Clarke leads Australia spin treat of Pakistan

ABU DHABI: Michael Clarke's all-round performance helped his team give Pakistan a dose of their own medicine as Australia won the third day-night international by 27 runs at Abu Dhabi Stadium here.

The 28-year-old hit a fighting 66 to anchor an otherwise struggling Australian innings which helped them reach 198-7 in their allotted 50 overs before claiming 3-15 to bowl Pakistan out for 171 in 47.1 overs.

Clarke's brilliant bowling -- which saw Pakistan lose their 10 wickets in the space of 76 runs -- steered his team to a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Pakistan won the first match by four wickets, while Australia clinched the second by six wickets -- both played in Dubai last week.

The remaining two matches will be played here on May 1 and 3. The only Twenty20 match is scheduled for Dubai on May 7.

Shoaib Malik (30) and Sohail Tanvir (11) added 22 for the eighth wicket to raise hopes of Pakistan's win before both were dismissed on the same score of 170.

Clarke and Nathan Hauritz got two wickets each off successive deliveries as Pakistan, fast approaching the target with openers Salman Butt (48) and Ahmed Shahzad (40) and having put 95 for the first wicket in 22 overs, lost four wickets in the space of 12 runs.
Off-spinner Hauritz (2-25) struck with the first ball of the 23 over, forcing an edge off Butt's bat for a smart low catch in the slip. Butt hit seven boundaries during his 77-ball knock. The very next ball, Younus Khan spooned a catch to mid-on off a ball which stopped on him.

Two overs later, Clarke dismissed Misbah-ul-Haq (nine), caught at long-on and as the batsmen crossed, Clarke bowled Shahzad with a straight delivery. Shahzad, playing only his second match, hit five boundaries off 61 balls.

Clarke sent Shahid Afridi back in his third over, leaving Pakistan at 123-5.

He credited Hauritz as the man who opened the doors for the team.

"As a bowler I am okay, but I think Hauritz provided the breakthrough and later I took three wickets," said Clarke, who also completed 50 one-day wickets in the match. "It was a brilliant effort to defend a low total." Pakistan captain Younus Khan blamed poor batting for the defeat.

"We have spurned a golden opportunity to win," he said. "We need to learn this from Australia - how they did not give up on the event after putting a low total and forced a win by taking wicket.