Australia vs Pakistan, first ODI: Captain Cummins leads hosts to nervy win | Cricket News

Cummins’s all-round efficiency took Australia to a two-wicket win in Melbourne for a 1-0 lead within the three-match ODI sequence.

Australia’s captain Pat Cummins has guided his crew dwelling to a tense two-wicket win over Pakistan after a quick wobble of their run-chase within the first one-day worldwide (ODI) in Melbourne.

Cummins scored 32 essential runs and took two wickets as Australia chased 204 regardless of a late Pakistani fightback, and took a 1-0 lead within the three-match sequence on Monday.

Pakistan had been dismissed for 203 in 46.4 overs after being requested to bat first as their batters failed to deal with the Australian tempo assault on a quick and bouncy pitch on the Melbourne Cricket Floor.

Australia, who gained the ODI World Cup in India in 2023, had been coasting in direction of the goal with Steve Smith and Josh Inglis on the crease at 113-2 after 16.2 overs.

Nevertheless, the guests posed a quick risk to the world champions when their quick bowlers mixed to take 5 wickets for 45 runs and opened up the match.

Cummins, although, was calm whereas wickets fell round him and hit 4 boundaries as he accomplished the chase with fellow quick bowler Mitchell Starc.

The captain, taking part in his first ODI for the reason that World Cup remaining, burnished his file of guiding Australia to victory from positions of peril, having scored the profitable runs through the Ashes Check at Edgbaston final yr and twice hung robust with the bat on the World Cup.

“Tonight we obtained it executed. I all the time a lot choose sitting within the altering room however a beautiful match,” Cummins stated afterwards.

“It obtained a bit tighter than we might have favored in the long run.”

The bottom was solely 1 / 4 full with a crowd of 25,800, however Rauf had Pakistan followers leaping within the terraces with a scorching spell that included dismissing Marnus Labuschagne (16) and Glenn Maxwell (0) in successive deliveries.

Tempo spearhead Starc was named man of the match with three wickets, together with each the openers of Pakistan.

In Pakistan’s first ODI since lacking the World Cup semifinals, the crew’s prime batter, Babar Azam, returned to the lineup after being stunningly dropped for the second and third Assessments towards England.

The previous captain made 37 off 44 balls earlier than being bowled by leg-spinner Adam Zampa with an ill-judged push at a straight supply.

Saim Ayub made his ODI debut as Mohammad Rizwan captained Pakistan, reprising his opening partnership in Assessments with Abdullah Shafique, regardless of the pair’s horrible file batting collectively.

Each had been dismissed cheaply by Starc; Ayub for one after chopping onto his stumps and Shafique caught behind for 12.

Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan with 44 and ODI debutant Irfan Khan made 22 batting at seven earlier than being run out.

Nevertheless it took tail-end slogging from Naseem Shah (40) and Afridi (24) to push Pakistan previous 200.