Australia's hopes of claiming the Twenty20 World Championship have been dealt a double blow with skipper Ricky Ponting in doubt for the rest of the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury in his side's six-wicket loss to Pakistan.

Australia were restricted to 7-164 at Wanderers in Johannesburg before Pakistan cruised to victory with five balls to spare courtesy of an unbroken 119-run fifth-wicket stand between Shoaib Malik (52no off 38) and Misbah-ul-Haq (66no off 32).

Stuart Clark claimed 3-27 for Australia, while little-known Pakistan pace bowler Sohail Tanvir, a late call-up to the squad after Shoaib Akhtar was sent home for disciplinary reasons, earlier took 3-31.

The loss means Australia must beat Sri Lanka in their final game of the Super Eights in Cape Town on Thursday to qualify for the semi-finals.

They may have to do it without their skipper, after Ponting pulled up with a left hamstring strain while batting.

He needed a runner for the final few balls of his innings and then did not come out to field, with Adam Gilchrist left to captain the side.

Ponting was due to undergo scans tonight, with a better idea of his condition to be known tomorrow.

Sri Lanka then comfortably beat Bangladesh by 64 runs to claim their first win of the Super Eights stage after losing to Pakistan on Monday.

Pakistan are virtually guaranteed a place in the semi-finals after going two-from-two in the Super Eights, and should top the group.

The match was Australia's first in Johannesburg after being based in Cape Town for the opening four games, but Gilchrist said the change of conditions was no excuse for the loss.

"The pitch was a little bit slow and the ball was catching in the wicket a fraction, but we've had a slowish wicket in Cape Town too," Gilchrist said.

"They're definitely totally different conditions, just by way of the ground and outfield and the way the ball travels.

"But all teams are moving around in this tournament from ground to ground so it's no excuse.

"We'll walk away from this and work out where we went wrong and hopefully get it right again going back down to Cape Town."

Michael Hussey top scored with 37, adding 68 from 40 balls for the fifth wicket with Brad Hodge (36).

Ponting (27) and Andrew Symonds (29) earlier added 48 for the third wicket, but Australia struggled to keep their score ticking along at times.

They went nearly five overs without a boundary during the middle stages while hitting just one six in the innings and scoring 14 runs from the final three overs.

In reply, Pakistan raced to 0-25 after three overs before Clark dismissed both openers in the space of just four balls.

He had figures of 3-6 in his second over, and when Mitchell Johnson (1-19) dismissed Salman Butt for 11 in the seventh over, Pakistan were struggling at 4-46.

Malik and ul-Haq, though, steadied the innings, and then took off.

Ul-Haq smashed seven boundaries and one six in his innings to claim the man-of-the-match award, while Mailk battered four boundaries and two sixes, with the pair's Pakistan record 119-run stand coming off just 78 balls.

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