ICC Champions Trophy: 5 memorable encounters in the history of the tournament, Part 2

#4 Australia vs Pakistan (Centurion, 2009)

Australia did the job with the ball and chased down a small total

Pakistan took on Australia at Centurion and India’s hopes of progressing hinged on the game’s result. Pakistan, however, never kicked on while batting. Three 40s but no big score, and a helpless pitch made matters worse as captain Younis Khan limped to 18 off 49 balls. The Australian pacers repeatedly applied the brakes through regular wickets and tight, economical bowling as Mohammad Yousuf top scored with 45 and Pakistan finished at 205/6.

At 140/2 after 31 overs, Australia were cruising with Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey at the crease. But soon, a collapse saw them reduced to 187/8 in 46 overs. Mohammad Asif tied Australia down in his comeback match, while Saeed Ajmal foxed them with tricky spin bowling. Hussey scored 64, but none of Callum Ferguson, Cameron White, James Hopes and Mitchell Johnson entered double figures as Pakistan troubled Australia in an otherwise calm chase.

It was down to a run-a-ball 18, but tailenders Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz each found the fence to require 4 from 6. Umar Gul conceded only 3 from the first 5, but the batsmen sneaked a sharp bye and Kamran Akmal missed his throw to leave Australia victorious. India had been shown the door after Pakistan’s defeat.