Pakistan secure 22-year first in thumping series win

Pakistan completed a memorable ODI series win having lost the opening game of a three-match battle against reigning world champions Australia with a thumping eight-wicket win with more than 23 overs to spare at Perth Stadium.

In a near-carbon copy of Friday's nine-wicket triumph at Adelaide, Pakistan's pace battery scythed through a vastly reshaped Australia batting line-up that was skittled for 140 before their batters soaked up the early pressure then got the remaining runs at a gallop.

Even allowing for the marked shift in personnel for the final game, it was a tough initiation for first-time skipper Josh Inglis whose team was forced to chase the game from the time they were sent into bat.

For the first time in their history of playing bilateral ODI series comprising three or more games, Australia did not produce a batter who reached at least 50 with the best individual effort being Inglis's 49 in the opening game at the MCG.

The hosts' top-order woes were reflected by a collective average of just 16 for their first seven batters while Pakistan's openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub – who set up today's win with a first-wicket stand of 84 – averaged 56 and 41 respectively.

Compounding Australia's pain was the hand injury sustained by spin-bowling allrounder Cooper Connolly who was forced to retire hurt when struck while batting.

Connolly was immediately sent for scans on his bowling hand which revealed a fractured fourth metacarpal, ruling him out of the T20 series to follow. 

If there was a positive for the home team it was the return to international cricket of express quick Lance Morris after being sidelined by injury.

Deployed as second-change bowler today, Morris regularly pushed speeds around 145kph and fired out Shafique (37) and Ayub (42) in a single over to momentarily quell Pakistan's victory charge.

But former captain Babar Azam (28no off 30 balls) and current skipper Mohammad Rizwan (30no off 27) withstood the remainder of Morris's fiery spell and sealed the win off just 26.5 overs.

The 2-1 series win was Pakistan's first in an ODI campaign in Australia since they similarly came from behind to claim a 2-1 triumph in the mid-winter tour of 2002.

The only real angst the visitors endured today came when star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi looked to have dislocated the thumb on his left (bowling) hand in trying to stop a throw from the boundary.

But the immediate first-aid rendered on-field by former captain Babar delivered sufficient succour for Shaheen to resume bowling and remain on the field to complete a masterful three-wicket haul.

The result also heralded Australia's first ODI series defeat on home turf since India also completed a 2-1 win after losing the opening rubber in 2018-19.

Australia entered the series decider at a venue where they have not previously won an ODI minus seven first-choice players who seem certain to figure in the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan next February.

Captain Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were omissions from the previous starting XI to hone their Test preparation, while Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh remain on paternity leave.

But just as they had in the first two games in Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia's top-order batting failed to fire against high-quality Pakistan pace bowling and were bowled out for 140 in the 32nd over.

That below-par total followed a similarly meagre 163 at Adelaide Oval last Friday which Pakistan chased down for the loss of one wicket in 26.3 overs, and a top-order collapse at the MCG before Cummins carried his team to victory eight wickets down.

In that series opener the world champions were reduced to 6-139 inside 21 overs, at Adelaide it was 5-101 at the same stage of the innings while today they slumped to 6-88 off 20.3 when Marcus Stoinis was caught behind for eight (off 25 balls).

The score was effectively 7-88 given Connolly had retired hurt shortly before, the blow he copped to his left (bowling) hand in attempting to pull Pakistan quick Mohammad Hasnain placing his immediate playing future in doubt.

It was only some spirited late hitting from Sean Abbott (30 off 41 balls), Adam Zampa (13 off 22) and Spencer Johnson (12 off 12) that prevented Australia posting their lowest ODI total on home turf since they were humbled for 74 by Sri Lanka at the Gabba in 2012-13.

While the implosion in Adelaide two days earlier was characterised by batters nicking off against the Pakistan seamers hitting a challenging length, today they succumbed to a series of cross-bat strokes on a lively Perth strip.

After Jake Fraser-McGurk was again brought undone by minimal footwork against the new ball, his opening partner Matt Short (22 off 30) along with Inglis (7 off 19) and Stoinis all fell attempting forcing shots off the back foot.

Aaron Hardie – installed at number three in Smith's absence – was tricked by Shaheen swinging the ball away rather than into the right hander, and his attempt to withdraw his bat yielded a catch to slip as if in a pre-game training drill.

And for the third time in as many outings, Glenn Maxwell succumbed to his former Melbourne Stars teammate Haris Rauf as he was squared up by the second ball he faced and edged to backward point.

The dominance of Pakistan's pace quartet is underscored by Shaheen, Rauf, Naseem Shah and Hasnain sending down all but three overs (bowled by part-time spinner Ayub in Adelaide) for the entire ODI series.

The four-pronged attack shared 26 wickets across the three games at an average of 18.3 while Australia's leading wicket-takers across the series were Starc and Zampa (who played every match) with three scalps apiece.

Another marked difference between the teams in the past two games has been the approach in the first 10 overs, with Pakistan openers Ayub and Shafique negotiating the Powerplay at Adelaide and Perth while compiling partnerships of 47 both times.

It might not have been the case today if Stoinis's throw at the bowler's end stumps had found its target with Shafique (on 8) short of his ground, and had Morris hung on to a low chance diving forward at deep third when Ayub (16) uppercut Johnson.

Pakistan were halfway to their target without loss when Shafique (on 28) hooked Abott straight to Zampa on the fine leg rope but the chest high chance bounced from the fielder's grasp in similar fashion to one he shelled at Adelaide Oval two days earlier.

But the home team's day was perhaps best summed up when Johnson failed to hold a notional catch off a free hit by Ayub (after Abbott had no-balled) at deep fine leg which, after slipping from grasp, fell on to the boundary rope thereby costing six runs.

The happiest Australian after another lopsided contest was surely Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie who, having led his team to a come-from-behind Test series win over England last month repeated the feat in the 50-over format against his former team.

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: Pakistan won by eight wickets

Australia T20 squad: Josh Inglis (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, 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