In a stunning performance, Pakistan defeated Australia in the final One Day International (ODI) on Sunday, claiming the three-match series—their first win on Australian soil in 22 years.
This victory marks Pakistan’s first ODI series win in Australia since 2002. The team, unchanged from the previous game, bowled Australia out for just 140 runs in 31.5 overs and quickly chased it down, finishing at 143 for 2 in 26.5 overs.
Australia’s decision to rest their red-ball players for this match reflects the declining importance of the 50-over format, especially with a major five-Test series against India starting on November 22.
Fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were instrumental in Pakistan’s success, each taking three wickets. They dismissed Jake Fraser-McGurk and Aaron Hardie during the initial powerplay, making early inroads into the Australian batting lineup.
Debut captain Josh Inglis couldn’t make much impact, falling for just seven runs after a catch by Mohammad Rizwan. Opener Matt Short also struggled, scoring only 22 before falling victim to Haris Rauf, who later claimed another wicket to leave Australia struggling at 79 for 5.
Things took a turn for the worse when Cooper Connolly suffered a painful injury, forcing him to retire early. Rauf continued the assault, striking again to leave Australia in dire straits.
In response, Pakistan’s openers, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique, set the tone with a solid 84-run partnership. After they were dismissed, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam finished the job comfortably.
Rizwan, captaining the team for the first time, expressed his pride in this special moment, acknowledging the difficulty of beating Australia on their home ground. He praised the fast bowlers for their exceptional skills and the solid starts provided by the openers in the last two ODIs.
On the other hand, Australian skipper Inglis reflected on his team’s lackluster performance, admitting that they were thoroughly outplayed by Pakistan.
Haris Rauf was celebrated as the Player of the Match for his three wickets and also earned the title of Player of the Series for dismissing ten Australian players over the course of the series. Saim Ayub emerged as the leading run-scorer, amassing a total of 125 runs, with scores of 82 and 42 in the last two ODIs.
