Johennsberg, October 01: Weary and longing desperately for home they may be, but Australia will be going nowhere quietly. Combative to the last, they squeaked home against Pakistan yesterday in a nerve shredding finale and finished their Champions Trophy group campaign undefeated.
The tie was decided off the last ball when Australia, eight wickets down, ran a bye to the wicketkeeper. At 187 for 8, still needing 19 to win, it had looked all up for them but somehow they resisted Pakistan’s revival.
The ninth wicket pair, Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz, held their nerve and their luck. They ran hard and determinedly and considering the sluggish scoring rates all day, took an improbable 18 from the final three overs, just when it looked as though they had forgotten how to lay bat on ball.
–Agencies