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Pakistan out cheaply

Adelaide - Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood grabbed four wickets as Australia reduced Pakistan to 213 all out in their Cricket World Cup quarter-final at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.

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Pakistan's batting imploded after Misbah-ul Haq elected to take first strike, with Haris Sohail's 41 being the top score on what turned out to be an even-paced pitch ideal for big totals.

The last-wicket pair of Ehsan Adil and Rahat Ali kept the bowlers at bay for almost six overs, adding 18 runs to lift Pakistan beyond the 200-run mark.

Australia will chase a modest target of just above four runs an over under lights to qualify for a semi-final clash against defending champions India at the Sydney Cricket Ground next Thursday.

Hazlewood, who replaced Pat Cummins after being dropped for the last pool match against Scotland in Hobart, finished with four for 35. Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell claimed two wickets each.

Australia took the field wearing black arm bands in memory of former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser who died earlier on Friday aged 84.

Pakistan lost both openers by the sixth over as Sarfraz Ahmed fell to a smart catch at first slip by Shane Watson off Starc and Ahmed Shehzad edged Hazlewood to second slip.

Misbah had a lucky escape off the second ball he faced when a Hazlewood delivery brushed his pad and clipped the leg stump, only for the bail to stay in its groove.

It was the second such incident in this World Cup with Ireland's Ed Joyce being the first beneficiary in the game against the United Arab Emirates in Brisbane on February 25.

Misbah, Pakistan's batting saviour in the tournament with four half-centuries in six pool matches, took advantage of his good fortune to add 73 for the third wicket with Haris.

Misbah pulled off-spinner Maxwell over mid-wicket for two sixes but, having made 34, fell to a catch in the deep while attempting a similar shot in the same bowler's second spell.

It was a disappointing end to a promising innings by the 40-year-old who, like team-mate Shahid Afridi, will have played his last one-day international if Pakistan lose.

Left-handed Haris's disciplined innings ended when Mitchell Johnson forced an edge on the drive outside off-stump after the batsman had ducked under a bouncer off the previous delivery.

Umar Akmal (20) fell into the same trap set for Misbah as he pulled a short ball from Maxwell straight to Aaron Finch on the mid-wicket fence, reducing Pakistan to 124 for five in the 30th over.

Afridi began with two boundaries off Maxwell and then cut Johnson to point for a six, but his entertaining 23 off 15 balls ended when he pulled Hazlewood high to Finch at mid-wicket.

Afridi's dismissal off the last ball of the 34th over meant Pakistan had lost their most destructive batsman just six deliveries before the batting powerplay was to be taken in the 36th over.

Pakistan retained the same team that beat Ireland, once again ignoring leg-spinner Yasir Shah and veteran batsman Younis Khan.

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