Australia 193 for 4 (Smith 61*, Watson 44*, Wasim 2-31) beat Pakistan 172 for 8 (Latif 46, Malik 40, Faulkner 5-27) by 21 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
James Faulkner took his maiden five-wicket haul to help Australia to a 21-run win © Getty Images
Australia have arrived as a force at the World Twenty20, just in time to wave goodbye to Pakistan, as they completed a 21-run win in Mohali. A storming display with the bat was followed by an improved showing with the ball, setting up what will be effectively an elimination match against India in the final match of the Super 10s on Sunday.
The captain Steven Smith chose Mohali as the venue where he found his rhythm, in turn modulated then audacious in an innings that controlled the tempo of a strong total. He was helped in large part by Shane Watson, who batted with the air of a man freed of tension by his retirement announcement on match eve. Together, their stand left Pakistan with a total too steep despite friendly batting conditions.
In the field, Adam Zampa again bowled with considerable intelligence and character for Australia, winning a duel with Shahid Afridi that Pakistan’s captain could not afford to lose if he wished to stay in contention for the semi-finals. James Faulkner’s over-the-wrist slower balls then cut a swathe through the latter part of the innings as the run rate climbed, leaving him in possession of Australia’s best T20 bowling figures.
More to follow …
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo