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Pakistan national cricket team celebrated a big milestone on Saturday (May 30) as they registered their 1000th ODI win with a five-wicket win over Australia in Rawalpindi in the opening match of the three-match ODI series.
But it was former great batsman Mohammad Yousuf’s choice of Pakistan’s greatest cricketers of all time that attracted more attention than the win. Surprisingly, Pakistan’s modern era superstar Babar Azam did not find a place in Mohammad Yousuf’s dream list.
Babar Azam dropped from Mohammad Yousuf’s all-time Pakistan list
To mark Pakistan’s historic 1000th ODI win, Mohammad Yousuf took to his social media handle to pick his greatest players in different roles. He chose World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan as the best captain and all-rounder and great left-arm fast bowler Wasim Akram as the best fast bowler.
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Notably, Imran scored 3,709 runs and took 182 wickets in 175 ODIs, while Akram played 356 ODIs for Pakistan from 1984 to 2003. During his incredible career, he scored 3,717 runs and took 502 wickets. The great left-arm fast bowler is considered one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and was the first bowler to reach the milestone of 500 wickets in ODI cricket.
For Mohammad Yousuf, Saeed Anwar, Rashid Latif and Saqlain Mushtaq are included in the list of Pakistan’s greatest players.
For the batting position, Mohammad Yousuf went with the stylish opening batsman Saeed Anwar, one of Pakistan’s most famous batsmen. Anwar has 8,824 runs and 6 wickets in 247 ODI matches. Former captain Rashid Latif was chosen as the wicketkeeper due to his sharp skills behind the stumps, while spin legend Saqlain Mushtaq got the nod as the greatest spinner in the format.
Latif played 166 ODIs for Pakistan, where he scored 1,709 runs and recorded 220 dismissals, which included 182 catches and 38 stumpings. On the other hand, Mushtaq, who invented the “doosra”, established himself as one of the greatest spinners of all time with 288 wickets and 711 runs in 169 ODIs.
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Mohammad Yousuf also described Pakistan’s famous 1992 World Cup win as the most memorable moment in the country’s cricket history. The Men in Green won their only ODI World Cup title in 1992 when Imran Khan and his team defeated England by 22 runs in Melbourne.
Pakistan’s historic #1000th ODI win shines the greatest player of all time
Captain and all-rounder: Imran Khan
Fast bowler: Wasim Akram
Batsman: Saeed Anwar
Wicket Keeper: Rashid Latif
Spinner: Saqlain Mushtaq
most memorable
1992 world cup final– Mohammad Yousaf (@yousaf1788) May 31, 2026
Arafat Minhas shines in debut match, Pakistan beats Australia in first ODI
Meanwhile, the biggest star of the first ODI against Australia was debutant spinner Arafat Minhas. The young left-arm spinner produced a dream performance, taking five wickets for 32 runs and becoming the first Pakistani bowler to take five wickets on ODI debut on home soil.
Shaheen Afridi chose to bowl first after winning the toss and his spinners took full advantage of the conditions as Australia were all out for 200 in 44.1 overs despite struggling innings from Matthew Renshaw, who scored 61, and Matthew Short, who scored 55.
During the chase, Babar Azam played a brilliant inning of 69 runs in 94 balls, while Ghazi Ghauri played a brilliant inning of 65 runs. Their 127-run partnership for the third wicket kept Pakistan firmly in control. By the time both the batsmen were out, the match was almost over.
Pakistan have now taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Australia and will be looking to continue their winning streak when the action shifts to Lahore for the remaining two ODIs.