Australia 6 for 353 (Warner 130, Maxwell 78, Head 51, Hasan 5-52) beat Pakistan 267 (Sharjeel 74, Hazlewood 3-54, Zampa 3-55) by 86 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
David Warner celebrated his 12th ODI century and first against Pakistan © Cricket Australia/Getty Images
A David Warner hundred. A catalogue of Pakistan fielding errors. A big win for Australia. It was as if the fourth one-day international in Sydney was a recap of the Test campaign earlier this summer. Certainly the result was the same – a series victory for Australia. Unlike in the Tests, Pakistan at least tasted success in this series, having won in Melbourne, but the best they can now hope for is to win the dead rubber in Adelaide and finish 2-3.
This was a match that got away from Pakistan early. Warner raced to a half-century from 35 deliveries, and together with Steven Smith lifted the score to 1 for 212 in the 36th over. Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head then built on that platform as Australia plundered 118 from the final 10 overs. Smith, Maxwell and Head all benefited from Pakistan’s awful catching, and the target of 354 would have required the highest successful ODI chase ever on Australian soil.
It was too much for Pakistan. Far too much. Only if Sharjeel Khan had sustained his early striking would Pakistan have had a hope, but his dismissal summed up the difference between the two sides. On 74 from 47 deliveries, Sharjeel slog-swept Adam Zampa to deep midwicket, looking for his fourth six of the innings. But Warner, running around the boundary, showed perfect judgment to take the catch and effectively dash Pakistan’s chances.
Compare that to a chance that Sharjeel himself had in the deep earlier in the day, when Head skied one off Junaid Khan. Sharjeel grassed what should have been a straightforward opportunity, and Head went on to raise a half-century off 35 deliveries. It was Sharjeel’s second drop of the innings, after he had also put down Smith at backward point. In all, Pakistan missed four very gettable catches as well as two much harder ones.
There were also fumbles and overthrows enough to make the fielding coach Steve Rixon wonder why he bothered. Pakistan’s fielding was more chaotic than the Shahrah-e-Faisal at peak hour, and was one of the key factors in the result. Australia missed a couple of chances too, but took the important ones. Warner snared an even better catch at deep midwicket after the Sharjeel one; running in quickly he snapped it up low to the ground to get rid of Shoaib Malik for 47.
Full report to follow
David Warner’s eighth ODI hundred in 12 months set Australia on the path to a hefty total at the SCG, where Pakistan will need the highest successful ODI chase on Australian soil in order to keep the series alive. Warner’s 130 was followed by half-centuries from Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell that lifted Australia to 6 for 353 and punished Pakistan for a fielding display that, even by their own modest standards, was extremely sloppy.
Four very catchable chances were put down, as well as one much tougher opportunity, but there were also several overthrows and misfields that left Pakistan’s bowlers collectively shaking their heads in dismay. Hasan Ali finished with the best figures – 5 for 52 from his 10 overs, including two in the 50th over – but was also the culprit in two of the dropped chances, while Sharjeel Khan also put down two.
However, there was little Pakistan could have done to stop Warner, who made a fast start and raced to a 35-ball fifty before slowing down a little and reaching triple-figures from his 98th delivery. At that stage Warner’s innings had been chanceless – he was not dropped until he already had 113 and Hasan at mid-on spilled an opportunity off the bowling of Imad Wasim.
Warner put together a 92-run opening stand with Usman Khawaja, who was caught behind off Hasan for 30, and then combined with Steven Smith for a 120-run partnership that gave Australia an outstanding platform of 1 for 212 in the 36th over. However, both Warner and Smith fell in that over to Hasan, although Pakistan did not seriously halt Australia’s momentum.
Azhar Ali’s drop at mid-off was one of the several mishaps in the field for Pakistan © Cricket Australia/Getty Images
Warner scored all around the ground and had struck 11 fours and two sixes when he finally departed, edging behind when he backed away against Hasan. Smith fell two balls later for 49 off 48 deliveries when he walked across his stumps and was lbw to Hasan; Smith had been given a let-off on 10 when he squeezed a half-volley off Junaid Khan to backward point, where Sharjeel grassed the chance.
Maxwell signalled his intentions early in his innings by reverse-sweeping Imad for a powerful six, though was fortunate to be dropped on 8 in the same over by Hasan, who could not track down the top edge at short fine leg. Head was put down on 28 at long-on by Sharjeel off Junaid, and Pakistan’s mistakes allowed Head and Maxwell to compile an important 100-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Maxwell had another narrow escape on 32 when he drove Mohammad Amir wide of the diving Azhar Ali at mid-off, though this one was a particularly tough chance. Head smashed four sixes on his way to a 35-ball half-century before he was finally taken in the deep for 51 by Shoaib Malik off Amir, and Matthew Wade could manage only 5 before Imad caught him off Hasan in the final over.
But Maxwell in the meantime had plundered boundaries all over the place, 10 fours and a six, and having reached his fifty from 34 deliveries he lost his wicket with the last ball of the innings by skying a catch off Hasan for 78 from 44 – the catch taken this time by the previously slipshod Sharjeel. Australia had taken 118 off their last 10 overs, and Pakistan had an enormous task ahead of them.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo