Cricket
Brydon Coverdale, Assistant editor, ESPNcricinfo 7y

Pakistan's fielding fumbles continue

Cricket, PAK tour of AUS 2016-17

The tough, costly chance
After Pakistan's woeful fielding in the fourth ODI in Sydney, they wanted to start well in Adelaide. Alas, the first ball of the match, David Warner edged an outswinger from Mohammad Amir and at second slip, Azhar Ali hurled out his left hand but couldn't make the ball stick. It was a tough chance, but a costly one. Warner went on to make 179, his career-best knock in ODIs.

The sitter
Warner was dropped again, though by this time he already had 130. And this time it was a sitter. Warner skied the ball off Hasan Ali and Amir, running in from long-on, positioned himself perfectly under the ball, only to have it spill straight through his fingers. It was less costly than Azhar's miss, although Warner still added almost 50 more runs from that point. Straight after Amir's blunder, the TV cameras cut to Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur and fielding mentor Steve Rixon. Heads were in hands, faces were long, and no words were being spoken.

The unwanted hundred
Warner and Travis Head both raised centuries in the first innings of this match, but there was a third hundred as well. And not one that led to celebrations. When he delivered the last ball of the 49th over, which James Faulkner slashed to third man for two runs, it took Hasan Ali's match analysis to 2 for 100 from nine overs. It was just the 10th time in ODI history that a bowler had conceded a hundred in an ODI innings.

The pain
If Pakistan's day - and indeed, their tour - wasn't disappointing enough already, losing Shoaib Malik to injury during the chase capped it off. Malik seemed caught in two minds whether to fend or duck a short ball from Pat Cummins, and succeeded only in getting his left forearm in the way of the ball. His pain forced him to retire hurt on 10.

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