Internet Desk: Pakistan took the pace off the ball and the puff out of Australia to level the one-day series with a drought-breaking victory at the MCG.
The tourists used 24 overs of spin to help roll the Aussies for just 220 before the home team’s bowlers, minus a specialist spinner, were pushed around by Pakistan’s batsmen who reeled in the total with six wickets to spare.
It was Pakistan’s first tour victory against the Aussies in four matches and reward for a unit which has fought hard to turn the screws on the one-day team after a Test whitewash.
The win was also Pakistan’s first one-day victory at the MCG since 1997 and the first against Australia, in Australia, since 2005.
Dropped at second slip by Aussie skipper Steve Smith in the opening over, stand-in Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez led from the front with a game-high 72.
The visitors bettered the Aussie boundary count too (24 to 17) against a near all-pace attack and took 23 off the 2.4 overs part-time spinner Travis Head bowled.
Two quick wickets, including Hafeez, put a spring in the Aussie step with 80 runs still to get and the potential for a Pakistani collapse ever-present.
But the tourists would not fall over, lost just one more wicket in a controlled run-chase and will take some much needed momentum in to game three in Perth on Friday.
On the same day Australian selectors announced the squad being sent to tame the rampant spinners in India, the Aussie batsmen were brought undone by a trio of slow bowlers who barely turned the ball.
Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik and part-timer Hafeez took three wickets between them, but tripled that in appeals as they provided constant trouble for the Aussie batsmen who couldn’t get going against them.
Even captain Smith (60) and Matthew Wade (35), the lone Aussie resistance to the Pakistani stranglehold, were bowled by Wasim and Mailk respectively.
“We probably went a little bit too hard with the bat again,” said Smith.
“To be honest we have been ordinary with the bat something we need to look at. We need to build partnerships, we haven’t done that in the last two games and it has let us down.
“We’ve been three or four for when the spinners have come on and we haven’t played our natural games against them.
“It hasn’t been great for the first two games so we need to improve on that for Perth.”