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Pat Cummins-led Australia defeated Pakistan by two wickets in a nail-biter clash at Melbourne Cricket Stadium in Melbourne to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. This was Pakistan's first white ball loss under Mohammad Rizwan's captaincy.
Naseem and Rizwan Stand Out for Pakistan
Returning to ODI play after last year's World Cup in India, Pakistan was bowled out for 203 in 46.4 overs. Early dismissals of Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique put them in a tough spot, but Babar Azam and new captain Mohammad Rizwan managed to stabilize the innings. Babar, back after missing the last two Tests against England, scored 37 runs before being bowled by Adam Zampa.
Rizwan contributed a solid 44 runs before Marnus Labuschagne took his wicket. Kamran Ghulam started his ODI career with a boundary but was dismissed by Cummins with a well-placed bouncer. Salman Agha fell to Sean Abbott, while Irfan Khan Niazi was run out on his debut after making 22 runs.
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah added some late momentum to the innings. Shaheen struck three fours and a six, scoring 24 runs quickly, while Naseem helped push Pakistan past the 200-run mark with a valuable 40 off 39 balls, hitting Zampa for two sixes in the final over. Cummins finished with impressive figures of 2 for 39 in his 9.4 overs, dismissing Naseem to end Pakistan's innings, while Mitchell Starc excelled with three wickets for 33 runs.
Pakistan's Bowling Efforts Fall Short
Australia faced early challenges with the dismissals of openers Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk. However, Steve Smith and Jos Inglis steadied the ship, putting together an 85-run partnership for the third wicket.
Inglis was particularly aggressive, scoring 49 runs off 42 balls with four fours and three sixes. Smith added 44 runs before being dismissed by Haris Rauf. The match took a tense turn when Australia lost three quick wickets, slipping to 139 for 6.
After Shaheen removed Inglis, Rauf struck twice in quick succession, taking out Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell. A stunning direct hit from Shaheen at the striker’s end sent Sean Abbott back to the pavilion. Nevertheless, Cummins remained focused, scoring 32 off 31 balls with four fours, leading Australia to chase down the target with 16.3 overs to spare. Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain each claimed one wicket for Pakistan.
