MELBOURNE: Captain Pat Cummins delivered a determined performance under pressure, leading Australia to a hard-fought two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Monday.
chasing a low total of 204 runs, the home team battled through to secure the win in 33.3 overs.
Australia got off to a rocky start in their chase, losing openers Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short within the first four overs, with only 28 runs on the board.
However, a strong 85-run partnership between Steve Smith and Josh Inglis steadied the innings and put Australia in a favorable position.
Earlier, Pakistan has set Australia a modest total to win the first ODI of the three-match series here at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Monday.
Pakistan were all out for 203 in the 47th over as opening combination Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafiqu failed to make a huge impact departing early after Mitchell Starc double strike.
Both openers were dismissed for a total of 24 runs after Australia put Pakistan in to bat.
Babar Azam returns to the lineup at No. 3 and contributed 37 runs on 44 balls. kipper Mohammad Rizwan showed some resistance against the Australian bowlers, scoring 44 runs before being dismissed by Labuschagne.
Naseem valuable 40 runs enabled Pakistan to set a modest target to the Australia’s strong batting lineup.
Earlier, Australia’s captain Pat Cummins won the toss and put Pakistan into bat in the first ODI of the two teams’ three-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne.
Pakistan has included opener Saim Ayub and bowler Muhammad Irfan Khan in thier playing XI for the series opener to mark their international debuts.
Pakistan will play three ODIs and as many T20Is against Australia before traveling to Zimbabwe for a bilateral white-ball cricket series.
The Australia tour will run from November 4 to 18, while the matches in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, will be played from November 24 to December 5.
This is Pakistan’s first ODI series after its group stage exit from the 2023 World Cup. On the other hand, Australia last played an ODI series in September, defeating arch-rivals England 3-2 in a five-match series.
PAK VS AUS playing XIs – 1sT ODI
Pakistan squad
Mohammad Rizwan (c) (wk), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saim Ayub, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Hasnain.
Australia squad
Pat Cummins (c), Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.
