AUS vs PAK: Pakistan won the second ODI convincingly by nine wickets against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, with Haris Rauf (5-29) casting a match-winning spell and Saim Ayub (82) and Abdullah Shafique (64*) combining for an opening stand that took them near to the finish line. This victory makes Pakistan win on Australian soil after five years, and it is their first in style after more than 23 overs were unused.
Pakistan’s Relentless Pace Attack Strikes First
Pakistan’s pace attack has exploited the conditions to the fullest by choosing to bowl on a pitch that had a slight green tinge. Haris Rauf led the charge picking up five crucial wickets, while Shaheen Afridi supported him with three wickets for 26 runs. Australia struggled to cope with the pace and movement on offer and could only manage to bat till just 35 overs, getting all out for 163, with Steve Smith at 35 the highest individual score.
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Australia’s Promising Start Fizzles Out
Australia got off to a great beginning, racing to 20/0 in the first two overs. Matthew Short played some elegant drives, and Jake Fraser-McGurk smacked three boundaries in Naseem Shah’s opening over. But once Pakistan’s pacers found their rhythm, the Aussie top order crashed. Afridi and Naseem were unstoppable, taking wickets in quick succession, with Rauf’s fiery spell putting Australia on the back foot.
Haris, Saim lead Pakistan to record nine-wicket win
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) November 8, 2024
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Rauf’s Match-Winning Spell Leaves Australia Struggling
Rauf’s speed and accuracy troubled right from his first over. He presented an early chance off his third ball, which Saim Ayub dropped at backward point, but Rauf bailed himself out after that. He sent back Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne, both of whom perished to his sharp balls. Steve Smith, after playing a few elegant shots, fell to a short-and-wide delivery from Mohammad Hasnain.
The wickets continued to tumble, and Australia never stabilized at any point. Aaron Hardie and Glenn Maxwell only tried to give some semblance of stability to the innings but fell to Rauf’s second spell. With some late hitting from Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa, Australia was restricted to a mere 163 runs, which looked short on a pitch that offered no respite to the batters whatsoever.
Saim Ayub And Abdullah Shafique Lead Pakistan To Victory
In reaction, Pakistan’s openers got off to a circumspect start because they knew that the run chase was ahead of them. Saim Ayub settled into a rhythm soon and played his pick-up shots to both sides of the wicket pretty freely. Abdullah Shafique played an orthodox role at the other end. Together, they developed a good 137-run partnership, where Ayub dominated and went on to play an aggressive game.
Ayub, who had got Mitchell Starc for a couple of fours and another six after striking Pat Cummins for a six. Even Adam Zampa wasn’t spared by Ayub’s aggressiveness and the young opener sent him for a six. Ayub’s 71-ball knock was the talk of the show but by the time he was dismissed before the completion of his century, the game was all but sealed.
Shafique and skipper Babar Azam completed the chase without losing any more wickets, ensuring Pakistan’s victory with more than 23 overs in hand.
Mohammad Rizwan proved quite spectacular behind the wickets for Pakistan as he took six catches, leaving him close to becoming the first keeper ever to take seven dismissals in an ODI. He put down one of Zampa’s chances, though; it just happened to be an extremely good game after all, particularly with some great bowling effort on the team’s side.
Series Decider In Perth
Now that the series has leveled out, all eyes will be on the decider on Sunday, November 10, in Perth. Pakistan’s thrashing of Australia in Adelaide gave them a great fillip to complete a series victory for the ages against Australia.
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