Umar Gul sinks Australia in Dubai T20

Umar Gul recorded the second best figures in international Twenty20 cricket to help fire Pakistan to a seven-wicket win over Australia.

Paceman Umar Gul recorded the second best figures in international Twenty20 cricket to help fire Pakistan to a seven-wicket win over Australia in the one-off match at the Dubai Stadium.

The 25-year-old fast bowler took (4-8) in his four-over spell,combining with leg-spinner Shahid Afridi (3-14) to restrict Australia to a modest 108 in 19.5 overs after Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and fielded on Thursday.

In Pakistan’s reply,Kamran Akmal hit a rapid-fire unbeaten 59,while Haq scored 24. They shared an 85-run stand for the third wicket after Pakistan lost openers Ahmed Shahzad for (4) and Salman Butt (16).

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Akmal’s maiden Twenty20 fifty included five boundaries and three towering sixes off 42 balls and enabled Pakistan to reach their target with 3.4 overs to spare. Haq was full of praise for Gul and Afridi.

“Gul was outstanding,and Afridi has been bowling well in the whole series. Once we got them out for 108 it was in our hands,so hopefully we carry this form to the World Twenty20,” said Haq,referring to next month’s event in England.

Australia’s stand-in captain Brad Haddin,leading in the absence of Michael Clarke,said his team was outplayed.

“We were progressing well in the first five overs but thereafter we were outplayed,” said Haddin.

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Earlier,Gul provided Pakistan with a crucial breakthrough,dismissing the dangerous-looking Shane Watson (33) with his first delivery to put the brakes on Australia,who had reached 42 without loss.

Watson had struck three successive boundaries off paceman Sohail Tanvir in the fourth over.

Australia then suffered a severe jolt when four wickets fell for 12 runs in the space of 21 deliveries to leave them in trouble at 73-5.

Afridi trapped James Hopes (six) and Andrew Symonds (nought) leg-before off successive deliveries,before bowling David Hussey (four).

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Gul returned for his second spell to dismiss Nathan Hauritz (two),Brett Lee (nought) and Marcus North (20) to improve on his own Pakistan record of 4-13 in a Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka last year.

They were the second best figures ever in a Twenty20 international,behind New Zealand paceman Mark Gillespie’s 4-7 against Kenya at Durban in 2007.

Brad Haddin made 24 before becoming one of Shoaib Malik’s two victims. Pakistan were forced to leave out regular captain Younus Khan,who was suffering down with fever.

Australia won the preceding five-match one-day series 3-2 a series moved to neutral venues here over security fears in Pakistan.