Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf seems to have figured out how to get the better of Glenn Maxwell. For the third consecutive ODI, he dismissed Maxwell for a low score. In the series decider at Perth Stadium, Maxwell was dismissed for a two-ball duck by Rauf as he contributed the batting collapse.
Maxwell walked in to bat in the 17th over when Cooper Connolly took a blow to his finger off Mohammad Hasnain's bowling. In the next over, Maxwell closed the face of his bat early and the thick edge carried to backward point fielder Saim Ayub.
In the previous match, he scored 16 runs before getting bowled by Rauf. Earlier, in the first ODI, he was surprised by the back of the length delivery and edged one to Mohammad Rizwan. In total, Rauf dismissed Maxwell thrice in nine balls in the series.
The 36-year-old has not been in good form of late. Since his unparalleled knock of unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan at Wankhede Stadium, he hasn't registered a fifty-plus score. In his last eight ODI innings, he has scored 58 runs at an average of 8.28. His highest score during this period came against England in the form of a 25-ball 30 cameo.
On the other hand, Rauf has been in superb form on Australian pitches. He bagged 10 wickets from three ODIs including a match-winning fifer in Adelaide.
Pakistan pacers dominate
In the series decider, he also dismissed opener Matthew Short who scored 22 runs from 30 balls. He helped Pakistan bowl out a second-string Australian side for 140 in 31.5 overs. Apart from Rauf, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi bagged three wickets each. Hasnain took one wicket as well. They did not need to use the services of the fifth bowler.
Top Aussie batters disappoint fans in Perth
Earlier, Pakistan captain Rizwan won the toss and opted to bowl first. Only two of the top seven batters scored in double digits in the absence of Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne. Stand-in captain Josh Inglis could not make a mark as five out of top seven batters registered single-digit scores. Had it not been for the seventh-wicket partnership between Abbott and Adam Zampa, Australia would have been bowled out for less than 100.
