Pakistan 202 for 5 (Babar 69, Ghori 65, Ellis 2-45) beat Australia 200 (Renshaw 61, Short 55, Minhas 5-32, Abrar 2-44) by five wickets
Arafat Minhas marked his ODI debut in unforgettable fashion, becoming the first Pakistan bowler to take five wickets in his first match in the format. His brilliant 5 for 32 from ten overs led Pakistan to a five-wicket victory over Australia in the opening ODI at Rawalpindi.
The 21-year-old left-arm fingerspinner used his variations cleverly on a surface that offered strong assistance to spin, helping Pakistan bowl Australia out for 200. The chase then brought another young player into focus, as wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori shared a solid 127-run partnership with Babar Azam to guide Pakistan towards victory.
Pakistan’s Spin Plan Pays Off
Despite the hot conditions, Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi chose to bowl first after being encouraged by the dryness of the pitch. Pakistan selected four spinners and only two fast bowlers, and the decision paid off as Australia were dismissed with 35 balls unused for a modest total.
Australia suffered a setback before the toss when experienced legspinner Adam Zampa was ruled out due to neck spasms. Tanveer Sangha replaced him and later bowled with good control. A stronger total would have tested Pakistan’s batting depth, especially with three of their top four — Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat and Ghori — having only limited ODI experience after debuting in the format during the recent Bangladesh series.
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Australia began steadily through their makeshift opening pair of Matthew Short and Alex Carey, who found boundaries in the first half of the powerplay. Carey took time to settle, while Short struck Haris Rauf for back-to-back fours through the off side in the second over. Carey later hit Afridi for boundaries, but his innings ended in the seventh over when Abrar Ahmed, bowling his first over, had him caught at slip with a flighted delivery.
Minhas Tears Through Australia’s Middle Order
Afridi then brought Minhas on from the other end, and he bowled in tandem with Abrar until the 16th over. Minhas took some time to find his ideal line and length, but once he settled, he tore through Australia’s batting order.
His fourth over changed the innings completely. Using the arm ball with excellent deception, Minhas trapped Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne lbw in the space of three deliveries in the 14th over. Labuschagne was beaten by the flatter trajectory and was late bringing his bat down to a fuller ball while playing back, while Inglis missed a reverse sweep.
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The delivery of the match came in Minhas’ next over. He produced a sharp-turning ball that pitched back of a length on middle and leg before hitting the top of Cameron Green’s off stump, leaving Australia 68 for 4.
Short and Matt Renshaw then stopped the collapse with a 55-run partnership, and both went on to make half-centuries. They steadied Australia by rotating strike against spin and finding the occasional boundary, while Pakistan gave them an opening when Afridi removed the spin pair from the attack.
Shadab Khan, playing his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup, was hit for a boundary first ball and conceded 12 runs in his opening over. He struggled to find rhythm and ended as the most expensive Pakistan bowler, returning none for 54 from eight overs. He had also gone wicketless in his previous three ODIs, all during that World Cup in India.
With Australia regaining some momentum, Afridi returned to Minhas, and the move worked immediately. Minhas beat Short with pace and turn after pulling his length back and putting extra effort into the ball as the batter came down the pitch, giving Ghori enough time to complete the stumping.
Abrar then struck with a sharp legbreak from around the wicket that crashed into Renshaw’s off stump, further damaging Australia’s hopes of reaching a more challenging total.
Pakistan used all four spinners, including Salman Agha, who bowled five overs. But none found as much sharp turn as Minhas. He came back for his final two overs at the start of the third powerplay and completed his five-wicket haul by bowling Nathan Ellis with another sharp-turning delivery that pitched on middle stump. It was also the first five-wicket haul of his List A career.
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Matt Kuhnemann, who had faced only 15 balls in his ODI career before this match, frustrated Pakistan with a 40-ball stay as they targeted him with short balls. He made 24 and added 34 and 20 in partnerships with Renshaw and Ellis before becoming the last wicket to fall. Afridi and Rauf finished the innings with one wicket each.
Babar And Ghori Control The Chase
Australia turned to spin as early as the fourth over and struck straightaway when Sadaqat holed out at deep midwicket off Kuhnemann. Short deserved plenty of credit for the wicket, taking a clean catch close to the boundary. He was involved again at long-off when Farhan failed to properly connect with a floated delivery from Sangha.
Short remained in the game later when Babar mistimed a drive off Kuhnemann to short cover. The ball was dying on him as he dived low to his right, but third umpire Richard Kettleborough ruled it had touched the ground. Babar was on 28 from 48 balls at that stage and went on to make 69 from 94.
As the only experienced batter in Pakistan’s top four, Babar had to show patience on a difficult surface that continued to deteriorate and offer more turn and uneven bounce. He had earlier sliced Ellis for four but later replaced aggression with control.
Ghori, playing only his second ODI, supported him well and brought up his maiden half-century in the format. His 65 from 92 balls was also his highest List A score.
With no serious scoreboard pressure, Babar and Ghori were able to absorb dot balls and focus on rotating strike. They found boundaries occasionally before increasing the tempo near the end of their stand. Ghori hit Ellis down the ground for boundaries, while Babar struck the first six of the match off Renshaw and then produced a stylish inside-out drive against Labuschagne.
Australia captain Inglis, encouraged by the turn available, used part-time spin from Short, Renshaw and Labuschagne, but none of them could break the partnership at that stage.
Minhas Finishes It In Style
Soon after reaching his 38th ODI half-century, Babar mistimed a lofted shot down the ground but was dropped by Kuhnemann. He eventually fell to Ellis’ slower ball, which kept low. Ellis then removed Ghori in his next over, and Labuschagne dismissed Agha after he missed an ambitious slog sweep with only six runs needed.
Pakistan still cruised home with 45 balls remaining, and fittingly, Minhas completed the win with a huge six down the ground, finishing unbeaten on 18 from 17 balls.
