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Up until the last two overs, this article would have been about how Pakistan had knocked Australia out of the World T20. However, a Mother Teresa like miracle from Michael Hussey in the last two overs meant Australia chased down 192 with one ball to spare!
Michael Clarke went against the successful pattern by sending Pakistan into bat. It looked like business as usual for Australia after two overs, with Nannes and Tait starting solidly. However, Butt and Akmal took the attack up to the Australian bowlers with the next 8 overs going for 82 runs including 18 off Watson’s second over. Karman Akmal was having a much needed field day after having a horror summer in Australia. He brought up his quickfire 50 off 32 balls with a cracking cut shot from the Watson over. Ironically enough, he was dropped by fellow keeper, Brad Haddin in Steven Smith’s first over. There was also the no appeal for an edge in the 4th over from Butt.
The breakthrough finally came with a magical catch by David Warner, Akmal departing for an excellent 50. David Hussey was brought on after the breakthrough, and once again did the job for Clarke going for only four runs. Steven Smith returned to the attack, and removed Salman Butt who swept straight to Warner. When David ‘Golden Arm’ Hussey, got Afridi mistiming a big shot, Pakistan had lost 3 for 32.
Given what we have seen previously from this fragile Pakistan batting lineup, it appeared another collapse was inevitable. However Michael Clarke who had been relatively ineffective with his bowling decided to bring himself on, and he paid the price when Latif smacked a six and a four of his last two deliveries, taking 14 off the Clarke over. This ended up being the second momentum shift in the match, with Nannes going for 13 in the next over. While Latif departed in that Nannes over, Umar Akmal didn’t want to be outdone by his brother as he smashed Mitchell Johnson for 3 sixes which took him from 32 to 50 in three hits. His 50 came up in 29 balls (3 quicker than Karman), with that Johnson over going for 24 runs.
Due to the poor bowling from Shane Watson and not being able to get another over from Steven Smith, David Hussey was forced to bowl the penultimate over. Razzaq took advantage of this by taking Hussey for 15 runs, something that batsmen have been unable to do before this over. Shaun Tait bowled an excellent final over to keep Pakistan 9 runs short of 200 which included two run outs. Umar Akmal finished on 56 off 35 balls including 4 sixes.
The chances of Australia chasing down 192, depended a lot on the opening pair. David Warner didn’t last long when he half heatedly cut the ball to Umar Akmal. Brad Haddin came in at first drop and he was straight into his work in the Razzaq over sending the ball flying to the boundary twice which included a six from Watson who set up the massive over. Watson also took the first ball of Aamer’s second over for four but he fell soon after leaving the hopes of Australia in tatters.
Afridi stuck with Razzaq for one more over before bringing in his spin trio. He bowled each of his spinners for one over including himself and then he continued the cycle which brought Rehman his first wicket with the dangerous Haddin out stumped. Afridi keep himself on and in the next over and he won the battle of the captains by getting Clarke out stumped. At 4/63 Australia were in dire straights when the two Victorian batsmen arrived at the crease. They provided hope for the Australian fans with 5 sixes in the proceeding overs before David Hussey holed out.
The run rate continued to sky rocket and even hitting one six wasn’t enough. At this point Ajmal still had two overs remaining and the the Australia World T20 campaign looked to be dead and buried. White tried his best to keep his six hitting streak up but found Ajmal very difficult to get away for one run let alone six. The 15th over saw the first strike from Michael Hussey with back to back sixes off Afridi. When White departed trying to whack a low full toss for six and Smith followed soon after, the Australian fans could hear murmurs from the fat lady singing.
Johnson hit his first ball for four and got Hussey on strike to hit another six. With two overs remaining, Australia required 34 runs from 12 balls. Hussey managed to maintain the strike throughout the 19th over from Aamer. After hitting the first ball for four, Hussey couldn’t get Aamer away to the boundary, having to settle for twos. At 22 off 7 balls, it looked like Australia would go down fighting. Then Hussey hit the final ball from Aamer for four to give Australia a very small sniff.
