Pakistan did the unthinkable, beating Australia in Australia. It's not an easy task. India have done it in Tests and Pakistan have replicated the success in ODIs as they eked out a series victory in Australia for the first time since 2002 as Haris Rauf and Co proved to be too hot for the Australian batting line-up without Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh in all the matches and with no Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne and all the Test specialists in the decider in Perth on Sunday, November 10.
With a new white-ball captain at the helm, Pakistan looked like a well-oiled machine despite the results in the last year or so in international cricket and for Mohammad Rizwan, the new captain, it was a proud moment as a first ODI series win in Australia in 22 years, something to be proud of in his very first assignment.
"It's a special moment for me, the whole nation will be very happy today and the fans," Rizwan said as Pakistan won the series decider in Perth by eight wickets after restricting Australia to just 140. Rizwan mentioned that he doesn't like to be a dictator but is a rather democratic leader while saying that he isn't a captain just for toss and addressing the presentation ceremony.
"As a whole team, we are happy. We didn't perform as per expectations in the last couple of years. I don't want to be captain just for the presentation or toss. I'm open to suggestions from everyone, the older players, the younger players and the backroom staff."
Rizwan was particularly happy with the performance of his bowlers and the openers. After a rough period as an opening pair in the Tests, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique stitched a 137-run stand in the second ODI and a partnership of 84 in the decider and didn't let the Australian bowlers get into Pakistan's middle order.
"I'll give all the credit to the bowlers. [playing] Australia in Australia is not easy. The conditions suit their style of playing, but the bowlers were outstanding. But Saim and Abdullah have given us a couple of great starts, too. they made the chases easy. I don't care a lot about the press, but the people back home are always behind us and I want to dedicate this victory to them," Rizwan added.
Pakistan have sealed the ODIs and now the focus will shift to the T20Is, starting at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday, November 14.
