Arafat Minhas’s historic five-wicket haul on debut helped Pakistan restrict Australia to 200. Fifties from Babar Azam and Ghazi Ghori then secured a comfortable five-wicket victory for the hosts in the first ODI at Rawalpindi.
Arafat Minhas produced a dream ODI debut with a five-wicket haul before Babar Azam and Ghazi Ghori guided Pakistan to a comfortable five-wicket victory over Australia in the first ODI match at Rawalpindi on Saturday.
Minhas’s historic debut
The 21-year-old left-arm spinner returned remarkable figures of 5 for 32 from his full quota of 10 overs, becoming the first Pakistan bowler to claim a five-wicket haul on ODI debut, as per ESPNcricinfo. His performance helped dismiss Australia for 200 in 44.1 overs after Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi elected to field on a dry surface expected to assist spin.
Australia made a steady start through Matthew Short and Alex Carey, but the introduction of spin changed the course of the innings. Abrar Ahmed removed Carey before Minhas struck twice in three deliveries, trapping Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne lbw to leave Australia under pressure.
Minhas then produced the delivery of the match, beating Cameron Green with a sharp turn to hit the top of off stump. Australia slumped to 68 for 4 before Short, and Matt Renshaw rebuilt with a 55-run partnership. Both batters reached half-centuries, with Short scoring 55 and Renshaw top-scoring with 61.
However, Pakistan regained control when Minhas returned to dismiss Short, while Abrar ended Renshaw’s resistance. Minhas completed his maiden five-for by bowling Nathan Ellis as Australia’s lower order struggled against sustained spin pressure. Matt Kuhnemann offered stubborn resistance with 24 off 40 balls, but Australia were eventually bowled out for 200.
Babar, Ghori seal comfortable chase
Chasing a modest target, Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat early to spin, slipping to 32 for 2. With several inexperienced batters in the top order, former captain Babar Azam assumed responsibility and found an able partner in wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori. The pair added a match-defining 127 runs for the third wicket, calmly negotiating a deteriorating surface while keeping the required rate under control.
Babar struck 69 from 94 deliveries for his 38th ODI half-century, while Ghori registered a maiden ODI fifty with a composed 65 off 92 balls, his highest List A score. Nathan Ellis briefly raised Australian hopes by dismissing both set batters, and Labuschagne removed Salman Agha with six runs still required. But Pakistan never lost control of the chase. Fittingly, Minhas capped a memorable all-round debut by launching a towering six to seal victory with 45 balls remaining, giving Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the series and earning himself the Player-of-the-Match honours.
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