Electrifying start to One-day series

Sharjah: Pakistan, aiming to end their ten-year wait for a series win over Australia, won the toss and elected to bat at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the first one-day match of the three-match series. The ODI commenced at 6pm, just before sunset.

Australia, who are desperate to return to the top of the world rankings, bowled aggressively in conditions not familiar to them. The clash is yet another treat for the fans here as the Pakistan Cricket Board has once again chosen the UAE for yet another high-profile series.

The series is vitally important for both teams, and a winning start will go a long way in boosting their morale. Pakistan lost to England in February and Sri Lanka in June. Australia, meanwhile, were thrashed by England earlier in the summer, which resulted in them slipping to fourth place in the ICC one-day rankings. They will have to prevent a 3-0 series loss here to avoid slipping down to sixth in the rankings.

“We are not thinking about the ranking. Our focus is to win every match,” said Michael Clarke, the captain of the Australian team before the match.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq is also aware of the huge boost that Pakistan cricket can gain through a series win over Australia. “A combined effort alone can bring us victory and hence we will fight hard from the start,” he said.

Shahid Afridi, the hero and match-winner in many a matches in the UAE, was cheered by fans at the ground. He is just three wickets short of the 350-wicket mark in one-day cricket, and is currently the highest wicket-taker among those playing in One-Day Internationals. On arrival at the stadium, Afridi said: “I am aware that my performance is vital for the victory of my team and I will live up to the expectations. I know I have to play an important role as a senior player of the team.”

The return of wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has provided a big boost to the Pakistan team. After 18 months out of international cricket, he returned to the first XI. His last match was the Mohali semi-final against India in the 2011 World Cup.

Australia made only one change to their squad that beat Afghanistan last Saturday. They dropped spinner Xavier Doherty for all-rounder Daniel Christian.

“Spin will play a vital role in the series as wickets may suit spinners more than pacers,” said Clarke, who was sharing the task of spinning out Pakistan along with Glenn Maxwell and David Hussey.

Clarke knows that his players will have to adapt to the conditions quickly here to get on top of Pakistan. Though it is only three years since the two teams played against each other in a one-day series in UAE, Clarke is the only player remaining from that.

The last time Pakistan beat Australia was way back in 2002, when Afridi and Shoaib Malik were part of the team. Malik missed out on a place in the eleven this time around.

It remains to be seen how Pakistan’s pace attack, which does not have their strike bowler Umar Gul, will perform against the aggressive Australian openers. Fans shouting the slogan: ‘Pakistan will win’ thronged the stands and cheered every run from the start.

An exciting contest is in the offing and the stage for a keen clash for supremacy has been set. UAE may once again live up to its reputation of producing exhilarating cricket.