After losing their previous match against India, Australia was looking forward to bounce back at the biggest cricket event of all ICC World Cup 2019. Similarly, Pakistan was just looking to make a point in the tournament when their previous match against their Asian neighbour Sri Lanka was washed out without a ball being bowled at Bristol Country Ground in England. Looking at the points table both the teams were hungry for their next two points and advance in the tournament further.
As Australia came to bat after Pakistan opted to field, openers David warner and captain Aaron Finch (82 out; 84, 6X4, 4X6) were raising the stakes high. With the openers posing threat with steady batting, Pakistan’s saviour, Mohammed Amir was called to play his pivotal role, and he did so, by delivering Captain Finch’s wicket and breaking the lethal partnership. With Finch’s departure, the Australian team was steadily falling pray to Pakistan’s bowling attacks, as the rest of the team, including big guns like, Steve Smith (10 out; 13b; 1X4), Glenn Maxwell (20 out; 10b; 2X4, 1X6), Usman Khawaja (18 out; 16b; 3X4) succumbed without contributing much. At one side, David Warner (107 out; 111b; 11X4, 1X6) finally flexed his muscles to hit a ton, while after Finch, the rest of the team provided almost no help to the opener. On the other end, the rest of the Australian team that suffered a blow from the Pak bowlers, were restricted by a terrifying Mohammed Amir, whose 5-wicket haul kept the Aussies second guessing. With the tough fight put forth by both the teams, Australia managed to score 307, losing all wickets and also 1 over still to go.
In the second innings, Pakistan started with an initial struggle as opener Fakhar Zaman (0 out; 3b) departed without contributing anything. Soon after, Babar Azam (30 out; 28b; 7X4) started to put the pressure back on the Aussies with his textbook cricket shots to hit 7 boundaries in his short time on the pitch as he too succumbs after the cameo to Nathan Coulter-Nile. Opener Imam-ul-Haq (53 out; 75b; 7X4) was slowly taking Pak to stable score, while Mohammed Hafeez (46 out; 49b; 3X4, 1X6) kept ticking the scoreboard. Pat Cummins put an end to their partnership, with Imam-ul-Haq’s wicket. Hafeez and Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (40 run out; 48b; 1X4) kept the hope alive for Pakistan, but after Hafeez’s departure Shoaib Malik (0 out; 2b) and Asif Ali (5 out; 8b) were pretty quick to head back to the dugout as Pakistan lost 6 wickets even before scoring 200. However, Hasan Ali (32 out; 15b; 3X4, 3X6) with some mighty blows and then Wahab Riaz’s (45 out; 39b; 2X4, 3X6) cameo helped Pakistan close in on the gap, but hopes faded as the two eventually fell pray to the Aussies attack. Captain Ahmed batted till the end of the order, but Maxwell ended Pakistan’s journey in the match as Ahmed got run out under the rising pressure to score runs and Pakistan lost all their wickets at 266 with still 26 balls to left to score 41 runs.
