Cricket: Classy Clarke clinches series

Acting captain Michael Clarke notched a classy unbeaten century to guide Australia to a commanding series-clinching victory over Pakistan in their one day international in Abu Dhabi early yesterday.

Chasing Pakistan's 197 all out, Clarke and Shane Watson combined for an unbroken 197-run stand taking Australia to 2-200 in the 45th over.

The eight-wicket victory gave Australia three straight wins and an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-game series, ensuring their first one-day series win since September, when they beat Bangladesh in Darwin.

Clarke batted beautifully for 100 from 122 balls, looking comfortable and stroking some elegant boundaries to continue the strong form he has showed throughout the series.

After falling cheaply in the first match, he has made an unbeaten 39, 66 and 100 to be far and away the standout batsman in a series dominated by bowlers.

Watson (85 from 140 balls) made much harder work of his innings, struggling early before gradually asserting himself.

The partnership was clearly the biggest by any pair in the series, passing the 95-run opening stand put on by Pakistan's Ahmed Shehzad and Salman Butt in the previous match.

The two Australians had to weather an early storm, coming together in the third over with the score on two for 3, with Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar on fire in the opening overs. He had Brad Haddin caught behind for a golden duck with the second ball of the innings. In his second over, he cut a ball between the bat and pad of debutant Marcus North which just missed off-stump with the first delivery, then trapped him lbw with the next.

Watson was lucky to survive a strong lbw shout in Akhtar's next over. But by the fourth over in very hot conditions, Akhtar began to lose his zip and was taken from the attack.

After weathering that storm, the pair had to face the Pakistan spinners, who have been a handful on the slow United Arab Emirates pitches.

While Clarke used his feet well and rarely looked troubled, Watson was beaten by leg-spinner Shahid Afridi several times early on.

When off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was brought into the attack in the 21st over, Watson also struggled to pick him and he was able to send down his first five overs for the cost of just five runs.

But Watson broke the shackles with a pulled six off Pakistan's other off-spinner, Shoaib Malik, in the 32nd over and by the 35-over mark the Australians were 2-140 and cruising towards victory.

Adding to Pakistan's worries, Afridi hurt his leg running in to start the 36th over and had to be pulled from the attack.

Clarke brought up his century with a classic cover drive boundary off Akhtar on the final ball of the 44th over, with Watson hitting the winning runs two balls later.

Earlier, left-arm paceman Doug Bollinger starred with the ball, taking 5-35 as Pakistan were bowled out in the 49th over. It was Bollinger's second one-day international, after going wicketless in his first a week earlier.

- AAP