were stretched while chasing a moderate 199-run target.

But Michael Clarke showed that he has begun to relish his role as a permanent number three in ODIs and even George Bailey exhibited immense maturity in guiding their team through a treacherous chase.

Clarke, who scored 66, will continue to remain a thorn in Pakistan’s flesh, given his ability play spin bowling well.

That said, Australia will do well to try and negate Saeed Ajmal’s threat. He finished with figures of 3/30 in his 10 and for most part the Australian batsmen preferred to play him out given their inability to take him on.

Ajmal will continue to remain difficult to bat against and with a line-up that consists of two other frontline spinners, Pakistan will continue to pose questions to the Australian top-order.

A combined total of 30 overs from the frontline spinners yielded 5/96, which is a definite pointer to a probable team change for Pakistan.

Aizaz Cheema might be culled off to allow a fourth spinner, Abdur Rehman a chance in the 11. A lot, however, will depend on whether the track at Abu Dhabi is similar to the one used at Sharjah for the first game.

Australia might go into the game with the same line-up.

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