Pakistan seals comfortable first ODI victory over Australia
- By Web Desk -
- May 31, 2026
In the opening ODI match, Pakistan defeated Australia by five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Arafat Minhas, a spin all-rounder, made his ODI debut by taking five wickets for 32 runs in ten overs, while Babar Azam and Ghazi Ghori both scored half-centuries.
In the 43rd over of the Rawalpindi encounter, Pakistan reached Australia’s target of 201 runs at the cost of five wickets.
Muhammad Ghazi Ghori was outstanding with 65 runs, while Babar Azam scored 69 runs off 94 balls.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed after scoring 28 runs, Maaz Sadaqat scored 8 runs, Salman Agha returned to the pavilion after scoring 6 runs, and Arafat Minhas scored 18 runs without being dismissed.
Nathan Ellis claimed two wickets for Australia, while Tanveer Sangha, Marnus Labuschagne, and Matthew Paul Kuhnemann each claimed one.
Pakistan needed to score 201 runs to win after the Australian team, batting first, was dismissed for 200 runs in 44.1 overs.
Both Matt Short’s 55 runs and Matt Renshaw’s 61 runs were useless for the squad.
Arafat Minhas dismissed captain Josh Inglis for 13 runs, Cameron Green returned to the pavilion without opening his account, and Marnus Labuschagne was bowled without scoring a run.
With five wickets for 32 runs in ten overs, Arafat Minhas became the first Pakistani to take five wickets on his debut.
Shaheen Afridi, Salman Agha, and Haris Rauf each claimed one wicket, while Abrar Ahmed claimed two.
Salman Ali Agha, Abdul Samad, Babar Azam, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, and Shaheen Afridi (captain) comprise the national team. The team also includes Shadab Khan, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed. Arafat Minhas, a young player, played in his first ODI.