Australia Close Series With Crushing Win

Australia Close Series With Crushing Win

Australia produced a superb all-round performance to finish the series with a crushing 94-run win over Pakistan

©REUTERS / Action Images

Australia 168-7 (Warner 59, Watson 47) beat
Pakistan 74 (Starc 3-11) by 94 runs
Third Twenty20 International, Dubai
Scorecard

Australia smashed Pakistan by 94 runs in the third and final Twenty20 International in Dubai, closing the series with a dominant win.

After a half-century from David Warner had helped them set a ground record of 168 for seven, they dismissed Pakistan for a dismal 74 all out.

Mitchell Starc and Patrick Cummins took three wickets apiece as Australia easily prevented Pakistan from taking a 3-0 series win.

They took charge from the start after being inserted by Pakistan as Watson hammered a four and five sixes in hitting 47 and Warner thumped six maximums on his way to 59 in 34 balls in a first-wicket partnership worth 111.

Both men were dismissed within seven balls of one another but the runs continued to flow as Glenn Maxwell blasted 27 in 20 balls and Michael Hussey made 12.

Pakistan fought back with the ball, Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat and Saeed Ajmal all taking a brace of wickets as Australia's middle order contributed just 13 runs for three wickets as George Bailey (3), Cameron White (0) and Daniel Christian (3) fell cheaply.

Pakistan then seven in seven balls before Starc had Imran Nazir trapped in front for one and they then lost four wickets for four runs as they collapsed from 15 for one to 19 for five.

Cummins removed Mohammad Hafeez for nine and Shoaib Malik for nought and Kamran Akmal also failed to score as he was caught by Watson off Starc.

Nasir Jamshed tried to get the innings back on track with 17 in 23 balls, hitting a couple of boundaries and after he fell, Abdul Razzaq (13) and Arafat (15) managed to add 20 for the seventh wicket. It proved to be the biggest partnership of the rapidly disintegrating innings.

Arafat fell to Brad Hogg, who was involved when Gul was run out for three. Razzaq provided a catch for substitute fielder David Hussey and the game ended with five balls unused when Ajmal was bowled by Starc as he and Cummins both recorded new career-bests with the ball.

© Cricket World 2012