First one-day international, Dubai:
Pakistan 171-6 (44.1 overs) bt Australia 168 (38.5 overs) by four wicketsMatch scorecard

Afridi almost single-handedly proved Australia's undoing

Shahid Afridi took a career-best 6-38 as Pakistan beat Australia by four wickets in Dubai to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match one-day series.

Australia looked in command as Brad Haddin (40) and Shane Watson (40) dominated the Pakistani attack.

But they both fell to Afridi and their side were dismissed for 168 with James Hopes (48no) the other scorer of note.

Kamran Akmal (48) and Misbah-ul-Haq (30) then helped the hosts, who reached 171-6, to their comfortable victory.

"It was a fantastic team effort. The fast bowlers did well to check the openers and then Afridi and Saeed Ajmal bowled very well.

"We wobbled a bit when batting but it's all's well that ends well," Pakistan captain Younus Khan said afterwards.

Australia had been on course to post a far more formidable total at 95-1, before the middle order folded in the face of Afridi and Saeed Ajmal's spin.

606: DEBATE Shahid Afridi, dominated the Australian batting and squeezed them in a tight corner warrior88

Haddin's demise triggered the collapse as he miscued a drive to short cover before Ajmal ball found the edge of Michael Clarke's bat.

Afridi's sixth over brought more pain for the visitors as Andrew Symonds fell for two having faced just five deliveries and Watson's tidy knock was brought to an end by one that wormed its way between bat and pad.

Misbah reacted well to take a catch off Afridi to remove Callum Ferguson (2) before Nathan Hauritz followed for just a single.

Hopes' innings provided the only real momentum and, as his partners came and went, he lashed 48 off 46 balls to breathe some life into his side's hopes.

Afridi later thanked former Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir for helping improve his bowling and said: "There was a bit of uneven bounce in the pitch and some turn, and I just concentrated on bowling the right line and length," he said.

James Hopes occupied the crease during the third powerplay

After some initial flutters at the start of their reply, when Salman Butt was trapped lbw by Ben Hilfenhaus for five and Younus holed out off Hopes for 11, Pakistan's innings stabilised.

Off-spinner Hauritz struggled to find the spark in the pitch located by Afridi and Ajmal but Stuart Clark, making his comeback to international cricket following elbow surgery, tempted Kamran Akmal into a needless flash outside off stump and had him caught behind.

Shoaib Malik made a subdued 24 in contrast to Afridi, who began his innings with successive fours and took just 16 balls to reach the same score before lofting a catch to mid-on.

Hilfenhaus came in for particular punishment, seeing one over disappear for 16, before finally having his revenge as he brough Afridi's brief cameo to an end.

By then, however, Pakistan required only 31 runs off 15 overs and cruised home off the first ball of the 45th over.

"No excuses, we batted poorly and all credit to their bowlers. Both Afridi and Ajmal made full use of the conditions.

"I was disappointed with our batting again. Our middle order needs to bat better and make some runs. We have some work tomorrow, looking at the footage from this match and seeing how we can improve on this performance," Australia skipper Clarke commented.

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