Web Desk: Debutant spinner Arafat Minhas delivered a memorable performance on his one-day international debut, taking five wickets as Pakistan bowled out Australia for 200 in the first ODI in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
Australia won the toss and chose to bat. However, Pakistan’s disciplined bowling attack never allowed the visitors to settle. As a result, Australia lost all their wickets in 44.1 overs.
Matthew Renshaw led Australia’s scoring with 61 runs. Matthew Short added 55. However, the middle order failed to build on the foundation, allowing Pakistan to maintain control throughout the innings.
Pakistan made crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs. Minhas dismissed captain Josh Inglis for 13 runs. He then piled more pressure on the visitors. Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green both departed without scoring.
Despite some resistance from Renshaw and Short, Australia failed to recover from the regular loss of wickets.
Minhas emerged as the star of the innings. The 20-year-old became the first Pakistani bowler to take a five-wicket haul on ODI debut.
The left-arm spinner returned figures of 5 for 32 from his 10 overs. He dismantled Australia’s batting lineup with a disciplined and mature display.
His performance gave Pakistan a significant advantage. It also highlighted the emergence of another promising young talent in the national setup.
Abrar Ahmed provided strong support with two wickets. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Ali Agha and Haris Rauf claimed one wicket each.
Pakistan’s bowlers applied pressure throughout the innings. They prevented Australia from posting a challenging total on a pitch that offered assistance to both seamers and spinners.
Pakistan now need 201 runs to win the match and take an early lead in the ODI series.
Shaheen Shah Afridi leads a youthful Pakistan side. The playing XI features Sahibzada Farhan, Moaz Sadaqat, Babar Azam, wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori, Salman Ali Agha, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf and Abrar Ahmed.
With a modest target ahead, Pakistan will aim to complete the chase and capitalize on Minhas’ record-breaking debut.
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