The match swung like a pendulum until Pakistan came back strongly to take it.
Australia started off in a poor fashion losing David Warner (4) and Shane Watson (4) in the first over to Zulfiqar Babar. .
But Glenn Maxwell (74 off 33) and Aaron Finch (65 off 54) took Australia from 8-2 to 126-2 before Maxwell was dismissed by Shahid Afridi, much to Saeed Ajmal’s relief as he dropped him in the over before.
The pair carved Pakistan bowling to all parts of the ground to add 118 runs for the third wicket.
Maxwell’s innings incorporated some brutish batting, scoring an 18-ball fifty – the fourth fastest in the format. The pair hammered 30 runs in the eighth over, which was bowled by Bilawal Bhatti.
Maxwell’s innings was laced with seven boundaries and six sixes.
Pakistan, however, collected themselves at a moment in which they were genuinely under fire with Australia requiring 66 runs off 51 balls with eight wickets remaining.
Finch carried on even though he kept losing partners at the end and as long as he was at the crease, the Aussies had a sniff of victory. But when he went in the 18th over, his team’s chance went with him.
Brad Hodge (2), Brad Haddin (8), Nathan Coulter-Nile (0), Mitchell Stark (3), Brad Hogg (3) scuttled back as their innings fell apart like a house of cards.
Babar, Umar Gul, Afridi, Bhatti each bagged two wickets each for Pakistan.
Earlier, Umar Akmal starred with the bat for Pakistan with a sparkling 94, falling just short of a century with an innings that propelled his team towards their total.
Pakistan batted first after being put in by the Aussies, losing Ahmed Shehzad through an early caught-and-bowled dismissal to Doug Bollinger and then skipper Mohammad Hafeez, who was bowled by Shane Watson for 13.
Akmal, together with brother and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, he steered Pakistan from 25-2 to 121-2 before Kamran went for 31.
Umar eventually went back for 94 in the final over before mustering a hugely impressive 13 boundaries (including four sixes) from just 54 balls.
Afridi supported him well with a knock of 20 not out.
Umar Akmal was adjudged man of the match for his match-winning innings.
Hafeez commended his bowlers for firing at the right moment, and spoke highly of Umar.
“The only thing I could tell my bowlers when Maxwell was batting was just go there and keep attacking and the spinners, like Zulfiqar Babar did really well,” Hafeez said in the presentation ceremony.
“Umar Akmal showed his talent today. He held his nerve very well. He attacked and that’s what we wanted our boys to do”
The Aussie skipper praised the Pakistan bowlers’ and rued their below-par performance in all aspects of the game.
“The start we had, 40 for 2, I’d have taken that. You just try and play your best bowlers and Pakistan’s spinners bowled very very well and also Umar Gul in the death,” he said.
“Batting and bowling go either way, but fielding was in our hands and we’ve set high standards and we didn’t do well today”
Pakistan’s victory followed their loss to India in their opening match and lifted them to second in the Group 2 table.
Their next match is against hosts Bangladesh on March 30, while Australia play the West Indies on March 28.
