Smith, Watson put Australia in semis

Australia have marched into the final four of the World Cup courtesy of a six-wicket win over a disappointing Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval.

Paceman Josh Hazlewood enjoyed an exceptional return to national colours, taking 4-35 in Pakistan’s innings of 213, while Shane Watson (64 not out) and Steve Smith (65) overcame a lethal spell from Wahab Riaz to steer the co-hosts into a semi-final meeting with India in Sydney next Thursday.

Quick Single: The moments that mattered

Glenn Maxwell also continued his outstanding World Cup form, blasting an unbeaten 44 alongside Watson to ensure the scorecard looked as lopsided as it felt for a lot of the day, with Australia chasing down the under-par target with 97 balls to spare.

It was a comfortable victory on paper, but the match was firmly in the balance when Wahab removed David Warner and Michael Clarke in the space of just eight deliveries to leave Australia 3-59 in the chase.

Perhaps recognising that the match hung on a knife’s edge, or simply affronted from his earlier exchanges with fast-bowler Mitchell Starc, Wahab then proceeded to give new batsman Watson the mother of all workings over.

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Wahab gets in Watson's face during his fiery spell // Getty

Two wickets in the bag, and clocking 150kph, the Pakistani quick bowled a consistently hostile length to the Australian allrounder who, for the most part, handled himself well. 

As the crowd hung on every ducked bumper and menacing stare, Wahab dug another one in short, and Watson took the bait when on 4, hooking straight to Rahat Ali at deep backward square leg, who spilled the simplest of chances.

It was a cruel blow for Wahab, who deserved the wicket that would have swung the balance of the contest in his side’s favour; Australia would have slipped to 4-83, with Maxwell required to play a role not generally associated with his skill-set, and with the added pressure of a sudden-death World Cup fixture.

The highlights of Wahab's fiery spell

Instead, Watson survived, and he and Smith added 65 crucial runs together from that point in what proved to be a match-winning stand.

Earlier Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, playing Australia for the first time in an ODI in their backyard, won the toss and elected to bat – a decision that would doubtless have pleased Hazlewood, who returned in place of Pat Cummins.

But it was another New South Wales quick, left-armer Mitchell Starc, who set the tone for the co-hosts, drawing an edge from the in-form Sarfraz Ahmed with the score at 20 in the fifth over.

At a tick over 150kph, the ball flew to the right of Watson at first slip, who did brilliantly to dive and hold the sharpest of chances.

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Australia celebrate Watson's sharp catch at slip // Getty

Starc then opted to employ the aggression that has propelled him to new heights in this World Cup, dishing out a send off as Sarfraz exited stage left.

It was the first of a series of aggressive mid-pitch meetings throughout the course of the match.

Meanwhile, Hazlewood’s inclusion might have slightly reduced the flat-out speed of the Australian attack but it did nothing to diminish its effectiveness.

Shortly after Sarfraz departed, Hazlewood took the wicket of Ahmed Shehzad with the first ball of his third over as Clarke moved low to his right to claim a healthy edge at second slip.

In the space of four balls, two wickets had fallen and the complexion of the contest had shifted.

And two deliveries later, it almost shifted again.

Incredibly, for the second time at this tournament, the Zings bails lit up but failed to fully dislodge as Misbah – who had shuffled across his crease and exposed his leg stump to Hazlewood – avoided a duck by the narrowest of margins in what turned out to be his final ODI innings.

Misbah gets a lucky break

The skipper then set about rebuilding the innings along with his No.3 Haris Sohail (41), who showed he was up for the contest in lacing Hazlewood for a pair of stunning boundaries through the off side in the 12th over.

Together they put on 73 for the third wicket, as Misbah (34 from 59) welcomed Maxwell’s early introduction by blasting the off-spinner for a couple of sixes over mid-wicket.

Yet just as it looked as though a captain’s hand was on the cards, he went for one slog sweep to many, and picked out Aaron Finch on the fence to leave his side hanging precariously at 3-97 in the 24th over. 

