AUS vs PAK 1st ODI Highlights: Australia Defeated Pakistan by 2 Wickets

AUS vs PAK: Australia got a hard-fought victory over Pakistan in the first ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, winning with two wickets and 99 balls to spare. Australia defeated Pakistan when it chased a rather small target of 204. Resilience was shown here, although Pakistan’s determined bowling had kept the game on its toes until the last few overs.

With Pakistan deciding to bowl first, it was the Aussie bowlers led by Mitchell Starc, who capitalized on the Pakistan batting, not really on their best behaviour. Starac was given the Player of the Match award while his 10-over spell came 3 for 33, leaving a trail of smoke behind him. The early wickets were already costing Pakistan its precious two wickets and within 24 balls it was also reduced to 2 for 24 because of the quick dismissals of both Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub.

Australia defeated Pakistan, visitors fail to put up a competitive score

An excellent partnership between captain Babar Azam (37) and Mohammad Rizwan (44) still made things tough for them because continuous wickets fell like apples. Tailender Naseem Shah’s spirited 40 off 39 balls pushed Pakistan to 203, a score that seemed challenging but achievable on a responsive MCG pitch.

Australia overcame Pakistan but not without some anxious moments. They lost their opener Matthew Short early to Shaheen Shah Afridi. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf sent wickets tumbling at quick succession and put pressure on their top order. Steven Smith’s solid 44 and Josh Inglis’s 49 helped to stabilize Australia’s innings, but Pakistan bowlers did well to knock both the batsmen quickly. Australia’s middle order stumbled from 139/3 to 139/6 at one stage of the match, and the visitors felt that the upset was well within its reach.

But Pat Cummins and Sean Abbott steadied the chase, playing out sufficiently aggressive yet cautious cricket to eventually take the game away from Pakistan. Cummins’s unbeaten 32 ensured that Australia defeated Pakistan despite an entertaining final effort by the green’s bowlers. The host leads the three-match series 1-0 after this thriller, which has shown the team’s depth and resilience and also shown up Pakistan’s potent bowling attack for a thrilling stage to follow in the remaining matches.