RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Debutant Arafat Minhas produced a memorable five-wicket haul as Pakistan bowled out Australia for 200 in the opening One-Day International of the three-match series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The match marked Pakistan’s 1,000th ODI appearance, making them only the third team after India and Australia to reach the milestone.
After winning the toss, Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi elected to field first, a decision that paid immediate dividends as his bowlers restricted the tourists to a modest total in 44.1 overs.
Australia’s innings was built around half-centuries from Matt Short and Matthew Renshaw, but regular wickets prevented the visitors from establishing momentum on a pitch that offered assistance to both seamers and spinners.
Australia made a steady start through Short and Alex Carey, who added 34 runs for the opening wicket.
Pakistan secured the breakthrough in the seventh over when spinner Abrar Ahmed dismissed Carey for 19.
Short and captain Josh Inglis then attempted to rebuild the innings with a cautious partnership before Minhas changed the course of the match.
Milestone achieved in his very first match 💪
Arafat Minhas delivers a spell to remember 🌟
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The left-arm spinner struck twice in the 14th over, dismissing Inglis for 13 and trapping Marnus Labuschagne for a duck.
He then removed Cameron Green in his next over to leave Australia struggling at 68-4.
The double blow exposed Australia’s middle order and handed Pakistan complete control of the contest.
With wickets falling around him, Short combined with Matthew Renshaw to steady the innings through a 55-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Short reached his fourth ODI half-century before Minhas struck again, dismissing the opener for 55 from 76 deliveries. His innings included six boundaries.
Renshaw then assumed responsibility for Australia’s recovery effort.
He shared useful partnerships with Ollie Peake and Matthew Kuhnemann to guide the tourists beyond 150.
The left-hander was eventually dismissed by Abrar Ahmed in the 39th over after top-scoring with 61 from 63 balls, including five fours and a six.
Renshaw’s dismissal exposed Australia’s lower order, which failed to offer significant resistance against Pakistan’s attack.
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf cleaned up the tail as Australia lost their remaining wickets quickly and were bowled out for exactly 200.
Minhas finished with outstanding figures of 5 for 32 from his 10 overs on his ODI debut.
Hear from Arafat Minhas moments after his historic five-wicket haul on debut 🗣️
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Abrar supported him with two wickets, while Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen and Haris claimed one wicket each.
Historic occasion
The Rawalpindi fixture was Australia’s first bilateral ODI in Pakistan since their 2022 tour, when the hosts secured a 2-1 series victory.
Before the match, Pakistan entered the contest having won 36 of their previous 111 ODIs against Australia, who had emerged victorious on 71 occasions.
One match ended in a tie, while three produced no result.
Pakistan now require 201 runs to secure victory and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
