Australia 255-8 (50 ov)
Pakistan 162 (36.3 ov)
Toss Australia, who chose to bat
Australia Smith 101, Warner 43; Afridi 3-46
Pakistan Akmal 46, Ahmed 34; Johnson 3-24
Man of the match Steve Smith (Australia)
SHARJAH // Pakistan were expected to struggle without Saeed Ajmal. At this rate, they might have to send out an SOS and a time machine to get Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Abdul Qadir, too.
This rookie Pakistan side need all the help they can get.
It is a marker of how bare the cupboard is in the absence of Ajmal – who is barred from playing because of an illegal bowling action – that Pakistan gave a debut to a 35 year old on Tuesday.
Zulfiqar Babar, who was the second oldest Pakistani debutant in one-day international history, did OK. So did everyone else, really. All right, but no better.
However, on a stifling day in Sharjah, an Australian side who are not yet anything like the fearsome force of days gone by, barely had to break sweat to beat them.
Steve Smith, the maturing Australia batsman, made a fine maiden one-day international century.
Mitchell Johnson made the slowest of slow pitch look deathly rapid as he took three cheap wickets.
Even Nathan Lyon, a spinner of humble repute, would have had the great Muttiah Muralitharan, Australia’s current spin consultant, salivating while he watched on from the dressing room.
He made a Sharjah Cricket Stadium wicket that is usually bone-hard, turn-free and batsman friendly seem like a nest of spitting cobras.
“Sometimes you’ve just lost confidence and that is what’s happened with our team,” said Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain who fell to Lyon for a first-ball duck.
“We need to stay positive, hope someone can play a really big innings and get us back on track.
“It’s all about confidence. Once you get some runs as a batsman, everything seems to fall into place.”
At least Pakistan’s bowlers performed admirably in the sapping conditions, although their thinking was skewed at times.
Like late in the innings, when Mohammed Irfan welcomed Johnson to the wicket with a flurry of well-directed bouncers.
One thudded into his arm. He was forced to sway out of the way of another.
When a high full-toss then rapped him on the gloves, Irfan’s batting colleagues must have been thinking: “Why make him angry?”
The Australian pace attack were fired up in reply. Johnson was at its spearhead but even Kane Richardson managed to hit Sarfraz Ahmed on the head early on.
The Pakistan wicketkeeper may have been charging at him at the time, but, still. Ahmed was unbowed, though, as he showed by sweeping James Faulkner for six into the neighbouring petrol station in the next over.
In fact, the four sixes Pakistan smashed were one more than their opposition managed.
But the Australians proved that a winning side need to be more than just a highlights reel.
Pakistan could do well to use Smith’s innings as a benchmark. It was a lesson in application from a player who remains a relative novice in these conditions.
“I have always said I like batting at No 3 and I want to take my opportunities there,” Smith said.
“Hopefully today was just the start of that and there are a few more big scores ahead in this series and further down the track as well.”
Australia v Pakistan report card
Star performer – Steve Smith
A century of great substance by an increasingly impressive cricketer. His straight sixes, into the Qasim Noorani stand then later into the second tier of the pavilion, were majestic.
Underperformer – Aaron Finch
The 3pm start may have been late by one-day international standards, yet it was still a little early for most of the working public. Any remotely late arrivals would have missed Finch, who fell to the first ball of the match.
Key moment
On a wearing pitch which was taking spin, Pakistan needed their most experienced batsman to fire. David Warner put paid to that with a brilliant catch at leg-slip to dismiss Misbah-ul-Haq first ball off Nathan Lyon.
Pakistan rating – 4/10
They are clearly trying. Umar Akmal batted as though he had a point to prove. Shahid Afridi and Mohammed Irfan bowled well. Wahab Riaz fought. But there is a significant dearth of quality.
Australia rating – 8/10
Rare are the days in modern ODI cricket that 255 for eight is deemed a good total. Yet this was an excellent one on a pitch that was slower than a slug stuck in traffic. In the field, they were light years ahead of their hosts.
The National verdict
It already feels like it is going to be a tough winter for Pakistan, and they have only played two limited overs matches so far. Australia’s biggest rival in this series will be complacency, judged by current evidence.
pradley@thenational.ae
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