Australia had hoped their fielding would be a defining factor in their quest to claim an elusive Twenty20 World Cup title.

On Sunday night, it was certainly decisive – but not in the way coach Darren Lehmann would have envisaged.

Throughout their exceptional 5-0 Ashes whitewash and subsequent 2-1 Test series win over World No.1 South Africa, fielding has been at the forefront of Australia’s success.

But in their opening T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan in Dhaka on Sunday, their normally reliable hands failed them – with dropped catches, misfields and general sloppiness costing them dearly in the 16-run loss.

Man of the match Umar Akmal made the most of a life given to him on 22, when veteran Brad Hogg dropped a relatively simple offering on the boundary, to craft a match-winning 94 off 52 balls.

His brother Kamran was also dropped, this time by Doug Bollinger, although that error came off a no ball, while Shahid Afridi (20no) also watched on as he flashed a tough chance at Hodge which was grassed.

Australian captain George Bailey couldn’t hide his disappointment at the lack of application in the field.

“It was shoddy for the standard that we set ourselves,” Bailey said.

“It was something that we spoke about that we thought in this tournament could be a point of difference.

“It’s something that we’ve done very well in our last few games, and it wasn’t to the standard that we’ve set ourselves.”

Pakistan posted an imposing total of 5-191, but Bailey couldn’t find fault with his bowlers – laying the blame squarely at the feet of those who dropped catches or let balls slip past them.

“(I am) not as disappointed with the bowling as (I am) with the fielding,” he said.