PAK v AUS, 4th ODI, Abu Dhabi: Clarke and Bollinger lead Australia to series win (3:1)
May 01, 2009
Michael Clarke struck a sparkling hundred as Australia beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the fourth day-night international at Abu Dhabi on Friday to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.
The 28-year-old Australian captain hit an unbeaten 100 and was well supported by Watson (85 not out) as the pair added 197 for the third wicket to ease Australia past a modest 198-run target with 5.4 overs to spare.
Pakistan were bowled out for 197 in 48.4 overs with Australian left-arm paceman Doug Bollinger taking 5-35 in only his second international one-day match.
Pakistan won the first match by four wickets before Australia came back strongly to win the second by six wickets and the third by 27 runs. The fifth and final match will be played here on Sunday.
PAK v AUS, 4th ODI, Abu Dhabi: Australia 200-2 (44.2 overs) beat Pakistan 197 (48.4 overs) by 8 wickets
Pakistan v Australia 4th ODI at Abu Dhabi
PAK v AUS, 4th ODI, Abu Dhabi: Pakistan can still win, says coach
May 01, 2009
Pakistan can beat Australia Friday to keep alive their hopes of winning the current one-day series, coach Intikhab Alam said Thursday.
Despite being 2-1 down after losing the third game Monday, Pakistan was still determined to win the remaining two games and the series, Alam said, if only for their fans back home.
"We desperately want to win the series for the sake of millions of fans... who have been deprived of watching (international) matches" by security concerns, Alam said.
Pakistan was forced to move the current series to neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates after Australia refused to tour Pakistan, citing the high security risks.
Pakistan started the series promisingly by winning the first match by four wickets. But Australia came back strongly, winning the second match by six wickets and the third by 27 runs here Monday.
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 is a Twenty20 cricket tournament scheduled to take place in England in June of 2009. It will be the second World Twenty20 and will consist of 12 teams, contested by all Test-playing nations plus qualifiers (Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland)
The Champions Twenty20 League, formed with the official sanction of ICC will kick off in October 2008. Eight domestic teams from four nations will participate. Cricket Australia will partner the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA). The champion team in the Champions Twenty20 league will get US $5 million, which is the highest ever prize money for a cricket event.
