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Australia beat Pakistan by 34 runs

Australia beat Pakistan by 34 runs in their Twenty20 World Cup Group A match in St Lucia on Sunday.

Scores:

Australia 191 off 20 overs (S. Watson 81, D. Hussey 53) v Pakistan 157 off 20 overs

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Watson leads as Australia make 191 against Pakistan

All-rounder Shane Watson top-scored with 81 as Australia punished lax Pakistan fielding by making 191 all out in their opening Group A World Twenty20 match here on Sunday.

Watson, dropped on 11 by Misbah-ul-Haq at midwicket and missed by Misbah, running back at mid-on, both times off Mohammad Hafeez, struck four sixes and seven fours in his blistering 49-ball innings

Together with David Hussey, he put on 98 in under nine overs for the third wicket.

Hussey dropped on 18 at long-off by Salman Butt, a relatively easy chance, went on to make 53 off 29 balls with five sixes and two fours.

Hussey was especially severe on seamer Mohammad Sami, striking him for 28 runs in the 16^th over with the batsman striking four sixes, including three in a row.

Eventually Hussey holed out off Saeed Ajmal and, three balls later, Clarke was lbw to the off-spinner to leave Australia 164 for four in the 17^th over.

There was though an extraordinary end to the Australia innings with five wickets going down for no runs in six balls during the last over from fast bowler Mohammad Aamer.

Brad Haddin was caught off the over’s first ball, Mitchell Johnson clean bowled off the second with both Michael Hussey and Steven Smith run out by direct hits from wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal as they tried to run byes.

Shaun Tait survived the fifth ball but was bowled off the last for nought.

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 21 runs in their first match of the tournament here on Saturday.

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Australia win toss and bat against Pakistan

Australia captain Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bat in his side’s opening World Twenty20 match against Pakistan at the Beuasejour Stadium.

This was Australia’s first match of the tournament and, as widely predicted, they omitted specialist off-spinner Nathan Hauritz and opted for batsmen who could also bowl spin in the likes of captain Michael Clarke and David Hussey.