Pakistan defeated Australia 203 (Rizwan 44, Naseem 40, Babar 37, Starc 3-33, Cummins 2-39).
After Pakistan was bowled out for just 203 in 46.4 overs at the MCG, Mitchell Starc’s scorching performance put Australia in control at the innings break.
After taking seven wickets in his lone Sheffield Shield appearance at the MCG two weeks ago, Starc continued his incredible summer start with taking 3 for 33 from 10 overs, including three maidens.
After being sent in after coming directly from the low spinning Test fields of Multan and Rawalpindi last month, the most of Pakistan’s hitters were exposed on a fast and bouncy MCG pitch, with the exception of Babar Azam, who scored a magnificent 37 off 44. While Naseem Shah hit an incredible 40 off 39 with four sixes from No. 9 to guarantee Australia was at least chasing more than 200, new captain Mohammad Rizwan top scored with 44 but needed 71 balls to get them.
Fresh and in rhythm before a big summer, Starc and Pat Cummins performed for a crowd that was strongly pro-Pakistan. Starc’s thunderbolts at 140 kph took care of Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub, who made his debut.
After averaging just eight runs between them in 12 Test innings, the two were opening the batting in ODI cricket for the first time. When Ayub cut on while attempting to drive on the climb, their international average fell to 7.61. It is depressing to read their opening partnerships in international cricket: 0, 0, 3, 5, 0, 7, 8, 0, 15, 9, 35, 14, and 3.
Shafique appeared to be batting during a Test match. Before failing to get his bat out of the way of a rising delivery from Starc wide of off as he attempted to sway inside it, he guarded, dodged, and twisted his way to 12 from 26.
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar reached a settlement but never accelerated. Babar scored with more freedom than his colleagues and appeared to have good touch. However, when Starc, Cummins, and others hammered away a length, Rizwan became slowed down.
Babar was hit hard by the sluggish scoreboard. He attempted to provide Adam Zampa a scoring opportunity off the back foot, but he lost his off stump after choosing the incorrect length.
With a powerful delivery, Cummins welcomed Kamran Ghulam to Australia. When Cummins’ 142.7 kph bouncer reared at his throat, the whites of his eyes exploded. He managed to raise his hands in time, but he was only able to glove it to Josh Inglis.
When Rizwan hooked Starc into the stands at fine leg, his slow rearguard started to gain momentum. However, Marnus Labuschagne overtook him. When Rizwan attempted to sweep a wide leg break and got a top edge onto his helmet that popped up to Inglis, Australia was beaming. To the annoyance of Australia’s team management, Labuschagne had been bowling medium pace in Shield cricket for a long time. His success with his legspin was the main source of their happiness.
Pakistan was in a terrible position at 117 for 6 but was saved by some late hitting from Naseem, Shaheen Afridi, and Irfan Khan, who was modeled after Wasim Akram, who had presented his debut cap.
After the top seven had each contributed one six, Naseem and Shaheen demonstrated the kind of determination that Pakistan’s top order could have employed by hitting five sixes between them before Starc bowled Shaheen out for 24 off 19.
When Irfan Khan slipped on the field while trying a tentative single and was run out by inches for 22, he had a stable head but wobbly feet.
Cummins’ choice to stop bowling Aaron Hardie in the end then worked in Naseem’s favor. Perhaps in order to save his workload for later in the series, when Cummins and Starc might be taking a break, the all-rounder just bowled four overs. Naseem gorged himself on spin, sending Maxwell and Zampa into the stands twice. Abbott, however, was also blasted over deep midwicket by Naseem. To finish the innings, he holed out to mid-off.
When Travis Head returns from paternity leave, Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk will be the new opening partnership for Australia as they try to make a case to be the team’s long-term ODI openers.
