Australia wins last-ball thriller
Australia beat Pakistan by 2 wkts on the last ball, end India's campaign

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting lavished praise on Pakistan bowlers for making life difficult for his batsmen and said they were lucky to restrict their rivals at a low score on Wednesday.

Defending champions Australia pulled off a dramatic last-ball victory over Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller to romp into the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy and bring a pre-mature end to India's listless campaign.

The Australians had to rely on their tail-enders to achieve the two-wicket victory in the very last ball in a nail-biting contest which saw fortune fluctuating from one team to the other till the very end. In a must-win encounter, Australia first restricted Pakistan to a modest 205 for six and then just about managed to scamper home on a spongy SuperSport Park track to knock India out of the eight-nation tournament. The Aussies were cruising along comfortably at 157 for three at one stage before five wickets fell in quick secession to completely change the complexion of the game. Needing four runs to win from the last five balls, Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz took the team home much to the relief of a tensed Australian dressing room.
http://player.video.news.com.au/theaustralian/?gh6DMew7jDxKe6G5v4L1R9KVJ9G_zOcU


India knocked out in last over

It was one of the most dramatic and heart-wrenching exits for India in recent cricketing history.

Fans around the globe let out a deep collective sigh and cursed under their breath as Ricky Ponting's Australia knocked MS Dhoni's men out of the Champions Trophy on Wednesday.

But the two teams were not playing each other. The Indians were physically present at the Wanderers, going through the motions against the West Indies, while their spirits soared and sank with the captivating events unfolding a few miles away.

At Centurion, Australia's steely, nerve-wracking last-ball win over Pakistan knocked the wind out of India's sails and produced the most thrilling match of the event so far.

The Aussies now deservingly go through to the semis and a lacklustre India must pack their bags.

India needed Pakistan, who had already qualified, to win at all costs to have any chance of surviving and for a while, it looked it as if Dhoni & Co had been blessed with the devil's luck.

The team was quietly resigned to its fate, though, when it arrived for the day-nighter against the Windies after Pakistan had limped to a moderate 205 in the morning. Halfway through the WI innings, hope suddenly wafted in unannounced from Centurion as Australia, chasing a moderate 206, sank from 140/2 to 187/8.

It must have been difficult for the Indian players to focus on the task at hand at that stage. The swing in Australian and Indian fortunes blared through the PA system at the Wanderers and the action in the middle became incidental. Fans cheered or groaned, depending on whether an Australian wicket had fallen or a run had been scored. Ponting and Hussey were going strong but the collapse meant Australia were staring at the abyss. It looked like Mitchell Johnson's dismissal had firmly tilted the scales in Pakistan's, and India's favour, but there was to be another twist.

Six runs off the last eight balls with eight wickets down, and it became impossible to watch the meaningless action unfolding in the India game. Dinesh Karthik and Gautam Gambhir were out in the middle chasing a paltry score after the West Indies were dismissed early for 129 in 36 overs, but they would rather have been in the dressing room with their mates watching the TV.

Australia needed four runs off the last six balls to win or three runs to tie and qualify. Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz kept their nerve, the winning runs eventually coming in byes off the last delivery from Gul. A chill descended on the Wanderers.

It slowly sank in that India had been down on performance and out of luck throughout this event and Wednesday was no different. There were to be no turnarounds, only the tantalising whiff of a miracle that didn't transpire. The Pakistan loss sealed the team's fate. Yuvraj Singh's freakish injury was a cruel blow. The absence of Sehwag and Zaheer Khan meant the team lacked match-winning bite.
In keeping with the pattern, Sachin Tendulkar skipped India's last game because of an upset stomach.