Rauf, Ayub blitz Australia to send series to decider

Pakistan produced one of their best white-ball efforts on Australian soil to secure a crushing nine-wicket win at Adelaide Oval and ensure the ODI Series will be decided at Sunday's final game in Perth.

Pakistan's thumping win was sealed with more than 20 overs to spare and, as was the case in their gallant two-wicket loss at the MCG last Monday, was built upon the skill and aggression of a fast-bowling quartet led by the redoubtable Haris Rauf.

The Melbourne Stars BBL favourite Rauf followed up his 3-67 from game one last Monday with a record-equalling 5-29 before an opening stand of 137 (from 123 balls) between Saim Ayub (82 off 71) and Abdullah Shafique (64no) put the result beyond doubt.

When former captain Babar Azam launched the winning six off Adam Zampa runs at 7.19pm Adelaide time in front of 21,398 fans, the sun had yet to set on what was notionally a day-night fixture.

And if Ayub had not holed out in the 21st over with his team just 27 runs from victory, Pakistan might have pocketed their first 10-wicket ODI win over Australia.

Bowled out for just 163 in the 35th over today, Australia eclipsed their previous lowest ODI total against Pakistan which was 8-165 at the SCG in 1990 when the rival bowling attack comprised Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan.

Their lowest ODI score upon being bowled out by Pakistan had previously been the 167 they posted from 45.4 overs in 2002, albeit on a newly laid pitch under a roof at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium in a match played at the height of Australian winter.

That benchmark might have been set even lower had Pakistan not turfed four catches during their bowling stint, with skipper Mohammad Rizwan's spilled effort from an Adam Zampa fly ball late in the innings costing him a record in his own right.

As it was, Rizwan equalled the record set by fellow gloveman Sarfaraz Khan who also pouched six catches against South Africa at Auckland during the 2015 World Cup.

But the most outstanding individual effort again came from Rauf who had sparked his side into action in the series opener at the MCG when he removed Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell with consecutive deliveries.

His return today was even more impressive as he threatened with nearly every ball of his eight overs which yielded a return of 5-29 equalling off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq's benchmark for the best ODI figures by a Pakistan bowler at Adelaide Oval.

Rauf's demolition began when he had Inglis caught behind from an attempted pull shot, by which time Pakistan had wrested back the initiative after Australia's openers Jake Fraser-McGurk (13 off 10) and Matt Short (19 off 15) launched another blistering start.

Fraser-McGurk looked to be on-song when he struck three sweetly-timed boundaries through the off-side from Naseem Shah's opening over – the second of the innings – but was pinned in front of his stumps by Shaheen Shah Afridi immediately after.

Short rode his luck, dropped by Shaheen on the deep backward-square leg boundary on eight off Naseem's bowling though his fortune ran out on 19 when he slapped Shaheen to point where Babar Azam clung to a hot chance.

Following Inglis's demise for 18, Marnus Labuschagne became Rauf's second victim when he nicked off against the 31-year-old's immaculate length that was rendered even more potent with a hint of out-swing to the right-handers.

Despite the regular loss of early wickets, Australia kept surging at a scoring rate around a run per ball and again profited when Steve Smith was dropped by Saim Ayub (on 8) and survived a review of an lbw shout (on 35) that was clipping leg stumped but deemed umpire's call.

However, the delivery immediately after that failed review changed the course of the innings as Smith tried to muscle a short, wide delivery from Mohammad Hasnain over cover but his hefty outside edge travelled only as far as Rizwan.

At 5-101 with barely 20 overs bowled, Australia might have been excused for dropping anchor to ensure they batted out a majority of their allocated 50 overs.

But Maxwell showed that would not be the case when he reverse slog-swept Ayub over the rope at deep backward point where one of Pakistan's reserve fielders – who was delivering a message to a teammate – also managed to spill the catch albeit beyond the boundary.

Maxwell's flurry ended on 16 when he dragged Rauf on to his stumps, having bottom-edged a full-blooded pull shot, after Aaron Hardie (13 off 29) fell to a duplicate Rauf delivery to that which accounted for Labuschagne.

Rauf completed his five-wicket haul – the second he's snared in 39 ODIs after capturing 5-18 against Afghanistan last year – and looked to the heavens before kneeling in gratitude on the Adelaide turf.

Needing to score at barely three runs an over to level the series, Pakistan's openers Ayub and Shafique took a considerably more measured approach against the new ball than their Australian rivals

The pair managed a solitary boundary in the first seven overs of their pursuit but, having adjusted to conditions and having survived some challenging overs particularly from Josh Hazlewood who returned to the team for this game, they opened their shoulders.

Consecutive boundaries to Shafique off Hazlewood only heightened the home team's frustration, compounded further when Ayub launched a towering six over square leg from Cummins.

Ayub's half-century (off 52 balls) featured three sixes and four boundaries with the left-hander's only blemish being the top edge he sliced to deep third off Cummins which Adam Zampa spilled running in from the boundary.

By that stage Pakistan were more than halfway to their target with more than 35 overs up their sleeve so the squandered chance was hardly pivotal, but it was emblematic of a day produced little of merit for the reigning ODI world champions.

The three-match ODI series will be decided in Perth on Sunday, where Australia will be without star players Cummins, Smith, Hazlewood, Labuschagne and Mitchell Starc who will instead be preparing for the upcoming Test series against India.

Australia v Pakistan limited-overs series 2024

Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins (c - first two matches), Josh Inglis, (c - third match), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett (third match only), Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood (second match only), Spencer Johnson (third match only), Marnus Labuschagne (first two matches only), Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Josh Philippe (third match only), Matthew Short, Steve Smith (first two matches only), Mitchell Starc (first two matches only), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan ODI squad: Muhammad Rizwan, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi

November 4: Australia won by two wickets

November 8: Pakistan won by nine wickets

November 10: Perth Stadium, 2.30pm AEDT

Australia T20 squad: Josh Inglis (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan T20 squad: Muhammad Rizwan (c), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

November 14: Gabba, 7.00pm AEDT

November 16: SCG: 7.00pm AEDT

November 18: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 7.00pm AEDT

All matches live and exclusive on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports