Rawalpindi : Pakistan won the first ODI against visiting Australia played here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
Australian side batted first and scored 200 runs in 44.1 overs when it was all out. Pakistani spinners did not allow the visiting batting side to play a traditional game for which Australians are known for. Arafat Minhas bowled out 5 Australian batters for 32 runs. Abrar took two wickets.
Pakistan lost its first wicket early when its opener , M Sadaqat , got out for only 8 runs. At this stage Pakistan score was 23. Sahabzada Farhan took the charge at this stage and took Pakistan ‘s total to 43 runs when it lost the second wicket. Farhan got out when his score was 28 runs. He faced 33 balls. After Farhan’s dismissal , Babar Azam and new young Pakistani sensation , Ghazi Ghari , played very responsible cricket for Pakistan. Both Pakistani batters scored fifties and took Pakistan’s total to a winning position . Babar Azam got out in a bid to play a slow ball when his individual score was 69. He faced 94 balls.
Soon after Babar Azam , Pakistan’s new sensation , Ghazi Ghari also got out in a bid to play a swap shot. After Babar Azam’s dismissal , Arafat Minhas, Pakistan’s another sensation, came to join Ghazi Ghari in the middle. He played a short, but beautiful game for Pakistan. He secured victory for Pakistan with a big six.
Pakistan made history in cricket in Saturday’s game . It completed 1000 ODIs. Pakistan also made history as its player , Arafat Minhas , made his debut memorable by taking 5 wickets for 32 runs and then played a brief ,but winning innings for sealing victory against Australia to secure lead for Pakistan against Australia. Arafat Minhas also became the first Pakistan player to out five opposition batters in his first ODI game.
