PERTH: Pakistan secured a historic win over Australia in the third and final One-Day International (ODI), marking their first series victory on Australian soil since 2002.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and decided to field first, looking to take advantage of an Australian side missing key players. Australia had rested Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, and Steve Smith ahead of their Test series against India.
Matthew Short provided some stability with 20 runs off 30 balls, but the hosts continued to lose wickets. Haris Rauf dismissed Short in the 14th over, reducing Australia to 72-4. The team faced another setback when Cooper Connolly retired hurt after being struck on the hand by a delivery from Mohammad Hasnain while attempting a pull shot.
Australia’s middle order crumbled as Marcus Stoinis (8) and Glenn Maxwell (0) fell in quick succession, leaving them at 88-6 by the 20.3-over mark.
Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah led Pakistan’s bowling with three wickets each, while Haris Rauf took two and Mohammad Hasnain contributed one.
In response, Pakistan’s openers Saim Ayub (42) and Abdullah Shafique (37) forged an 84-run partnership with a mix of confidence and control. Local bowler Lance Morris (2-24) managed to dismiss both batsmen in the 18th over, giving the crowd of 19,781 something to cheer for.
Rizwan (30 not out) and Babar Azam (28 not out) then guided Pakistan to a comfortable win.
Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis admitted, “We couldn’t find our batting rhythm throughout the series.”
This win came after Pakistan’s emphatic nine-wicket victory in Adelaide, which followed a narrow loss in the series opener on November 4. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had confirmed an unchanged squad for the final match.
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