Before the over I jokingly mentioned, 6 6 6 done! However doing so against Ajmal who has proved a thorn for Australia in the past and in this match, it looked like Australia would fall just short. Since Hussey hit the four in the last ball, Johnson had to face the first ball. An edge to short fine-leg got the right man on strike. What was to follow will be remembered as one of the best finishes to a match you will ever see. Needing 17 runs from 5 balls, Hussey dispatched the quicker short ball from Ajmal over the fence. You would have thought Ajmal would have learned from the last time Hussey did that to him. With 11 runs off 4 balls, you could barely hear the fat lady singing! Hussey then achieved what seemed impossible – getting Ajmal away for back to back sixes! What got lost in the momentum of celebration was Hussey brining up his 50 off just 22 balls (2 balls off my cheeky Hussey prediction when he came to the crease of 50 off 20 balls).
At 5 runs off 3 balls Australia had suddenly gone from no hope to favorites to win the match. Then came the most beautiful sight for Australian fans, an edge from Hussey racing away past the fielder who was left in despair as the scores were level. Needing 1 run off 2 balls to win the match and avoid the super over, Hussey finished it off in style with the third six in the over to win the match with 1 ball to spare! Michael Hussey innings will go down as one of the finest T20 knocks in the history and it will more than likely be the knock that many people associate his career with.
2nd Semi-Final Pakistan v Australia worm. Thanks to Cricinfo.
Taking a closer look at the match, Australia matched Pakistan for most of the innings in terms of run rate. By the 17th over Pakistan were 4/145, Australia 6/144. Had Australia lost this match, you could say the 18th over from Johnson was the difference between the sides. In the space of one over Pakistan had gone to 4/169 while Australia were left behind on 7/158. However the final twist in this story meant Johnson over was not the difference as Hussey’s magical 20th over not only matched the difference from Johnson but smashed it with a ball remaining.
In the end Australia showed their renowned fighting spirit where they never say die. Pakistan were on the verge of causing a massive boilover and showing once again how unpredictable they can be, not to mention peaking at the perfect time. However Hussey’s miracle ensures the dream final between the Ashes rivals that many fans wanted to see will go ahead.
Match turning points
New to my article is a break down of the match turning points and where the advantage was.
Pakistan innings
4.2 over – Johnson to Butt, edge to Haddin but no appeal, Australia miss chance to gain the first blow.
6.2 overs – Smith to K Akmal, bottom edge dropped by Haddin, Australia miss another chance to take the advantage.
9th over – Watson 15 runs from over gives Pakistan the advantage.
14.2 over – David Hussey to Afridi, the dangerous Afridi departs and Pakistan have lost 3 for 32. Match headed back towards par.
16th over Clarke – 14 runs from Clarke’s only over gives advantage back to Pakistan.
18th over Nannes – 24 runs conceded and Pakistan well and truly in control of the match and even looking like making 200.
Australian innings
2nd over Razzaq – 15 runs off the Razzaq over partially halted Pakistan’s momentum.
18th over Ajmal – Up to this point Australia looked out of it with the constant flow of wickets. 14 runs from the Ajmal over proved he could be hit.
19th over Aamer – Even though Australia fell one run short of the run rate required in the 19th over, the 16 runs ensured Australia were still in with a sniff.
20th over Ajmal – At this point Pakistan still had the advantage which they held since the 9th over in their innings. 23 runs from the Ajmal ensured Australia didn’t even need the final ball.
Key points to note from the match for Australia
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Michael Clarke went against the successful pattern by sending Pakistan into bat. It looked like business as usual for Australia after two overs, with Nannes and Tait starting solidly. However, Butt and Akmal took the attack up to the Australian bowlers with the next 8 overs going for 82 runs including 18 off Watson’s second over. Karman Akmal was having a much needed field day after having a horror summer in Australia. He brought up his quickfire 50 off 32 balls with a cracking cut shot from the Watson over. Ironically enough, he was dropped by fellow keeper, Brad Haddin in Steven Smith’s first over. There was also the no appeal for an edge in the 4th over from Butt.
