Australia completed a 5-0 series sweep over Pakistan with a nail-biting two-wicket victory in the final one-dayer at the WACA in Perth.
Michael Hussey hit an unbeaten 40 the help the hosts reach their target of 213 with four balls to spare in the final over of a low-scoring thriller.
Skipper Ricky Ponting contributed 55 but a much-changed Australia team were pegged back by the dual spin threat of Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik.
Pakistan’s bowlers wouldn’t have had much to bowl at had it not been for contrasting half-centuries from Umar Akmal and Fawid Alam.
Having chosen to bat first, the tourists crumbled to 16-3 in the first powerplay, openers Salman Butt and Khalid Latif both failing to trouble the scorers while former skipper Younus Khan managed to make just three.
However Akmal led the recovery mission, his patient innings of 67, which included two fours and a six, coming off 102 balls.
He shared a stand of 60 with Shoaib Malik, who was run out by the returning Mitchell Johnson for 36, before Alam helped pick up the pace during an 82-run alliance for the fifth wicket.
Stand-in skipper Afridi managed just a single before falling to the in-form Ryan Harris (3-44), though Clint Mackay was the pick of the home attack with excellent figures of 4-35.
The Victorian seamer dismissed Iftikhar Anjum (16 off eight deliveries) and then Alam with successive balls in the 50th over - the latter the final wicket to fall - having made a sparkling 63 from 70 deliveries.
Attempting to chase down a modest total, Australia lost wickets at regular intervals to make sure the game remained in the balance.
Ponting top-scored with a half-century before becoming one of two wickets to fall to the off-spin of Malik, the other being that of Adam Voges for 24.
Afridi played his part with the ball too, bowling the dangerous Cameron White for 13 and then getting James Hopes caught out for six as the tension grew.
Hussey, though, proved to the thorn in Pakistan’s side. The left-hander took few risks during his 46-ball knock, though he relied on some help from the tail.
Mitchell Johnson chipped in with 13 while Nathan Hauritz hit 18 before number 10 Harris came out in the final over to help see Australia over the line, the winning run coming courtesy of a hip-high no-ball from seamer Iftikhar Anjum.
As if another defeat Down Under wasn’t bad enough for Pakistan, though, Afridi could find himself in hot water after television cameras pictured the all-rounder appearing to bite the ball whilst in the field.
The third umpire reported the incident to the on-field officials, who immediately ordered the ball be replaced.
There was further controversy later on when a spectator ran onto the field and rugby tackled Latif, who was not hurt in the incident, near the boundary’s edge.
Sky Sports
