MELBOURNE: Skipper Pat Cummins kept his cool under pressure with a gritty unbeaten 32 to steer Australia to a nervy two wicket defeat of Pakistan in the first of three one-day internationals on Monday.
Chasing 204, they reached the target with 99 balls to spare at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, surviving a huge scare when they lost three wickets in five balls. “Wonderful match but it got a little tighter than I would have liked it there,” said Cummins.
With Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head on paternity leave, the world champions had a new-look opening partnership in Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short. But Short lasted just four balls before top-edging to Saim Ayub off Shaheen Shah Afridi while Fraser-McGurk’s luck ran out on 16, slapping Naseem Shah to Irfan Khan at mid-on.
The experienced Steve Smith steadied the ship alongside Josh Inglis. They put on 85 for the third wicket before Smith was undone by Haris Rauf on 44, well caught by Ayub at backward point.
Inglis followed for 49 soon after going for a big hit off Afridi, taken by Khan on his knees. And when Rauf removed Marnus La buschagne (16) three balls later, then Glenn Maxwell for a golden duck, Australia were suddenly 139-6 and it was game on.
Mohammad Hasnain bowled Aaron Hardie (10) and Sean Abbott (13) was guilty of a lazy run out, leaving the hosts needing 19 runs and two wickets left, with Cummins and Mitchell Starc (two) seeing them home. “Really happy with how the guys bowled, everyone played their roles beautifully,” Cummins added.
“Obviously we need to try and find some partnerships (in the batting).” Earlier, Starc took 3-33 Pakistan were dismissed for 203. Newly appointed skipper Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 44 but they struggled against some precision bowling, all out in the 47th over after Australia won the toss and sent them in.
“We need to play teams like that,” said Rizwan. “We decided whatever the situation we will fight and show courage.
“The luck was with Australia and that’s why they won.” In Pakistan’s first 50-over game since last year’s World Cup, Starc broke through in the third over with Ayub chopping onto his stumps.
Australia won the toss
Pakistan Innings
Shafique c †Inglis b Starc 12
Ayub b Starc 1
Azam b Zampa 37
Rizwan (c)† c †Inglis b Labuschagne 44
Ghulam c †Inglis b Cummins 5
Agha c Short b Abbott 12
Khan run out (Short/Maxwell) 22
SShah Afridi b Starc 24
Shah c Starc b Cummins 40
Haris Rauf b Zampa 0
Mohammad Hasnain not out 2
Total: 46.4 Ov (RR: 4.35) 203
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-24, 3-63, 4-70, 5-101, 6-117, 7-148, 8-175, 9-183, 10-203
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 10-3-33-3, Pat Cummins 9.4-1-39-2, Sean Abbott 8-0-34-1, Aaron Hardie 4-0-15-0, Adam Zampa 10-0-64-2, Marnus Labuschagne 1-0-5-1
Australia (T: 204 runs from 50 ovs)
Short c Saim b Shaheen 1
McGurk c Irfan b Naseem 16
Smith c Saim b Haris 44
Inglis † c Irfan b Shaheen 49
Labuschagne c Irfan b Haris 16
Hardie b Mohammad 10
Maxwell c † Rizwan b Haris 0
Abbott run out (Salman/Shaheen) 13
Cummins (c) not out 32
Starc not out 2
Total: 33.3 Ov (RR: 6.08) 204/ 8
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-28, 3-113, 4-139, 5-139, 6-139, 7-155, 8-185
Bowling: Shaheen Shah Afridi 10-0-43-2, Naseem Shah 7.2-0-39-1, Mohammad Hasnain 7.1-0-51-1, Haris Rauf 9-0-67-3
Result: Australia won by 2 wickets
Player of the match: Mitchell Starc
Umpires: Brown, Sam Nogajski