Stunning Hussey takes Australia into summit clash by Jinu Sabastian

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Ground:	Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet
Scorecard:	Australia v Pakistan
Player:	MEK Hussey, Umar Akmal, CL White, Kamran Akmal
Event:	ICC World Twenty20 2010

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DateLine: 14th May 2010

 

A Michael Hussey inspired Australian side snatched a stunning win over Pakistan as they stormed in the ICC World T20 final. The Australians side continued their domination over the Pakistani side as they recorded their eleventh international win over Pakistan.

 

The match swung like a wild pendulum and it was not till the last over that an outcome could be predicted. Pakistan played out of their skins as they once again showed that they are a dangerous side when pushed into a corner. For around 38 overs of the match they had it in control before Hussey single-handedly turned the match around in Australia's favour.

 

After rain delayed the start of the second semi-final by 30 minutes, Clarke upon winning the toss elected to field first. The ploy was to barrage the Pakistani batsmen with bouncers but for the first time the Australian plan back-fired. Though Dirk Nannes started off with a maiden that was the calm before the storm. Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt saw off the initial spell from Nannes and Tait before launching in the the Australian bowlers. Kamran Akmal started the deluge of boundaries as he played a beautiful inside-out drive over covers off Nannes before smashing him straight down the ground for another boundary. Salman Butt joined the party as the duo set about wreaking the Australian plans with ridiculous ease. The pair added 82 in 9.4 overs before Kamran Akmal (50, 34b, 2x6, 6x4) was holed out in the deep. Salman Butt (32, 30b, 4x4) soon joined his opening partner in the dug-out as he too found Warner in the deep.

 

Umar Akmal, who came at the fall of his elder brother, set about continuing the good work of the openers. The talented right-hander grasped the situation as he first sized up the bolwers before going ballistic. It was a tricky period for Pakistan as they could have lost their way. They lost Afridi (8, 9b) and Khalid Latif (13, 6b, 1x6, 1x4) in quick succesion and it seemed that the Australians had clawed their way back into the match. But that remained only a possibility as it was Umar Akmal show from then on.

 

The right-hander produced one of the best T20 innigs under pressure as he took on the bowlers who had terrorised some of the bestr batsmen in the tournament. Nannes, Tait and Johnson had built their reputation on destroying the reputations of various batsmen but now it was payback time. Umar Akmal played some audaciuos shots especially soem eye-catching pull shots that left the Australian fielders stunned. The late-innings burst helped Pakistan breach the hallowed 190 run mark and in the end Pakistan ended with 191 for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs.

 

Chasing 192 to win, the Australian side needed a brisk start from their tried and tested openers but today they were denied. Warner (0, 2b) failed to set the stage alight as he was dismissed in the very first over, Shane Watson (16, 9b, 1x6, 2x4) counter-attacked but could not continue for long as he was holed out in the deep. That put the Australian side on the back-foot. Brad Haddin (25, 20b, 1x6, 2x4) hustled between the wickets and also struck some lusty blows to try and distract the Pakistani bowler's rhythm. Abdur Rehman had Haddin stumped and once Afridi had his opposite number Clarke (17, 19b, 2x4) the Pakistani side believed that they had the match in their bag.

 

What the defending champions failed to envisage was an ultra-aggressive Cameron White who after a slow start began to deal in sixes. First Afridi bore the brunt of White's onslaught as he was twice deposited in consecutive balls in to the deep midwicket stand and then the other spinners too came under the scanner. Mohammed Hafeez after bowling a decent first over was first send over the cover fence by White before David Hussey repeated the dose in the very same over. In Rehman's next over White mishit one ove fine-leg and it seemed that the Australian side on the back of White's counter-attack. But Rehman did well to remove David Hussey (13, 9b, 1x6) and the Australians were in deep trouble.

 

White (43, 31b, 5x6) after playing some stunning shots was caught in the deep of an ever impressive Aamer and the onus of taking the Australian side to win was on the shoulders of Michael Hussey. The match was in Pakistan's bag but Hussey had different ideas as he began to clear the boundaries ridiculous ease. Hussey ran like a hare between the wickets and when needed landed the big blows. The left-hander took the Australian side to a stunning win over Pakistan in the penultimate ball of the match as he set up the final clash against the old foes.