Australia U16 beat Pakistan to level series

KARACHI: Australia Under-16 team won the fourth 50-over-a-side match of the five-match series against Pakistan Under-16 by 27 runs at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Wednesday.

The series is now tied at 2-2 with the decider to be played at the same venue on Friday (tomorrow).Chasing 279 runs, Pakistan were bowled out for 251 in the final over of the innings. Captain Umer Eman fought hard with a 74-run innings that included eight fours. The left-handed Umer added 103 runs for the fifth wicket with Rizwan Mehmood, who contributed 51 off 65 balls with the help of seven fours.

The two came to the crease after Pakistan had been reduced to 55 for four in the 13th over. Tail-ender Faisal Akram also batted resolutely, scoring 39 off as many deliveries.Jamison Murphy, who captained the Australian side, enjoyed a great day with the bat and the ball. He was the star performer with four wickets for 25 runs in six overs after making 56 with the bat. Nivethan Radhakrishnan took three wickets in his quota of 10 overs.

Earlier, opener Shobit Singh’s century helped Australia reach a formidable total of 278 for eight in the allotted 50 overs. He was dismissed in the 47th over of the innings after scoring 107 runs off 142 balls. His innings included 13 fours.

For Pakistan, fast bowler Ahmed Khan was once again the pick of the bowlers. He took three wickets in seven overs. Fast bowler Farhad Khan and off-spinner Aaliyan Mehmood claimed two wickets each.