Dominant Australia crush Pakistan in second one-dayer

(BBC) Australia produced an excellent all-round display to beat Pakistan by 140 runs in Sydney and take a 2-0 lead in their five-match one-day series yesterday.

Shane Watson scored 69 at almost a run a ball and Cameron White hit 55 as Australia posted 267-6.

Doug Bollinger removed Salman Butt and Younus Khan and 7-2 became 71-7 as Pakistan’s batting order collapsed.

Mohammad Yousuf scored 58, but he was ninth out, caught by Nathan Hauritz off Clint McKay (3-15), in Pakistan’s 127.

Pakistan’s hopes of chasing down the total were effectively ended by a fearsome opening spell from Bollinger (2-19) and Peter Siddle (1-23).

Both Butt and Younus were caught by White at second slip while Siddle bowled Umar Akmal to leave Pakistan 32-4. Umar’s elder brother Kamran was earlier run out by a brilliant piece of fielding by McKay off his own bowling.

Ricky Ponting then produced a sensational one-handed catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik off the bowling of McKay.

Shahid Afridi hit a six in his brief stay at the crease while Rana Naved also smashed two maximums as he scored 27 off 22 balls. But his aggression also proved his downfall when he was stumped by Brad Haddin attempting to launch Hauritz out of the stadium.

McKay claimed the prize wicket of Yousuf and had Saeed Ajmal caught behind to finish with career-best figures.

Earlier, Watson and Shaun Marsh put on 100 runs for the first wicket in entertaining fashion after being asked to bat by Yousuf, the former stroking nine boundaries and one six.

White picked up where he left off in Brisbane on Friday, scoring 55 off 57 deliveries and he was ably assisted in the middle order by Michael Clarke (25) and Mike Hussey (29) before Haddin’s late flurry of 27 off 14 balls boosted the total.