It was the first of three wickets to fall for just 27 in the space of six overs, sending the underdogs into a mid-innings hole from which they never convincingly recovered.

A key wicket among those to fall quickly was that of the dangerous Umar Akmal (20 off 25), Maxwell earning a second wicket in much the same manner as which he’d dismissed Misbah. 

The Australians had actually appealed for Akmal's wicket earlier in the innings when he had cut Maxwell away through point, and again the Zings bails lit up. 

Haddin motioned for a referral while indicating that he may have clipped the bails with his gloves, and replays showed the 'keeper's hunch to be correct.

Shahid Afridi (23 off 15) blasted Mitchell Johnson over point for the 351st six of a remarkable career, and continued to swing wholeheartedly until it predictably proved his undoing, Finch accepting a simple chance on the fence to give Hazlewood a second wicket.

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Australia celebrate one of Finch's three catches on the boundary // Getty

Sohaib Maqsood (29 from 44) showed some fight, and Wahab engaged in some entertaining back-and-forth with Starc, who offered him some advice about the appearance of the ball after the batsman failed in several attempts to make contact.

But Pakistan remained all at sea as the innings wore on, and Hazlewood returned to claim another couple of wickets and ensure he would boast the most impressive figures among what had been a clinical all-round bowling display.

As Australia’s openers began their innings, Finch’s earlier productivity in the field didn’t translate to confidence with the bat, and he soon added to his string of recent low scores.

The right-hander was plumb lbw as he looked to play through the leg side and the ball nipped back to strike him on the pads. His decision to review after conferring with David Warner did nothing but deny Australia a review for the remainder of the innings.

Warner, unsurprisingly, looked a man intent on taking care of business in a hurry, entertaining the Adelaide faithful with his usual array of drives and cuts as he sped to 24 at better than a run a ball.

With the score at 49 in the ninth over, the left-hander virtually leapt for a high, wide offering from Wahab, failing to control his swiped attempt at a cut shot and picking out Rahat at third man.

Enter captain Michael Clarke, whose last match at this ground featured a triumphant, heroic century in the aftermath of Phillip Hughes’s passing.

On this occasion, the skipper’s involvement in the innings was minimal, though the nature of his dismissal – caught at short leg for eight after fending at a well-directed short ball from Wahab – was a sign of things to come.

Quick Single: High praise for Wahab's 'nasty' spell

Wahab continued to toil even after Watson's wicket literally slipped through Rahat's fingers, but the missed opportunity took its toll and as the bouncers turned into wides, Watson and Smith took control.

As he had done in Sydney against Sri Lanka, Smith used his feet beautifully to the spinner, and Shahid Afridi had little to offer by way of response.

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Watson celebrates hitting the winning runs // Getty

The right-hander added another half-century to what has been a hugely productive summer, but was eventually out lbw to Ehsan Adil when he ventured across his stumps and was adjudged lbw. 

Maxwell’s entry to proceedings had been delayed by a good hour courtesy of Rahat’s dropped catch, and it looked as if the Victorian had spent that time thinking up a new shot to add to his repertoire. 

Twice he backed away to leg stump and swatted the ball behind square on the off side, and from the first of these extraordinary shots he was given a reprieve as Sohail Khan failed to hang onto a tough running chance. 

It was all the impetus Maxwell needed. With a couple of beautifully executed cover drives and a hook for six, he – and Australia – were away. 

For the second time in recent weeks, Watson played the sheet anchor role as his younger partner teed off, though he did remind everyone of his own aggressive instincts with a couple of thunderous pull shots.

Wahab returned at the death, but it was too little, too late, and he vented his frustration with a huge verbal spray to which Watson simply responded with a smile. 

Together, Watson and Maxwell sped to the finish line, underlining Australia’s superiority on the night and giving India plenty to think about ahead of a mouth-watering semi-final clash next week.

Australia: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke (c), Glenn Maxwell, Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood.

Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad, Sarfraz Ahmed, Haris Sohail, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil