New Delhi: Pakistan won their first ODI series in Australia in 22 years as their pacers set up an eight-wicket win the third and deciding match in Perth on Sunday.
With the series locked at 1-1, Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl and their battery of star pacers – Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-32), Naseem Shah (3-54) and Haris Rauf (2-24) decimated the Aussie batting line-up.
Australia were bowled out for 141 in 31.5 overs with Sean Abbott providing a modicum of resistance, top scoring with 30. Pakistan didn’t have much trouble chasing down the small total, completing it in 26.5 overs with skipper Mohammad Rizwan (30 not out) and former skipper Babar Azam (28) remaining unbeaten after openers Saim Ayub (42) and Abdullah Shafique (37) putting on an 84-run stand.
Australia didn’t field top batters Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, possibly resting them for the crunch upcoming five-match Test series against India.
But without Smith and Labuschagne, their batters were underconfident and crumbled under the probing bowling of Pakistan’s formidable pace unit.
Australia’s batting line-up crumble
Australia’s openers Jake Fraser-McGurk (7) and Matt Short (22) failed for the third consecutive time as the Pak pacers moved the ball both ways.
Fraser-McGurk edged one such swinging Shah delivery to wicketkeeper Rizwan gloves after which Aaron Hardie (12) was caught at slip off Afridi.
Make-shift captain Josh Inglis (7) also fell cheaply, mistming a Shah bouncer to Rizwan, leaving Australia tottering at 56-3 in the 11th over.
Rauf dismissed Short (22) after which the young Cooper Connolly was forced to retire hurt on seven after a blow on his hand in his second ODI.
Rauf who was named the man of the series for his 10 wickets in three matches including a 5-29 in Adelaide in the second game.
Glenn Maxwell has failed to fire in the earlier two matches and the script didnt change, falling for a two-ball zero caught at point, as he was dismissed by Rauf for the third time in the series.
Marcus Stoinis could only add eight runs as Australia were in disarray at 88-6 in the 21st over after which Abbott and Adam Zampa (13) put on 30 runs after which the tail was snuffed out pretty easily to set up a memorable win.
Pakistan won their first one-day series in Australia for 22 years on Sunday, winning the third and final ODI by eight wickets in Perth. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
