Shaheen Shah Afridi’s clinical three-wicket spell reduced Australia to 157. Then, Abdul Samad and Shadab Khan’s unbroken 49-run stand led Pakistan to victory eight overs early. It happened at Gaddafi Stadium.
LAHORE: Pakistan delivered their best performance when it mattered most, sealing a 2-1 series win over Australia in the third and final ODI at Gaddafi Stadium to record their third consecutive Pakistan beat Australia ODI series triumph. Shaheen Shah Afridi crushed Australia’s top order with a clinical 3-30, reducing the visitors to 157 all out, before Abdul Samad and Shadab Khan forged an unbroken 49-run stand to secure a four-wicket victory.
Shaheen sets the tone with a lethal opening spell.
Josh Inglis, the Australia captain, elected to bat but immediately regretted his decision. Shaheen bowled Matthew Short for a duck right away, showing what was to come. Labuschagne only mustered 19 runs off 39 balls and then got run out in the 12th over due to a mix-up with Inglis. Things got worse when Haris Rauf bowled Alex Carey for 19 off 32, leaving Australia in trouble at 98 for three in the 23rd over.
Inglis stabilized the innings with a resolute 65, but Shaheen’s return led to quick wickets inside the 27th over, toppling Australia. He dismissed Inglis and Cameron Green, setting off a collapse; the team was five down at 120. Then, Abrar Ahmed got Renshaw and Connolly, while Shadab Khan grabbed Peake and Zampa. Nathan Ellis fell to a run-out during the last delivery of the 42nd over. Thus, Australia wrapped up for just 157, still 40 runs short of a par score on that pitch.
Pakistan wobble before Samad and Shadab finish it
Pakistan’s run chase of 158 started off pretty shaky. Farhan was bowled out by Ellis in the third over, and Matthew Short got Maaz Sadaqat out for a quickfire 27 from 26 balls — he hit five boundaries. This had Pakistan on 41 for two in the eighth over. Babar Azam then kept things steady, scoring 40 off 84 deliveries while putting together some useful stands with Ghazi Ghori and Salman Ali Agha, who scored 8 and 15 respectively. But Kuhnemann knocked Babar out in the 30th over, and Arafat Minhas went in the very next one, leaving Pakistan needing 46 with only six wickets down.
Samad and Shadab shut the door on any Aussie comeback. They put together an unbroken 49-run stand for the seventh wicket. This helped Pakistan beat Australia with eight overs to spare. The match wrapped up their series win pretty effortlessly, despite some tension earlier on. Shadab stayed until the end, scoring 29 off 42 balls, while Samad chipped in with 18 not out from 30 deliveries.
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Kuhnemann the lone Australian bright spot
Matthew Kuhnemann was the sole bright spot for Australia, finishing with 3-38 off 10 overs the only Aussie bowler to give Pakistan’s middle order trouble. He even got Babar out, giving Australia some hope. Still, Samad and Shadab shut down that chance, securing Pakistan’s decisive win in the final ODI of the series.
Pakistan’s third straight win over Australia in ODIs on Thursday shows how the tide is turning in favor of the Pakistani team. Leading with Shaheen’s awesome bowling, backed by Babar’s solid batting, and Shadab’s all-round skills, Pakistan proved why they deserve this recent string of victories. This series might show Australia with a 2-1 scoreline, but honestly, it highlights how dominant Pakistan really was. So, the men in green are clearly leaving their mark against one of cricket’s top ODI sides.
