Pakistan spoiled a brilliant start with a wasteful finish as it was bowled out for 215 by Australia in the second one-day international on Friday.
Australia, winner of the first match by 93 runs on Tuesday, can clinch the three-match series with a win in Dubai and maintain an unbeaten record against Pakistan since losing their series in 2002.Sarfraz Ahmed top scored with 65 off 72 balls and Ahmed Shehzad made 61 off 82 deliveries in Pakistan’s first opening-wicket century stand in ODIs for 21 months. After 126 together off 151 balls, both openers fell to loose shots in successive overs.
Thereafter, Pakistan never got any momentum, as it lost its last eight wickets for 85 runs and was bowled out in 49.3 overs. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who won the toss, continued his lean batting form with 15, as he was one of three batsmen to be run out.Mitchell Johnson, who removed Ahmed, went on to claim the key wickets of big-hitters Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi cheaply to finish with 3-40.Pakistan surprisingly didn’t tinker with its struggling batting lineup, and didn’t give chances to either Sohaib Maqsood or Umar Amin, who was supposed to take the place of dropped batsman Younis Khan for the series.