AUS vs PAK, 1st ODI: Cummins leads Australia to thrilling victory over Pakistan
Pat Cummins picked up two wickets and scored an unbeaten 32 runs as Australia beat Pakistan by two wickets.
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FollowAustralia secured a thrilling two-wicket victory against Pakistan in the first ODI. Batting first after losing the toss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Pakistan were bowled out for 203 runs. Mitchell Starc's three-wicket haul was instrumental in dismantling the Pakistan batting lineup. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for the visitors with 44 runs, while Naseem Shah made a crucial contribution with 40. In reply, Australia chased down the target in 33.3 overs, losing eight wickets in the process. Josh Inglis (49) and Steven Smith (44) were the top performers for Australia. Captain Pat Cummins' unbeaten 32 proved decisive in securing the victory. With this win, Australia takes a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
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Australia's innings got off to a shaky start, losing Matthew Short (1) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (16) with only 28 runs on the board. Inglis and Smith then steadied the innings with an 85-run partnership. Pacer Haris Rauf provided the breakthrough for Pakistan by dismissing Smith in the 17th over. Shaheen Afridi then removed Inglis in the 19th over, putting the hosts on the back foot. Marnus Labuschagne (16), Aaron Hardie (10), and Glenn Maxwell (0) failed to make significant contributions, leaving Australia at 155/7.
Sean Abbott (13) and Cummins then added 30 runs for the eighth wicket. Just as they seemed to be steering Australia towards victory, Abbott was run out, bringing Pakistan back into the game. However, Cummins, along with Mitchell Starc, held their nerve and guided Australia to a thrilling win. Rauf took three wickets for Pakistan, while Shaheen Afridi claimed two. Earlier, Pakistan's innings got off to a poor start, losing Abdullah Shafique (12) and Saim Ayub (1) with only 24 runs on the board.
Babar Azam (37) and Rizwan then added 39 runs for the third wicket before Adam Zampa dismissed the former. Kamran Ghulam (5) and Agha Salman (12) departed quickly, followed by Rizwan. This left Pakistan struggling at 148/7. Irfan Khan (22), Shaheen Afridi (24), and Naseem Shah (40) then chipped in with valuable runs to take Pakistan past 200. Haris Rauf (0) was the other wicket to fall, while Muhammad Hasnain remained unbeaten on 20. Starc picked up three wickets, while Cummins and Zampa chipped in with two each.
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