Maxi magic can't save Australia

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Australia have been undone by the spin of Pakistan in their opening clash of the World T20 in Bangladesh, losing by 16 runs despite a scintillating innings from allrounder Glenn Maxwell.

The tweaking trio of Zulfiqar Babar (2-26), Saeed Ajmal (1-33) and Shahid Afridi (2-30) proved too much for Australia under lights in Mirpur, after the Pakistanis had benefited from some shoddy fielding and a wonderful 94 from Umar Akmal to finish their 20 overs with 5-191.

George Bailey has spoken repeatedly in the past week about Australia’s plans to hit this tournament with a three-pronged pace assault, and upon winning the toss, he put his money where his mouth was, sending Pakistan in to bat.

After the opening six overs, it appeared to be a well-calculated strategy, Doug Bollinger hurrying one onto Ahmed Shehzad (5 from 5), who skied his attempted pull shot for a simple return catch.

Pakistan captain Mohammed Hafeez (13 from 10) came and went, Shane Watson grabbing a wicket with his second ball, which brought Umar Akmal to the crease, who joined his brother Kamran in the middle and appeared a man in a rush from his opening delivery.

With their side 2-36 from the opening six overs, the Akmals sensed a need to up the ante.

Their counter came through an array of dazzling strokes, both orthodox and unconventional, which succeeded in dramatically shifting the momentum of the contest.

With the score at 2-56, the ever-willing Nathan Coulter-Nile appeared to have ended the stand, but Brad Hogg couldn’t handle a hot chance at deep midwicket, and Umar Akmal survived.

It compounded an earlier fielding error from Aaron Finch, while Doug Bollinger also spilled a simple chance – albeit from a no-ball – and David Warner, Bailey and Brad Hodge were also found wanting at times during an error-prone 20 overs that would have frustrated coach Darren Lehmann.

The Akmals capitalised, piling on 96 in the space of 51 balls in what would prove to be a match-winning partnership before Kamran (31 off 31) was dismissed by a valiant Nathan Coulter-Nile.

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Coulter-Nile then rattled the stumps of Shoaib Maqsood (5 from 7), which brought crowd favourite Afridi to the crease with the score at 4-147.

Afridi (20 off 11), the seemingly ageless Pakistani wildcard, then combined with Umar Akmal before Mitchell Starc at last removed the latter, whose sublime innings came to an end six short of what would have been a deserved century.

In all, Akmal had faced just 54 balls and hit nine fours and four sixes to put his side in a position of dominance.

The Pakistanis made their intentions with the ball clear from the very first exchanges, opting for spin at both ends, and it immediately paid huge dividends.

For Australia, it was the worst possible start, Warner (4) and Watson (4) both falling to the new addition to the Pakistan side, left-arm orthodox spinner Zulfiqar, in a dramatic opening.

Warner, the man with the Midas touch over the past six months, lost his off stump second ball as he attempted to cut a quicker delivery, while Watson advanced down the track only to edge to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.

The sight of Maxwell walking to the crease in such a situation might not have slowed the racing hearts of many Australians, with the right-hander boasting a highest T20 international score of 27 before this match. A couple of failed reverse heaves in his opening few deliveries only added to the anxiousness.

Yet Maxwell, 25, appears a man not easily ruffled, and one unerringly confident in an ability that, until this point in his fledgling career, had remained largely unfulfilled.

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With the run rate climbing steadily, the Pakistani spinners’ confidence doing likewise, and the Bangladeshi crowd sensing more wickets, the Victorian smashed exactly half of his opening dozen deliveries to or beyond the rope.

Just like that, he’d posted a new highest T20I score.

As it happened, that was merely the calm before the Maxwell storm.

The sudden retaliation shocked the Pakistanis and also served to inspire the previously circumspect Finch, who had by that point done little more than witness the action from the non-striker’s end.

The stocky Victorian launched into a Ajmal offering on leg stump, blazing it over midwicket for six, then backed that up with four the next ball, before crashing another maximum from Afridi the following over.

Maxwell needed no invitation to follow suit, adding six of his own from Afridi to send the Australian run rate soaring at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

Doing aside with his pre-match plan to spin the Australians out, Pakistan captain Hafeez turned to bustling right-arm seamer Bilawal Bhatti.

It was a move fraught with danger, and Hafeez could only watch on with gritted teeth as Maxwell relished the extra pace to positively murder a hapless Bhatti.

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In a remarkable eighth over, the right-hander carted three fours and two sixes, moving to 54 from 18 balls and bringing up Australia’s hundred in the process. With Bhatti also conceding five wides, a total of 30 runs had been added to the total and the whole complexion of the match had changed.

By the halfway point, Australia were 2-117, with Maxwell and Finch blasting past their 100-run stand and  reducing the required run rate to a far more manageable 7.50 for the remaining 10 overs.

The breakthrough should have come for Pakistan then, but it seemed the poor fielding exhibited by the Australians throughout their innings had become contagious, as Maxwell swung an Umar Gul delivery lustily out to deep cover, only to see Ajmal spill a relatively simple chance. 

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Fortunately for Pakistan, the cost was minimal, Maxwell holing out to deep midwicket off the bowling off Afridi for 74 from just 33 deliveries.

It signalled the beginning of the end for Australia.

Bailey (4 off 9) was next to go, with the score at 4-146, and then the situation deteriorated rapidly for Australia, Ajmal making his presence felt in a beautifully-bowled 18th over during which he conceded just one run and claimed the crucial wicket of Finch (65 off 54).

In all, Australia’s final seven wickets fell for just 29 runs, Bhatti returning in the final over to spare his blushes – and his bowling figures – somewhat with two wickets in the final over.

For Pakistan, it was a tournament-saving outcome, with Umar Akmal fittingly named man of the match.

Australia now face a near sudden-death scenario for the remainder of the WT20, continuing on Friday at the same venue against West Indies.