Pakistan Started home ODI series against Australia on a winning note by defeating the tourists by five wickets in the first ODI at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday. After deciding to bowl first, the hosts displayed disciplined bowling. Arafat Minhas Before a composed batting performance from Babar Azam And Ghazi Gori Gave them victory with 45 balls remaining.
Arafat Minhas dismantles Australia’s batting lineup
Australia struggled to build momentum after being sent in to bat and were eventually all out for 200 in 44.1 overs. opener matthew short While he fought hard to score 55 runs in 76 balls matt renshaw Played a stormy innings of 61 runs in 63 balls for the visitors, which included five fours and a six.
The tourists made a steady start through the short and alex careyBut Pakistan bowlers kept attacking at regular intervals. Before both departed, Carey scored 19 runs, while Josh Inglis could score 13 runs. After this, Australia’s middle order suffered a dramatic collapse. marnus labuschagne And cameron green Got out without opening the account.
The turning point came through Minhas, who produced a career-defining spell. The young spinner devastated Australia’s middle and lower order and took 5 wickets for 32 runs in his 10 overs. His spell ensured that Australia never recovered despite Renshaw’s resistance.
Abrar Ahmed While took two wickets Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf And salman agha Picked up one skull each. Australia lost its last six wickets for just 39 runs, falling well short of a competitive score.
Babar Azam and Ghazi Ghori lead Pakistan to successful victory
Chasing 201 to win, Pakistan made a cautious start but remained in control throughout the innings. Sahebzada Farhan Earlier contributed a useful 28 runs at the top maaz sadaqat Was out on 8 runs. When Pakistan was reduced to 43/2 for some time, Babar and Ghori combined to snatch the game from Australia. The pair put together a crucial partnership that stabilized the innings and steadily pushed Pakistan towards the target.
Babar once again displayed his trademark consistency and played an excellent inning of 69 runs in 94 balls. The former captain mixed authority with patience and hit four fours and a six during his innings. At the other end, Gori impressed with a mature knock of 65 off 92 balls, taking the fence eight times and keeping the scoreboard ticking.
Their partnership effectively dashed Australia’s hopes of defending a modest score. Although both batsmen fell before the match ended, the damage was already done. Minhas played a memorable innings by contributing 18 unbeaten runs in 17 balls including two fours and a six. Salman Agha quickly added 6 runs, while Abdul Samad remained unbeaten on 1, taking Pakistan to 202/5 in 42.3 overs.
nathan ellis He was Australia’s most successful bowler by taking two wickets. Matthew Kuhnman, Tanveer Sangha And Labuschagne took one wicket each. However, the visitors lacked the firepower required to consistently trouble Pakistan’s batsmen. For his exceptional all-round contribution, especially his match-winning five-wicket haul, Minhas was named Player of the Match. His brilliance with the ball laid the foundation for Pakistan’s victory and helped the hosts take a 1–0 lead in the ODI series.
Pakistan registered an easy win over Australia in the first ODI.#PAKvsAUS #Cricket pic.twitter.com/zaSR8y2VRS
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) 31 May 2026
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