September 08  
Australia lose out as rain washes out final

NAIROBI: Australia missed out as rain washed out their triangular one-day tournament final against Pakistan on Saturday, with Ricky Ponting's side seemingly well set for victory. 

The match was declared a no result with the tournament honours shared after Australia, chasing Pakistan's 227 all out following five wickets from pace bowler Jason Gillespie, had raced to 67 for one in 9.3 overs. 

The Australian innings was interrupted several times by rain, with the victory total revised to 210 off 42 overs. 

Australia had lost Adam Gilchrist in the first over of their reply, bowled by Wasim Akram for a three-ball duck, before Ponting, with 29 off 33 deliveries, and Matthew Hayden, with 20 off 22, took control. 

"It would have been nice to have gone full length. It was disappointing that it ended the way it did," Ponting said. Australia had beaten Pakistan twice in the first round, which saw Kenya eliminated. The final was made memorable only for two contributions, from Gillespie and Abdul Razzaq. 

Gillespie took the spotlight with his wickets but also conceded 70 runs in 10 eventful overs. Pakistan all-rounder Razzaq, meanwhile, smashed 59 off 43 balls to help post a defensible total after Pakistan, opting to bat, had looked out of the game at 55 for four. 

Gillespie earlier came up with two key wickets in the 10th over as opener Saeed Anwar was caught behind and Inzamam-ul-Haq was trapped lbw for a three-ball duck. 

But the 48th and 50th overs from Gillespie provided the real drama of the day. The first of those, which took nine deliveries to complete, cost 24 runs and included the wicket of Rashid Latif, two no-balls, one wide which went to the boundary and a six and two consecutive fours off Razzaq's bat. 

Glenn McGrath -- whose second ball of the game was hit for six by Shahid Afridi -- then conceded 16 runs off the 49th over, Razzaq slamming two sixes over long on and long off, before Gillespie showed his mettle by accepting the challenge of bowling the final over of the innings. 

Razzaq was run out, Wasim Akram caught behind off a slogged top edge and Waqar Younis bowled off the final delivery of an over costing just a single. 

Gillespie was named the series' best bowler while Razzaq's 50 was the quickest of the tournament.