ABU DHABI  -  Pakistan batting folded against Australia in the third one-day international at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, handing their opponents an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Chasing a 267-run target, Pakistan were bowled out for 186 in 44.4 overs.

Australia’s total of 266 for six was built around skipper Aaron Finch’s 136-ball 90 with five boundaries and a six, ten short of what would have been the first instance of an Australian batsman scoring three consecutive hundreds in a one-day international. Glenn Maxwell chipped in with a 55-ball 71 that included eight boundaries and a six.

Pakistan were bowled out for 186 in 44.4 overs, with Imam-ul-Haq (46), Imad Wasim (43), Umar Akmal (36) and skipper Shoaib Malik (32) all failing to turn their starts into substantial contributions. Pakistan were jolted at the outset by fast bowler Pat Cummins who was fresh after resting in the first two matches. Cummins had been in good form earlier this month when he took 14 wickets in Australia’s 3-2 series win in India.

He dismissed Shan Masood (two), Haris Sohail (one) and Mohammad Rizwan (nought) in his first spell of five overs. Imam and Malik led Pakistan’s fight back through their fourth-wicket stand of 59 but Imam fell leg before to Maxwell, leaving the fight to Malik. Imam hit two boundaries and two sixes in his 72-ball knock. Malik was caught by Peter Handscomb off Nathan Lyon in the 26th over. Malik hit just one boundary in his 50-ball innings.

Umar and Imad showed some fight during their 53-run stand for the sixth-wicket but Umar, despite being dropped on 31, played one shot too many and was caught in the deep. Imad hit four boundaries but became one of four Adam Zampa wickets. Zampa finished with a career best bowling performance of four for 43 in 9.4 overs.

It was Finch who steadied the Australian innings with his patient knock as he once again hung in on a difficult pitch and pushed Australia out of a difficult situation of 20 for two. Paceman Usman Shinwari, who came in for Faheem Ashraf as one of the two changes in the Pakistan side, struck with his fifth ball, bowling Usman Khawaja for a duck. Usman’s pace partner Junaid Khan, who replaced Mohammad Abbas, had Shaun Marsh caught in front of square-leg for 14.

Finch steadied the innings with a solid 84-run third-wicket stand with Handscomb who made an attractive 47 off 43 balls. Handscomb hit six well-timed boundaries. When Handscomb was dismissed, bowled by Haris Sohail, Finch took the charge. He added 36 for the fourth-wicket with Marcus Stoinis (10) and another 48 with Maxwell. With just 10 needed for a third successive hundred, Finch was caught by Haris Sohail at long-on off leg-spinner Yasir Shah as he attempted to clear the boundary. Finch, who scored 116 and 153 not out in the first two games, spoiled a chance of joining ten batsmen with three or more consecutive ODI hundreds.

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara smashed four in successive matches while nine other batsmen -- Zaheer Abbas, Saeed Anwar and Babar Azam (Pakistan), South African Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock, England’s Jonny Bairstow, New Zealand’s Ross Taylor and India’s Virat Kohli have scored three in as many ODIs. Pakistan could have stopped Australia under 250 had Imam not dropped Maxwell for 21 off a luckless Mohammad Hasnain on 21. Maxwell took full advantage of that lapse, adding 61 for the sixth-wicket with Alex Carey who made 25 not out. Australia scored 90 runs in the last ten overs and that in the end proved to be the real difference. The last two matches are in Dubai (March 29 and 31).

Finch was happy at posting a good total. “We’re playing spin a lot better than we have in the past. Handscomb played a good innings before he was knocked over by a good ball. Partnerships don’t allow the opposition to get on top. That’s been an improvement,” said Finch.

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik said Australian bowlers were too good. “The Aussie bowlers were seaming and swinging the ball around,” said Malik. “If you give couple of chances to a good batsman, then expect to chase something big. Getting opportunities and grabbing them is the key of the game. “We are trying to give all the players chances so selection committee and team management have a better picture in front of them. Every game is important. We have two more opportunities. If we win two games, we have something in our pocket.”

 Scorecard

AUSTRALIA:
U Khawaja b Shinwari 0
A Finch c Haris b Yasir 90
S Marsh c Masood b Junaid 14
P Handscomb b Haris 47
M Stoinis b Imad 10
G Maxwell run out 71
A Carey not out 25
P Cummins not out 2
EXTRAS: (lb5, w2) 7
TOTAL: (6 wkts; 50 Overs) 266
FOW: 1-0, 2-20, 3-104, 4-140, 5-188, 6-249
BOWLING: Usman Shinwari 9-2-37-1, M Hasnain 5-0-50-0, Junaid Khan 9-0-58-1, Yasir Shah 10-0-47-1, Imad Wasim 10-0-34-1, Haris Sohail 7-0-35-1
PAKISTAN:
Imamul Haq lbw G Maxwell 46
Shan Masood c Handscomb b Cummins 2
Haris Sohail c Marsh b P Cummins 1
M Rizwan c Carey b P Cummins 0
Shoaib Malik c Handscomb b N Lyon 31
Umar Akmal c Cummins b Behrendorff 36
Imad Wasim st Carey b Zampa 43
Yasir Shah not out 10
Usman Shinwari c Behrendorff b Zampa 0
Junaid Khan c Carey b Zampa 5
M Hasnain lbw A Zampa 0
EXTRAS: (1lb 0pen 11w) 12
TOTAL: (all out, 44.4 overs) 186
FOW: 1-14, 2-16, 3-16, 4-75, 5-96, 6-149, 7-178, 8-178, 9-186, 10-186.
BOWLING: P Cummins 8-1-23-3; J Behrendorff 8-1-29-1; M Stoinis 4-0-21-0; N Lyon 10-0-48-1; G Maxwell 5-0-21-1; A Zampa 9.4-1-43-4.
TOSS: Australia
UMPIRES: Asif Yaqoob, Michael Gough
TV UMPIRE: Kumar Dharmasena
MATCH REFEREE: Jeff Crowe