PAK vs AUS: Minhas-Babar's heroics condemn Australia to crushing five-wicket defeat in 1st ODI

Pakistan kicked off the ODI series in style, notching a comfortable five-wicket victory over Australia at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Babar Azam's fifty and Arafat Minhas' fifer proved to be the architect of Pakistan's dominant win on May 30.

Pakistan crush Australia by 5 wickets in 1st ODI

Arafat Minhas enjoyed a dream debut as he picked up a five-wicket haul and hit the winning runs to guide Pakistan to a comfortable five-wicket victory over an under-strength Australia in the first ODI on Saturday. The 21-year-old left-arm spinner dismantled the opposition batting lineup with stellar figures of 5-32, writing his name into the history books as the first Pakistani bowler ever to claim five wickets on an ODI debut. His clinical spell on a dry, spin-friendly surface at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium helped dismiss the visitors for a modest 200 in 44.1 overs.

ALSO READ: 16-year jail term for cricket coach found guilty of sexually assaulting student during coaching hours

Babar Azam shines bright with robust fifty

In response, Pakistan chased down the target with ease, reaching 202-5 in 42.3 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The chase was anchored by a commanding 127-run partnership between the experienced Babar Azam, who compiled a steady 69 off 94 balls, and wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori, who notched up a crucial 65 to register his maiden ODI half-century.

Following their dismissals, it was fittingly the debutant Minhas who walked out to finish the job he started. Playing a composed, unbeaten cameo of 18 runs from 17 balls, he sealed the memorable victory in spectacular fashion by launching Marnus Labuschagne for a straight six.

Babar Azam made a successful return to the side after missing the series against Bangladesh in March. During the chase, he was dropped by Matthew Kuhnemann shortly after completing his 38th ODI half-century, an innings that included four boundaries and a towering six. Though Nathan Ellis eventually broke the match-winning partnership by clean-bowling Babar and trapping Ghazi Ghori leg before wicket, his twin strikes came too late as Pakistan was already on the absolute brink of victory.

The visitors took the field with a heavily depleted bowling attack, missing their premier pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc due to Indian Premier League commitments and workload management. Australia's bowling resources suffered a further blow on the morning of the match when frontline spinner Adam Zampa was ruled out due to neck spasms. While the spin duo of Matthew Kuhnemann and Tanveer Sangha bowled economically to claim one wicket apiece across their combined 20 overs, Babar and Ghori neutralized them effectively by refusing to play any extravagant shots.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi read the sweltering conditions perfectly after winning the toss, electing to field first on a surface that offered plenty of assistance to the slower bowlers. Debutant Arafat Minhas ripped through the Australian top order, receiving excellent containing support from fellow spinners Abrar Ahmed, who picked up two wickets for 44 runs, and Salman Ali Agha, who chipped in with a tidy spell of 1-21.

The defining moment of the Australian innings came when Minhas produced a devastating spell to claim three wickets in the space of just six deliveries. He began by trapping both captain Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne leg before wicket, before dislodging the top of Cameron Green's off stump with a magical delivery that sharply spun away from the right-hander. This spectacular burst left the Australian middle order in tatters, causing them to slip to a precarious 68-4 in the 16th over. In contrast to the other slow bowlers, senior leg-spinner Shadab Khan endured an expensive outing in what was his first ODI appearance since the 2023 World Cup. Despite the continuous wickets tumbling at the other end, Matthew Renshaw anchored the lower-middle order to top-score for Australia with a fighting 61, while opener Matthew Short provided the only other notable contribution with a brisk 55.

The historic match also marked a monumental milestone for the hosts, as Pakistan became only the third cricketing nation after India and Australia to play 1,000 One-Day Internationals.