Steve Smith led Australia to a 21-run win over Pakistan, transforming their final World Twenty20 pool game against India into a quarter-final.

Smith won the toss and top-scored with 61 not out on Friday, firing his side to an imposing total of 4-193 in the crucial clash at Mohali.

It was the second highest score by Australia in World T20 history, with Pakistan finishing 8-172 in response.

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The run-chase was rollicking but legspinner Adam Zampa turned the tide by dismissing Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal, while James Faulkner cleaned up as Pakistan teed off.

Faulkner, who was too sick to train on Thursday, was on a hat-trick in the final over of the game and finished with figures of 5-27 – the best by Australian in Twenty20 cricket.

The result means the winner of Australia’s game against India, which starts at 1am AEDT on Monday, will advance to the semi-finals of the event.

The loser will be eliminated.

Shane Watson made 44 not out. Photo: Getty

Frustrated by an underwhelming start to the tournament, Smith made a stand after his side slipped to 3-57 in the eight over.

Two of them to be precise.

Smith shared a steadying 62-run partnership with Maxwell.

The pair played the sort of “smart” cricket that the skipper and coach Darren Lehmann had been pleading for during the middle overs.

Smith then put on an unbeaten 74-run stand with Shane Watson, who clubbed three sixes in an entertaining knock of 44 not out.

Smith’s dig showed the value of sensible batting in a format dominated by sloggers.

The 26-year-old picked the gaps, worked singles, turned ones into twos and didn’t clear the rope once.

He scored freely on a green-tinged pitch, bringing up his half-century in 35 balls and finishing with a strike-rate of almost 150.

Australia’s cause was helped by a handful of costly misfields and the opposition’s lack of energy in the field.

Smith managed to complete an all-run four, while Shoaib Malik set the tone at point in the second over when the ball rocketed between his legs for a boundary.

It was mostly classical strokes but Smith unleashed a jaw-dropping shot to Wahab Riaz in the penultimate over of Australia’s innings.

The classy right-hander shuffled over a foot outside off stump then clipped the ball off his pads for one of his seven boundaries.

Riaz, the express paceman who terrorised Watson during last year’s ODI World Cup, rattled Australia’s top order.

He smashed the middle stump of both Usman Khawaja and David Warner, the latter falling to a beautiful delivery that nipped in late and was almost 150 km/h.

Aaron Finch, recalled to open, was undone by an arm ball from left-arm tweaker Imad Wasim that skidded on.

Josh Hazlewood, who returned to the XI and took the new ball, dismissed Ahmed Shehzad and conceded 15 runs in an impressive three-over opening spell.

Finch and Hazlewood were promoted at the expense of allrounders Mitch Marsh and John Hastings.

Mohammad Sami, who recorded figures of 0-53, was Pakistan’s most expensive bowler.