The breakthrough finally came with a magical catch by David Warner, Akmal departing for an excellent 50. David Hussey was brought on after the breakthrough, and once again did the job for Clarke going for only four runs. Steven Smith returned to the attack, and removed Salman Butt who swept straight to Warner. When David ‘Golden Arm’ Hussey, got Afridi mistiming a big shot, Pakistan had lost 3 for 32.
Given what we have seen previously from this fragile Pakistan batting lineup, it appeared another collapse was inevitable. However Michael Clarke who had been relatively ineffective with his bowling decided to bring himself on, and he paid the price when Latif smacked a six and a four of his last two deliveries, taking 14 off the Clarke over. This ended up being the second momentum shift in the match, with Nannes going for 13 in the next over. While Latif departed in that Nannes over, Umar Akmal didn’t want to be outdone by his brother as he smashed Mitchell Johnson for 3 sixes which took him from 32 to 50 in three hits. His 50 came up in 29 balls (3 quicker than Karman), with that Johnson over going for 24 runs.
Due to the poor bowling from Shane Watson and not being able to get another over from Steven Smith, David Hussey was forced to bowl the penultimate over. Razzaq took advantage of this by taking Hussey for 15 runs, something that batsmen have been unable to do before this over. Shaun Tait bowled an excellent final over to keep Pakistan 9 runs short of 200 which included two run outs. Umar Akmal finished on 56 off 35 balls including 4 sixes.
The chances of Australia chasing down 192, depended a lot on the opening pair. David Warner didn’t last long when he half heatedly cut the ball to Umar Akmal. Brad Haddin came in at first drop and he was straight into his work in the Razzaq over sending the ball flying to the boundary twice which included a six from Watson who set up the massive over. Watson also took the first ball of Aamer’s second over for four but he fell soon after leaving the hopes of Australia in tatters.
Afridi stuck with Razzaq for one more over before bringing in his spin trio. He bowled each of his spinners for one over including himself and then he continued the cycle which brought Rehman his first wicket with the dangerous Haddin out stumped. Afridi keep himself on and in the next over and he won the battle of the captains by getting Clarke out stumped. At 4/63 Australia were in dire straights when the two Victorian batsmen arrived at the crease. They provided hope for the Australian fans with 5 sixes in the proceeding overs before David Hussey holed out.
The run rate continued to sky rocket and even hitting one six wasn’t enough. At this point Ajmal still had two overs remaining and the the Australia World T20 campaign looked to be dead and buried. White tried his best to keep his six hitting streak up but found Ajmal very difficult to get away for one run let alone six. The 15th over saw the first strike from Michael Hussey with back to back sixes off Afridi. When White departed trying to whack a low full toss for six and Smith followed soon after, the Australian fans could hear murmurs from the fat lady singing.
Johnson hit his first ball for four and got Hussey on strike to hit another six. With two overs remaining, Australia required 34 runs from 12 balls. Hussey managed to maintain the strike throughout the 19th over from Aamer. After hitting the first ball for four, Hussey couldn’t get Aamer away to the boundary, having to settle for twos. At 22 off 7 balls, it looked like Australia would go down fighting. Then Hussey hit the final ball from Aamer for four to give Australia a very small sniff.
Before the over I jokingly mentioned, 6 6 6 done! However doing so against Ajmal who has proved a thorn for Australia in the past and in this match, it looked like Australia would fall just short. Since Hussey hit the four in the last ball, Johnson had to face the first ball. An edge to short fine-leg got the right man on strike. What was to follow will be remembered as one of the best finishes to a match you will ever see. Needing 17 runs from 5 balls, Hussey dispatched the quicker short ball from Ajmal over the fence. You would have thought Ajmal would have learned from the last time Hussey did that to him. With 11 runs off 4 balls, you could barely hear the fat lady singing! Hussey then achieved what seemed impossible – getting Ajmal away for back to back sixes! What got lost in the momentum of celebration was Hussey brining up his 50 off just 22 balls (2 balls off my cheeky Hussey prediction when he came to the crease of 50 off 20 balls).
