1st ODI: Pakistan defeat Australia by 5 wickets

Rawalpindi (Web Desk): Pakistan defeated Australia by five wickets in the first One-Day International (ODI) at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series.

Batting first, Australia were bowled out for 200 runs in 44.1 overs. The visitors’ innings was led by Matt Renshaw, who scored 61 runs, while Matthew Short contributed 55. Alex Carey added 19 and Matthew Kuhnemann scored 24 runs.

For Pakistan, the standout bowling performance came from debutant Arafat Minhas, who claimed five wickets, while Abrar Ahmed took two wickets. Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Salman Ali Agha picked up one wicket each.

Chasing 201, Pakistan reached the target in the 43rd over, losing five wickets along the way. Babar Azam top-scored with 69 runs off 94 balls, while Ghazi Ghori contributed 65 runs. Sahibzada Farhan made 28, Muaz Sadqaat scored 8, and Salman Ali Agha added 6 runs. Arafat Minhas and Abdul Samad remained unbeaten with 18 and 1 run respectively.

Pakistan now lead the three-match series 1–0. The second ODI will be played on June 2 in Lahore.

This match also marked Pakistan’s 1,000th ODI appearance, a historic milestone for the team. Captain Shaheen Afridi called it a proud moment, saying it was an honour to lead the side in such a landmark match and expressing hope for continued strong performances.