Pakistan cruise to ODI series win after Australia’s latest batting horror show
- Australia 140-9; Pakistan 143-2
- Pakistan seal first series win over in Australia in 22 years
Cooper Connolly suffered what could be a fractured hand as Australia surrendered their ODI series to Pakistan after another disastrous display with the bat.
Australia, missing Test stars Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, finished with a paltry 140 from 31.5 overs on Sunday, with Connolly unable to return after retiring hurt on seven. In reply, Pakistan reached the victory target with 139 balls to spare to wrap up an eight-wicket win and a 2-1 series triumph over the world champions. It marked Pakistan’s first series win over the Aussies in Australia in 22 years.Saim Ayub (42) and Abdullah Shafique (37) set the platform for Pakistan, before Mohammad Rizwan (30no) and Babar Azam (28no) finished the job.
Australia only just scrambled to the 204-run victory target in game one in Melbourne, before being skittled for 163 in a nine-wicket loss to Pakistan in Adelaide. The batting performance in Perth in front of 19,781 fans was even worse, with tail-ender Sean Abbott top-scoring with 30 from 41 balls, and opener Matt Short (22) the next best.
It marked the first time no Australian batsman has registered a half-century in an ODI series lasting three or more matches. Jake Fraser-McGurk (7), Aaron Hardie (12), Josh Inglis (7), Glenn Maxwell (0) and Marcus Stoinis (8) were all out cheaply as Australia slumped from 56 for two to 88 for six.
Just two days after snaring five for 29 in Adelaide, Haris Rauf returned figures of two for 24 from seven overs in Perth, while Shaheen Afridi (three for 32) and Naseem Shah (three for 54) were also rewarded.
Connolly copped a painful blow to his left hand from a rising Muhammad Hasnain delivery in the 17th over. The 21-year-old, playing just his second ODI, slashed a single from his next ball before calling for medical attention. Connolly retired hurt on seven, and underwent scans before later returning to Optus Stadium to support his teammates from the bench.
The stand-in captain Inglis scored just seven runs from his first 18 balls before his attempted pull skied high into the air and was easily caught. Rauf claimed his first victim of the day when Short pulled him to the deep and Maxwell fell to Rauf for the third time this series when he was squared up and popped an easy catch to backward point.
It was left to Abbott, Adam Zampa (13) and Spencer Johnson (12 not out) to add some handy late runs. Australia needed everything to go right in order to defend their meagre total, but not much went their way. Lance Morris dropped a tough catch in the deep while diving forward when Saim was on 16. Zampa dropped Shafique on the boundary with the score reading 70 without loss.
With Pakistan cruising, the hosts were in danger of losing an ODI by 10 wickets for the first time in Australia. But Morris (two for 24) produced a sharp catch off his own bowling to remove Shafique, before sending Saim packing five balls later.
