PAK vs AUS: Afridi, Babar star as Pakistan seal series with 4-wicket win in Lahore

Pakistan completed a 2-1 series victory over Australia, with a four-wicket victory in the third ODI on Thursday, June 4, at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Batting first, Australia were skittled for 157 in 42 overs, with only captain Josh Inglis showing some fight with his half-century.

For Pakistan, captain Shaheen Afridi led from the front with his three-wicket haul, while Abrar Ahmed (2/19) and Shadab Khan (2/28, 9 overs) also chipped in with two wickets. In reply, Pakistan chased down the target in 41.5 overs with solid contributions from Babar Azam (40 off 84), Shadab Khan (29* off 42) and Maaz Sadaqat (27 off 26). Matthew Kuhnemann (3/38) gave a major scare to the hosts in the middle overs, but they eventually got over the line.

Earlier in the day, Australia got off to a disastrous start as Shaheen Afridi struck with the new ball, removing Matthew Short (0 off 2) in the first over itself. Marnus Labuschagne (19 off 39) tried to weather the storm, stitching a 46-run stand for the second wicket alongside captain Inglis, before a run out brought an end to his innings.

However, at the other end, Inglis continued to bat positively, bringing up his sixth ODI half-century off 56 balls. But there was no support for the Australia captain as Haris Rauf removed Alex Carey (19 off 32) to leave Pakistan on 98/3 after 22.1 overs.

Four overs later, captain Afridi got the big fish, dismissing his Australian counterpart, who hit one straight to Sahibzada Farhan (65 off 71) at mid-on. The Pakistan skipper further sent Cameron Green (7 off 15) on his way back to the pavilion, leaving Australia in all sorts of trouble.

Australia were eventually bundled out for 157 in 42 overs. In the second innings, Nathan Ellis struck early for Australia by shattering Sahibzada Farhan’s (6 off 7) stumps. Maaz Sadaqat and Babar Azam kept the scoreboard moving before Matthew Kuhnemann struck thrice in quick succession to put the brakes on the scoring rate.

In the end, an unbeaten 49-run partnership off 67 balls between Shadab Khan (29* off 42) and Abdul Samad (18 off 30) helped Pakistan cross the finishing line.

Top run-scorer of the Match

Top wicket-taker of the Match

Player of the Match

Shaheen Afridi was adjudged Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling spell, where he accounted for three crucial wickets of Matthew Short, Josh Inglis and Cameron Green. He finished with figures of 3/30 in eight overs. On the other hand, Arafat Minhas was adjudged Player of the series for scoring 60 runs and taking seven wickets across three matches.

Turning Point

Australia were eyeing a good total with their captain, Josh Inglis, well-set at the crease on 65. However, Afridi got rid of the Australian skipper and Cameron Green in the same over, leaving the visitors in all sorts of trouble. Australia went on to lose the last seven wickets for 38 runs, which became a major turning point of the match.

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan):  

(Players had to grind for victory) Absolutely, I think team effort throughout the series. It was a tough one for the batters, but ever run counts and they put in the effort, which is why we won the game. (Playing in spin-friendly conditions tests the technique and temperament of the batters?) When the conditions are there, we use them, and when we went to Australia, we won the series, the conditions suited the fast bowlers there. But I think our batsmen fought well, and throughout the series the bowlers bowled in good areas. And Arafat deserves a lot of credit, it was a very good series for him. (Happy to restrict Australia to low totals?) Absolutely. There were a couple of partnerships in the series, but our plan was to create as many dot balls as possible, and the bowlers did their job, credit to them. (Your pace seems to be up) I try to do as much as I can for the betterment of the team. Hopefully I will continue do so in the future as well (smiles).

Losing Captain, Josh Inglis (Australia):

(Proud of the way the guys fought?) Yeah, again, a bit like the first game, I think we were just too many runs short and I thought the bowlers and the fielding group really did a great effort there. Put us in a position to potentially win the game, but yeah, it wasn't to be in the end. (Highlight what has gone well in this series) Yeah, there has been. There's some young and inexperienced guys in that changing room. So I think it's great learning for them. I thought we made some strides again. And sort of today, we had an opportunity to be really ruthless with our foot on the throat and just sort of handed the game back to Pakistan. They're a very good side, so disappointing in that sense, but there's lots of positives to take. (On playing Bangladesh next) Yeah, we might get similar (conditions) over there, so I guess we'll wait and see. But yeah, it's been nice to see some different conditions here, put some plans in place. And like I said, it's a good experience for a lot of the guys.