The three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Australia commenced today at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. The visitors lost the toss and had to bat first in testing conditions. They could only post 203 runs on the board before getting bundled out in the 47th over of their innings. Naseem Shah's 40-run knock helped Pakistan post a respectable total on the board.
He came out to bat at number nine and slammed 40 runs off just 39 deliveries with one four and four sixes to his name. He single-handedly took down Adam Zampa in the final over of his spell to take his team's total beyond 200 which looked unlikely at one stage. Naseem was the last man to be dismissed in the innings even as he missed breaking Wasim Akram's all-time record by just 10 runs.
The former Pakistan cricketer had smashed an unbeaten 49 against Australia off just 32 balls at the Gabba in Brisbane in 2002. This is the highest score by a Pakistani player against Australia in their den while batting at number nine. Naseem Shah was extremely close to breaking Akram's record after 22 years but in a bid to score quick runs, he was dismissed for 40. However, this is now the second-highest score in this aspect and has given a great chance for Pakistan to fight in the opening ODI.
As far as the match is concerned, Pakistan didn't bat well enough with several batters throwing away their starts. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan was the top-scorer with 44 runs off 71 deliveries while Babar Azam looked good for his 37 before getting out. None of the other specialist batters looked comfortable in the middle as Australia rolled over Pakistan before Naseem's lusty blows propelled them over 200.
Playing XIs
Australia: Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Kamran Ghulam, Agha Salman, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain
