Adelaide (Web Desk): Pakistan’s Haris Rauf delivered a masterclass with the ball, taking a five-wicket haul to help his side dismiss Australia for a modest 163 runs in the second one- day international (ODI) of the three-match series at Adelaide on Friday.
The Australian batting lineup, after being asked to bat first, never got going and were bundled out in just 35 overs.
The hosts’ new opening pair of Jake Fraser-McGurk (13) and Matthew Short (19) struggled to find their rhythm, both falling to Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, who impressed with 3/26.
Steve Smith, Australia’s best performer with the bat, made 35 off 48 balls, but he couldn’t carry the innings for long. He had briefly found stability alongside wicketkeeper Josh Inglis (18), but Rauf struck to dismiss Inglis in the 14th over, and then claimed the crucial wicket of Marnus Labuschagne for just six.
The Australian collapse continued when Mohammad Hasnain removed Smith, leaving Australia in deep trouble at 101/5 by the 21st over. Rauf, riding the wave of momentum, went on to take two more wickets — Aaron Hardie (13) and Glenn Maxwell (16) — before completing his stunning five-wicket haul by dismissing Australian captain Pat Cummins for 13.
Australia’s tail tried to offer some resistance, with Adam Zampa contributing 18 runs, but Shaheen Shah Afridi wrapped up the innings by bowling him out. Australia was all out in the 35th over, with Pakistan’s bowlers dominating throughout.
Rauf’s remarkable figures of 5/29 in eight overs were the standout performance, while Shaheen (3 wickets) and Naseem Shah (2 wickets) also played key roles in the demolition. Hasnain added a further wicket to complete the job for Pakistan.
Australia had won the opening ODI in a nail-biting two-wicket finish, but this defeat leaves the series evenly poised at 1-1.
With the third and final ODI set to be the decider, both teams will be looking to give it their all, with Pakistan’s bowlers gaining the upper hand after this dominant display.
Despite the return of Josh Hazlewood to the Australian team, the home side's batting frailties were exposed, and they’ll need to regroup quickly ahead of the crucial final match.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain.
Australia: Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.
