Ruthless Australia coast into Super League semis

Australia bundled out Pakistan for just 157 in chase © Getty
A ruthless, allround show from Australia carried them comfortably to the Super League semifinal of the Under-19 World Cup, on the back of a thumping 119-run victory over Pakistan on Friday (January 28). Australia's top-three batters dominated the proceedings after Pakistan chose to bowl and laid down the foundation for a strong first half. The bowlers then took it forward from there by denying Pakistan even a modicum of chance at chasing down their 276/7. Pakistan, in the end, fell way short when they were bundled out in just the 36th over.

Openers Campbell Kellaway and Teague Wyllie forged a strong start for the batting side, putting together an opening stand worth 86 runs. It also came in quick time, by the 17th over before Pakistan captain Qasim Akram had Kellaway stumped for 47 off 63. Wyllie, who not sits third on the batting charts in the tournament, carried on in the company of Corey Miller for another strong alliance - this time worth 101 runs for the second wicket.

Awais Ali broke ended that juggernaut, sending Wyllie packing for a stroke-filled 71 off 97, with eight fours, but the endeavour to stitch partnerships continued. Miller was now in the able company of Australia captain Cooper Connolly, taking Australia past the 200-run mark in the 41st over. From there on, Akram and his bowlers triggered a middle-order collapse but Aiden Cahill and William Salzmann threw their bats around to power Australia to a steep total.

Though steep, the target wasn't insurmountable, particularly when batting conditions began to ease. But the foundation of a successful chase perhaps lay in a strong start, which Pakistan couldn't manage. By the fifth over, both their openers were dismissed, putting all the pressure on the middle-order. The third-wicket pair of Abdul Faseeh and Irfan Khan could only sustain that to an extent, with a brisk 50-run partnership. But both fell in quick succession that allowed Australia to carve open Pakistan's middle-order.

Pakistan went from 77 for 2 in the 16th over to 97 for 7 in the 26th, a phase that sucked out every ounce of hope for the Asian side in chase. Ahmed Khan and Mehran Mumtaz dragged the team past 100 and towards 150, but their effort was a mere consolation on a day when Pakistan were outplayed in all departments. This effort allowed Pakistan's essay to drag for another 10 overs before the curtains were drawn. If the batsmen set the game up for Australia, the bowlers - led by Salzmann's three-wicket haul and contributions from the rest - delivered the death blow to Pakistan with a disciplined outing.

Brief Scores: Australia U19 276/7 in 50 overs (Teague Wyllie 71, Corey Miller 64, Campbell Kellaway 47; Qasim Akram 3-40) beat Pakistan U19 157 in 35.1 overs (Mehran Mumtaz 29, Abdul Faseeh 28; William Salzmann 3-37, Tom Whitney 2-21) by 119 runs