Pakistan v Australia, 1st T20, Dubai

Pakistan v Australia, 1st T20, Dubai

Pakistan cruise to seven-wicket win

Australia 89 (19.3/20 overs)

Pakistan 90/3 (14.5/20 overs)

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Australia slumped to their lowest total in a completed T20 innings since 2005 as Pakistan put in an outstanding all-round effort with the ball and in the field. The Australians were bowled out for 89 in the 20th over, their second-lowest T20 total of all time and their lowest since they were skittled for 79 by England in Southampton seven years ago, in what was the second T20 international ever played.

Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and the debutant Raza Hasan each picked up two wickets and the regular breakthroughs, combined with the large boundaries, starved Australia of runs. It was the first Australia failed to hit a six in a T20 match since another game against Pakistan in Dubai, back in May 2009, and they managed only three fours, all of which came from the openers Shane Watson and David Warner.

Pakistan picked up early wickets and applied pressure throughout the innings, holding their catches and rotating the bowlers to deprive the batsmen of the chance to settle. The Australians had entered the game with a long batting line-up but it did little for their chances in the match as only three men reached double figures.

Warner top scored with 22 from 25 balls, an innings that at the time looked scratchy but was solid when compared with the rest of the performances. Warner was the third man to fall when he pushed a catch back to the bowler Hafeez, after the innings had started shakily when Watson was trapped in front by Umar Gul for 8.

Promoted to No.3, Michael Hussey chipped a catch to cover when he failed to pick Sohail Tanvir's slower ball. Warner and George Bailey provided a slight recovery with a 33-run stand before Warner went, and that was followed soon after by Hasan's first international wicket, which came when David Hussey failed to clear the man at long on.

Bailey fell for 14 when he top edged a sweep off Hafeez and was caught at deep backward square leg, and it was up to Cameron White and Matthew Wade to attempt a recovery. But Pakistan's spinners were too good for White and Wade, Ajmal's variations especially deceptive, although it was Hasan who broke the partnership when Wade holed out to deep midwicket for 6 from 13 balls.

Glenn Maxwell, who came in at No.8, was caught at deep square leg off Ajmal for 4 and next ball White failed to read Ajmal and was bowled for 15 off 22 balls. Xavier Doherty survived the hat trick ball but that was about all the Australians had to celebrate, as Tanvir finished off the tail to end up with 3 for 13.