Lahore, June 5: Pakistan defeated Australia by 4 wickets in the third ODI, securing the series 2-1. At Gaddafi Stadium, Australian batsmen struggled against Pakistan’s bowlers, managing only 157 runs. Pakistan chased down the target of 158 runs, losing 6 wickets in 41.5 overs.
The Pakistani team’s start was shaky. Sahibzada Farhan fell for just 6 runs, dismissed by Nathan Ellis. Majid Sadakat couldn’t capitalize on a good start, scoring 27 runs off 26 balls with 5 fours. Babar Azam played a crucial role, scoring 40 runs off 84 balls, stabilizing the innings. Ghazi Ghori managed only 8 runs before returning to the pavilion.
Salman Agha also failed to impress, getting out for 15 runs. However, Abdul Samad and Shadab Khan formed an unbeaten partnership of 49 runs, leading Pakistan to victory. Shadab scored 29 runs off 42 balls, while Abdul remained not out on 18 runs. For Australia, Matthew Kuhnemann took the most wickets, claiming 3, while Nathan Ellis and Matthew Short each took 1.
Batting first after winning the toss, Australia had a disastrous start. Matthew Short was dismissed without scoring, and Marnus Labuschagne managed only 19 runs. Alex Carey was bowled by Haris Rauf for 19 runs, while Cameron Green scored just 7. Matt Renshaw (4 runs) and Cooper Connolly (3 runs) also failed to make an impact, leading to the team’s total of 157 runs.
Josh Inglis was the standout performer for Australia, scoring 65 runs off 71 balls, including 8 fours and 1 six, but lacked support from the other batsmen. Pakistan’s captain Shaheen Afridi was the star with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 30 runs, while Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan each took 2 wickets.
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SM/AS
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