×

Australia trump Pakistan by 86 runs in 4th ODI at Sydney to clinch ODI series

David Warner starred with a quickfire century as Australia trounced Pakistan by 86 runs in their fourth One-Day International (ODI) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday.

Adam Zampa returned to the ODI side and took 3 wickets © Getty Images
Adam Zampa returned to the ODI side and took 3 wickets © Getty Images

David Warner starred with a quickfire century as Australia trounced Pakistan by 86 runs in their fourth One-Day International (ODI) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday, thus sealing a 3-1 series win with one more match to go. Warner smacked a rapid 130 while Glenn Maxwell (78) and Travis Head (51) scored crucial half-centuries to power Australia to 353 for 6 in their 50 overs. In their reply, Pakistan once again produced a poor show with the bat, being bowled out for a mere 267 in 43.5 overs. Sharjeel Khan top scored with a 47-ball 74, but his innings was the only bright spot in Pakistan’s reply.

Pakistan batted, bowled and even fielded poorly in a contest which was a do-or-die one for them. The visitors remained horrible in the field, spilling as many as four catches and there were several misfields. When it was their turn to chase, Sharjeel provided his side a rollicking start, getting them up and running at 7 runs an over. However, the rest of the Pakistani batsmen failed to keep up the tempo and lost the plot. Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik’s innings were of a little significance, as Pakistan were never really in chase once Sharjeel was dismissed.

FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs Australia, 4th ODI at Sydney

Chasing a daunting 354 to win, Pakistan did not have many options but to attack right from the beginning. They hoped for a better start also because Azhar Ali — Pakistan’s best batsman on the tour — was back in the mix and Sharjeel had shown tremendous form in the previous few games. Sharjeel even began with 2 boundaries in the first over to set the mood.

However, disaster struck early as Azhar chased one outside off and edged it to the second slip off Josh Hazlewood. Azhar’s dismissal piled up pressure on Pakistan, but Sharjeel made up with brisk run-scoring in the first powerplay. He hammered a six and a boundary off Hazlewood in the sixth over to revive his side, and even though he lost his second partner (Babar Azam), he continued to attack.

Sharjeel smacked a six and two boundaries off Head in the 16th over. But Sharjeel was dismissed in the next over, when he tried clearing the deep midwicket boundary with Warner placed at the edge. Sharjeel scored 74 off 47 balls with 10 boundaries and 3 sixes.

Shoaib Malik (47) and Mohammad Hafeez (40) steadied Pakistan innings for a while but they remain guilty of losing the momentum that Sharjeel provided. When Sharjeel was at the crease, the scoring rate remained around 7. However, when he departed, Pakistan’s scoring rate dipped and they never picked up.

Adam Zampa returned to the ODI side claiming 3 for 55 off his 10 overs, on the other hand, Hazlewood was surprisingly expensive, thanks to Sharjeel going ballistic early on. Hazlewood completed 50 wickets in ODIs at SCG with his spell of 8.5-0-54-3.

Earlier in the game, Australia reached 353 for 6 in their allotted 50 overs. Warner scored yet another SCG ton, hammering 11 boundaries and 2 sixes in the process. Maxwell and Head added exact 100 runs for the fourth wicket, which took Australia past the 350-run mark. Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali claimed 5 for 52, but two dropped catches out of Pakistan’s total of four somehow negated his effort.

Brief scores:

Australia 353 for 6 in 50 overs (David Warner 130, Steven Smith 49, Travis Head 51, Glenn Maxell 78; Hasan Ali 5 for 52) beat Pakistan 267 in 43.5 overs (Sharjeel Khan 74, Mohammad Hafeez 40, Shoaib Malik 47; Josh Hazlewood 3 for 54, Adam Zampa 3 for 55) by 86 runs.

Man of the Match: David Warner

trending this week