Green top-scores and Ellis stands tall as Australia levels ODI series

Source : ABC NEWS

Australia has turned the tables on Pakistan, battling its way to victory on a difficult track at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium to level the ODI series one-all with one to play.

On a surface that catered for spinners, seamer Nathan Ellis was the star, returning 4-33 in his nine overs with some key wickets.

Ellis stepped up to lead the attack in the absence of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.

With stand-in captain Josh Inglis and Cameron Green both making half-centuries, the makeshift Australian XI set Pakistan a challenging 232 to win.

The home side rarely looked like getting close, and was bowled out for 190 in 44 overs to give the tourists a 41-run victory.

Pakistan won the opening game by five wickets at Rawalpindi, where left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas took 5-32 on his ODI debut, after which Pakistan’s Kiwi coach Mike Hesson knocked back criticism of preparing spin-friendly wickets.

Expecting another slow, low turner, Australia went in to the match with a trio of specialist spinners; Adam Zampa replacing fast bowler Billy Stanlake having recovered from the neck spasms that forced him to miss the first ODI.

But it was seamer Ellis who had made the early breakthrough with a pair of quick wickets, and who came back to take more when it mattered.

Meanwhile, spinners Matt Short (3-36), Matt Kuhnemann (1-41), Zampa (1-30) and Tanveer Sangha (1-22) kept the pressure on, cramping the scoring and taking regular wickets.

Only Ghazi Ghori (37) put up much resistance in the top order, but as a baking-hot day cooled and the evening crowd arrived, Shadab Khan and Arafat added a threatening 59 in 15.3 overs.

Inglis turned to Ellis, who trapped Arafat (33) LBW, which left Shadab playing a lone hand, and he was last out for 71, neatly stumped by Inglis off a leg-side wide bowled by Sangha.

Australia had been put in to bat, and the vagaries of the surface were evident from the first ball as Alex Carey got a thick inside-edge onto his stumps attempting to cut a wide loosener from Shaheen Shah Afridi that lacked pace and bounce.

Inglis took six off the next two balls, clipping in-swingers off his pads, but he slowed as spin was introduced.

At the other end, Short (15 off 24) went to a soft return catch while Labuschagne, though a Pakistan Super League-winning captain last month, struggled in his 12 balls, out for 5 as he attempted a big sweep.

Green dug in with Inglis, and they took the score from 3-51 to 102 before Inglis was bowled by a shooter for a 74-ball 51.

Matt Renshaw, having survived an LBW shout on umpire’s call on 5 and a run-out chance when stranded by Green on 15, added 65 with Green (53 off 92) before the latter holed out attempting his third six.

Renshaw went on to make a fine run-a-ball 43, backing up his lone stand of 61 in the opening loss, while Oliver Peake showcased his potential with 31 off 32, including 10 in two balls in the last over off Haris Rauf.

“It was a pretty good total in the end,” Inglis said.

“It would have been nice for someone to go on and get a big score, but …. we thought anything over 200, we were right in the game.

“You can always call on Nello (Ellis) on those sort of pitches; his variations are outstanding, and when you’ve got on-pace at 145 and then your slow balls at just over 100k an hour, it’s really tough.”

The decider is also in Lahore, tomorrow night AEST.

AAP