table of contents
The Pakistan national cricket team has finally found its form in the white ball format. After being defeated by the Bangladesh national cricket team in their previous series, they made a good comeback against Australia’s second-string team and defeated them by 6 wickets in the decisive third and final ODI between Pakistan and Australia last night.
Following the win against the Australia national cricket team, the Men in Green created a record for themselves as they became the first Asian team to win three consecutive ODI series against the six-time World Cup winners. It is a historic moment for Shaheen Shah Afridi and his boys, as no other Asian team, not even India, has achieved this feat against the Kangaroos.
Pakistan created history against Australia
The series was tied at 1–1 as Pakistan won the first game by 5 wickets while chasing a small target of 201 runs. In the second ODI, Australia’s new team completely dominated the hosts in a low-scoring game as the Men in Green failed to chase 232 and were bowled out for 190, with the visitors winning by a margin of 41 runs.
India has never won two consecutive series at home; The last time they won two consecutive series against the Australian team was in 2017/18 and 2018/19, one of which was in Australia and one here on their home ground. However, there is a lot of difference in the series between the teams playing against Pakistan and India, as the Australian team comes with full strength against the men in blue.
In their last series in 2024, where the Men in Green traveled to Australia and won the series for the first time since 2022, it has been a prestigious win for the team. They have been performing well in bilateral series, but have struggled in major tournaments as they have failed to maintain their temperament on the big stages.
Australia’s crushing defeat in the third ODI
Talking about the match, Australia won the toss and decided to bat first, but they lost Matt Short for duck. Captain Josh Inglis played a good inning of 65 runs; However, the middle order faltered and they were all out for 157 runs in 42 overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi was the best bowler with 3 wickets for 30 runs in 8 overs.
While chasing, the home team also lost four wickets in quick succession but Shadab Khan, who had a poor run of form in the series, looked strong in the final game as he took his team over the line in the third and final game, scoring 29 valuable runs and sharing a small partnership with Abdul Samad to help Pakistan chase the target in 41.5 overs.
What next for Pakistan and Australia?
Next up for the Men in Green is that they have five Test matches, all away from home, including two against the West Indies starting on July 25, followed by a 3-match Test series with England starting on August 19.
As for Australia, they are set for another ODI series in the subcontinent, embarking on a full white-ball tour with three ODIs against Bangladesh, followed by three T20Is, and then two Test matches against the Bangla Tigers in Australia.
Also read: “I wish they didn’t perform well”: Afghanistan captain takes aim at Shubman Gill and India ahead of Test match
