Pakistan beat Australia

COLOMBO: Pakistan has ceased to Australia 34-match unbeaten run in World Cup and secured the top spot in the group table, beating the defending champions by four wickets in their last Group A match here at R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.

Chasing an easy target of 177 runs, Pakistan completed the victory with nine postponements spare but they lost six wickets in the process.

Umar Gul took three for 30 to help Pakistan dismiss Australia for 176 - their lowest World Cup total since 1992 - before Umar Akmal hit unbeaten 44 to steer Pakistan to victory in 41 overs, finishing top of the pool with 10 points.

Pakistan, champions in 1992, will play against the fourth place team in Group B, while Australia (nine points) was third behind Sri Lanka (nine points) on the rate of implementation and will play against the team in second place in Group B.

This was the first defeat of Australia in the World Cup since his defeat against Pakistan in 10 tests at Leeds in 1999.

But the champions, led by spearhead Brett Lee (28.04), beaten twice and raised hopes of an unlikely victory.

Pakistan were cruising along until Lee 98-2 derailed in his first game during his second term, dismissing Younis Khan (31) and Misbah-ul-Haq for a first-ball duck - to the time taken by the keeper Brad Haddin.

Mitchell Johnson removed Asad Shafiq (46) while Jason tried KREJZA skipper Shahid Afridi (two) to finish the hole in the depth, but Omar and Abdul Razzaq (20 not out) saw their home team with a cautious 36-run stand for the wicket seventh.

Razzaq hit two boundaries off spinner Jason KREJZA to complete the victory.

Lee took two wickets in his first period, taking a chip taken by his own bowling to dismiss Mohammad Hafeez opens (five) before trapping Kamran Akmal LBW for 23.

Shafiq, who hit five boundaries during his 81-ball hits, added 53 with 41 with Umar and Younis of Pakistan remain on track.

Earlier, Gul and Razzaq (2-8) described the Australian batting untested after Ricky Ponting won the toss and decided to bat on a flat apparently R. Premadasa stadium.

Haddin (42), Michael Clarke (34) and Steve Smith (25) offered some resistance that Pakistan lobbied hard to take the last seven wickets for a mere 59 Australian short after they were 117-3.

Pakistan, who opened the attack with the left arm spinner Abdur Rehman from one end, forced a breakthrough in early Gul upset when Shane Watson opens at nine.

Haddin added 63 for the second wicket with Ponting (19) before Pakistan struck twice, removing Hafeez off the Australian skipper miscued a cross caught by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.

Left arm paceman Wahab-Riaz was then caught behind by Kamran Haddin in the 24th over. Haddin hit three boundaries and six during his 80-ball knock.

Pakistan then took four wickets in the space of 30 runs to reduce Australia to 147-7 and later withdrew KREJZA Gul Lee and cheaply to wrap the handles of Australia for their lowest total of the sixth World Cup.