KARACHI: The Pakistan Under-16 cricketers, who are currently touring Australia, have made excellent progress thus far as they hold a 2-1 lead in the international five-match one-day series against their Australian counterparts in Bowral while the visitors won the one-off Twenty20 fixture in Wollongong.

According to details made available to Dawn, Pakistan sealed a comfortable 60-run victory in the opening one-day match at the Bradman Oval in Bowral last Saturday (Nov 21).

After being put into bat, the young guns from Pakistan collected an impressive total of 267 all out in 50 overs thanks to good knocks by Attyab Ahmed (73 off 102 balls with eight boundaries and two sixes) and Obaisullah Khan (55 off 65, five fours and one six).

Australia’s reply to the chase ended at 207-7 despite Austin Waugh, son of former Australian captain Steve Waugh, making an undefeated 81 from 117 deliveries with the aid of three sixes and two fours.

Shaheen Afridi claimed two wickets for 26 runs in 10 overs and Fahad Hussain 2-43.

Pakistan then rode on opener Haider Ali’s fine century to defeat Australia by 23 runs in the second one-dayer played at the same venue last Monday.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Pakistan totalled 229 before being dismissed on the last ball of their 50-over innings.

Haider struck 12 boundaries and six sixes in scoring a belligerent 119 off 147 balls. He received useful support from Mohsin Riaz (28), Tariq Bakht (27) and Obaisullah Khan (25).

Jarrod Freeman (3-47 in 10 overs), Zak Evans (2-43 in 10) and Will Sutherland (2-32 in 8) shared the bowling honours.

Australia, in their reply, were restricted to 206 all out in 49.1 overs. Jason Sangha (86 off 113 balls, six fours and three sixes) and skipper Bailey Dickinson (33) added 58 for the third wicket before spinner Uzair Abdullah triggered a collapse by snaring five wickets for 34 runs in 9.1 overs. Ahmer Jalil took 2-25 in nine overs.

Dickinson’s team clinched a crushing nine-wicket in Wednesday’s third game, which was also staged at the Bradman Oval, to keep alive their hopes of winning the series with remaining matches to be played on Sunday and Monday.

Pakistan’s decision to bat first backfired as they mustered a miserly 142 all out in 42.2 overs. Only Attyab Ahmed (44 off 84 balls, five boundaries), Shoaib Ahmed (29) and Shaheen Afridi (23 off 12, three sixes) played meaningful knocks.

Seamer Zak Evans grabbed figures of 4-19 in 9.2 overs while leg-spinner Dean Elliott’s seven overs fetched him four wickets for 29 runs.

Thomas Sowden blasted 11 fours and three in a quickfire 96-ball 91 in the chase as he outscored his partner Nathan Murphy (34 not out) in their opening partnership of 132 before Australia won in the 33rd over.

In the T20 fixture played at the University of Wollongong Ground on Friday, Haider Ali hit 62 off 3 balls (eight fours and two sixes) and Shoaib Ahmed (45 off 46, three fours and one six) to help Pakistan reach 156-6 in the allotted overs after winning the toss.

Austin Waugh took two wickets for 23 runs in three overs to emerge as Australia’s most successful bowler.

Dickinson (48 off 30, three fours and one six) and Aiden Bariol (34 off 28, four fours) were best of home side’s batsmen as their team finished at 137-8.

Fahad Hussain (3-23 in 4 overs) and Aarish Ali Khan (2-34 in 4) were the main wicket-takers while Obaisullah gave away just 15 runs in his four overs without taking a wicket.

Results:

One-day series:

First match: Pakistan beat Australia by 60 runs.

PAKISTAN 267 in 50 overs (Attyab Ahmed 73, Obaisullah Khan 55, Shoaib Ahmed 35, Mohsin Riaz 32, Uzair Abdullah 30; F. Ellis 2-33, Z.K. Evans 2-44); AUSTRALIA 207-7 in 50 overs (A. Waugh 81 not out, J. Sangha 38, W. Sutherland 25, B. Dickinson 20; Shaheen Afridi 2-26, Fahad Hussain 2-43).

Second match: Pakistan beat Australia by 23 runs.

PAKISTAN 229 in 50 overs (Haider Ali 119, Mohsin Riaz 28, Tariq Bakht 27, Obaisullah Khan 26; J.A. Freeman 3-47, W. Sutherland 2-32, Z.K. Evans 2-43); AUSTRALIA 206 in 49.1 overs (J. Sangha 86, B. Dickinson 33, W. Sutherland 31; Uzair Abdullah 5-34, Ahmer Jalil 2-25).

Third match: Australia beat Pakistan by nine wickets.

PAKISTAN 142 in 42.2 overs (Attyab Ahmed 44, Shoaib Ahmed 29, Shaheen Afridi 23; Z.K. Evans 4-19, D. Elliott 4-29, S. Bhargave 2-25); AUSTRALIA 144-1 in 32.3 overs (T. Sowden 91, N. Murphy 34 not out).

One-off Twenty20 match: Pakistan beat Australia by 19 runs.

PAKISTAN 156-6 in 20 overs (Haider Ali 62, Shoaib Ahmed 45; A. Waugh 2-23); AUSTRALIA 137-8 in 20 overs (B. Dickinson 48, A. Bariol 34; Fahad Hussain 3-23, Aarish Ali Khan 2-34).

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2015