The Latest: Pakistan rallies to dismiss Aussies for 307

By Associated Press 13 June 2019, 12:00AM

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on Day 14 at the Cricket World Cup (all times local):

2:20 p.m.

David Warner posted his first international century since returning from a 12-month ban to launch Australia's innings but fell for 107 and Pakistan rallied to dismiss the defending champions for 307 at the Cricket World Cup at Taunton.

Left-arm paceman Mohammad Amir led the Pakistan attack with a career-best 5-30, and Australia's lower order crumbled to lose the last six wickets for 30 runs in seven overs.

Warner and skipper Aaron Finch (82) opened the Australian innings with a 146-run stand after Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Australians, after reaching 165-1 halfway through their allotted overs, will be disappointed with being dismissed with an over to spare on Somerset's relatively small Country Ground.

Warner's 15th century in one-day international cricket, and his first in any format for Australia since a test against England in December 2017, was the highlight of the innings for the five-time champions.

He wasn't exactly back to his best, but he still reached triple figures from 102 balls and stroked 11 boundaries and a six in the process.

He was only jeered by the heavily pro-Pakistan crowd when he was dropped cold by Asif Ali at third man on 104, but that was more likely frustration at yet another fielding error from the Pakistani team.

His innings came to end with Australia at 242-4 in the 38th over, when he miscued Shaheen Afridi to Imam-ul-Haq at deep point.

From then on, it was mostly one-way traffic with Pakistan dominating at the end against an Australian batting order that was shuffled around to accommodate the absence of allrounder Marcus Stoinis.

Australia entered the game with an eight-game winning streak in ODIs against Pakistan, but Pakistan is coming off a morale-boosting win over top-ranked England.

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1:10 p.m.

David Warner edged between wicketkeeper and slip for a boundary and took off to punch the air to celebrate his first century since returning to Australia's team following a 12-month suspension.

Warner stroked 11 boundaries and a six from 102 balls to reach his hundred in the 36th over of the Cricket World Cup group match against Pakistan.

Warner was banned by Cricket Australia for a year for his part in a ball-tampering scandal during a test match in South Africa in March, 2018.

He returned to the Australian squad for the World Cup and scored 89 not out, three and 56 in its first three group games.

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12:30 p.m.

Defending champion Australia has reached 165-1 halfway through its allotted 50 overs after being sent into bat in overcast, gloomy conditions by Pakistan in their Cricket World Cup group game at Taunton.

Australia openers Aaron Finch and David Warner survived Mohammad Amir's tricky opening spell in perfect conditions for swing bowling, but their 146-run first-wicket stand ended on the very first ball of the Pakistan paceman's second spell.

Finch, who was dropped at first slip off Wahab Riaz's bowling when he was on 26 and survived a strong LBW appeal on 39, mis-timed the first ball of the 23rd over and skied a simple catch to Mohammad Hafeez.

Finch cleared the boundary four times — taking the tournament tally of sixes beyond 100 — and hit six boundaries in an almost-run-a-ball 82.

Warner, who survived a searching examination of in- and out-swingers in the 23rd over, was unbeaten on 62 after 25 overs and Steve Smith was 6 not out.

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11:50 a.m.

India is reportedly flying in Rishabh Pant as cover for the injured Shikhar Dhawan but has not yet made a replacement to its 15-man Cricket World Cup squad.

Opening batsman Dhawan fractured his left thumb as he scored a century in India's win over Australia last Sunday, when he was hit on the hand by a bumper from Pat Cummins. He played for 24 more overs with the thumb bandaged.

World Cup organizers posted on the tournament's Twitter site that Pant, a 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman who has a strike rate of 130.98 in his five one-day internationals, is set to arrive in England on Thursday and will be on standby in case he's needed.

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10:20 a.m.

Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has won the toss and elected to bowl first against Australia in cool, overcast conditions at the County Ground in Taunton.

After back-to-back washouts on Days 12 and 13 of the Cricket World Cup, the group game on Wednesday is expected to start on time. There is the chance of rain on the forecast.

Australia made two changes to the XI that lost to India last Sunday after the injury-enforced absence of allrounder Marcus Stoinis. Shaun Marsh was called up to bat at No. 5 to strengthen the top order, and seamer Kane Richardson was picked ahead of wrist spinner Adam Zampa.

Pakistan made one change to the team that upset England, with paceman Shaheen Afridi coming in for Shadab Khan.

Five-time champion Australia enters the Taunton match on an eight-game winning streak against Pakistan, and has won 14 of the last 15 head-to-head encounters.

Pakistan was bounced out for 105 in its opening loss to West Indies but rallied for a win over top-ranked England to end a run of 11 ODI losses.

Lineups:

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi.

Australia: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson.

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9 a.m.

Cricket World Cup organizers are hoping to get a result in the group game between defending champion Australia and Pakistan after washouts on consecutive days at Southampton and Bristol.

Cool temperatures and light rain are on the forecast for southwest England on Wednesday but Britain's Met Office is predicting only a slight chance of rain during the morning at the match venue in Taunton.

It was overcast and gloomy at Somerset's County Ground before play on Day 14 of the tournament and the temperature was expected to be around 11 Celsius (52 Fahrenheit) at the scheduled toss.

Pakistan has already had a game washed out — against Sri Lanka in Bristol last Friday — and the second game at Bristol between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was abandoned because of rain without a ball being bowled on Tuesday. There were only 7.3 overs played in the South Africa-West Indies game before it was washed out in Southampton on Monday.

Five-time champion Australia swept Pakistan 5-0 in a one-day international series in March and has won 14 of the last 15 head-to-head encounters.

But the Australians are coming off a loss to India last Sunday in London and the absence of injured allrounder Marcus Stoinis will enforce a lineup change.

Pakistan is coming off a confidence-boosting win over top-ranked England, which ended a run of 11 ODI losses.

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More AP cricket: www.apnews.com/cricket and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

By Associated Press 13 June 2019, 12:00AM

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