At 5 runs off 3 balls Australia had suddenly gone from no hope to favorites to win the match. Then came the most beautiful sight for Australian fans, an edge from Hussey racing away past the fielder who was left in despair as the scores were level. Needing 1 run off 2 balls to win the match and avoid the super over, Hussey finished it off in style with the third six in the over to win the match with 1 ball to spare! Michael Hussey innings will go down as one of the finest T20 knocks in the history and it will more than likely be the knock that many people associate his career with.
2nd Semi-Final Pakistan v Australia worm. Thanks to Cricinfo.
Taking a closer look at the match, Australia matched Pakistan for most of the innings in terms of run rate. By the 17th over Pakistan were 4/145, Australia 6/144. Had Australia lost this match, you could say the 18th over from Johnson was the difference between the sides. In the space of one over Pakistan had gone to 4/169 while Australia were left behind on 7/158. However the final twist in this story meant Johnson over was not the difference as Hussey’s magical 20th over not only matched the difference from Johnson but smashed it with a ball remaining.
In the end Australia showed their renowned fighting spirit where they never say die. Pakistan were on the verge of causing a massive boilover and showing once again how unpredictable they can be, not to mention peaking at the perfect time. However Hussey’s miracle ensures the dream final between the Ashes rivals that many fans wanted to see will go ahead.
Match turning points
New to my article is a break down of the match turning points and where the advantage was.
Pakistan innings
4.2 over – Johnson to Butt, edge to Haddin but no appeal, Australia miss chance to gain the first blow.
6.2 overs – Smith to K Akmal, bottom edge dropped by Haddin, Australia miss another chance to take the advantage.
9th over – Watson 15 runs from over gives Pakistan the advantage.
14.2 over – David Hussey to Afridi, the dangerous Afridi departs and Pakistan have lost 3 for 32. Match headed back towards par.
16th over Clarke – 14 runs from Clarke’s only over gives advantage back to Pakistan.
18th over Nannes – 24 runs conceded and Pakistan well and truly in control of the match and even looking like making 200.
Australian innings
2nd over Razzaq – 15 runs off the Razzaq over partially halted Pakistan’s momentum.
18th over Ajmal – Up to this point Australia looked out of it with the constant flow of wickets. 14 runs from the Ajmal over proved he could be hit.
19th over Aamer – Even though Australia fell one run short of the run rate required in the 19th over, the 16 runs ensured Australia were still in with a sniff.
20th over Ajmal – At this point Pakistan still had the advantage which they held since the 9th over in their innings. 23 runs from the Ajmal ensured Australia didn’t even need the final ball.
Key points to note from the match for Australia
- Michael Hussey averaages 85.5 for the tournament with a massive 176 strike rate.
- Hussey’s 50 came in just 22 balls.
- Death bowling of Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson is still a worry that dates back from the NZ tour.
- Shaun Tait ended up being the most economical bowler in this match.
- Tait economy for this tournament is an amazing 4.98.
- Steven Smith keeps his wicket every match trend, he still remains Australia’s 2nd highest wicket taker for this tournament.
- Despite David Hussey last over, he still continues to be effective with 6 wickets at 7.83 with an economy of 5.87.
- Michael Clarke continues to be ineffective with the ball (and bat) with 1 wicket at 53, economy 8.83.
- Pakistan’s 191 was the highest score conceded by Australia in this tournament.
- Butt and Karman’s 82 run stand was also the best opening stand against the Australians in this tournament.
- Karman Akmal 50 came up in32 balls.
- Umar Akmal 50 came up in 29 balls.
- Afridi strike rate off 88.88 was well off his ODI strike rate of 111.65 and only 2 runs faster than his Test strike rate.
- Aamer continues his love affair with Australia taking another 3 fer against them.
- Ajmal conceded 35 runs in his last two overs.
- Butt continues his good T20 form with a solid 32, he is averaging 44.6 for the tournament.
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