Historic 1,000th ODI: Pakistan Crush Australia in Rawalpindi Opener as Debutant Arafat Minhas Steals the Show
RAWALPINDI: It was a momentous day for Pakistan cricket as the national team stepped onto the turf of the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to play their milestone 1,000th One Day International. The Men in Green made sure the celebrations were historic, dismantling a formidable Australian lineup to register an emphatic five-wicket victory and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The Minhas Masterclass Stuns Australia
Winning the toss on a dry, spin-friendly surface, Pakistan’s skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi elected to bowl first. While Australia’s openers Matthew Short (55) and Alex Carey provided a steady launchpad, the introduction of Pakistan’s spin attack completely flipped the narrative.
The star of the afternoon was undoubtedly 21-year-old left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas, who produced a dream debut performance. Minhas completely tore through the Australian middle order, trapping both stand-in captain Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne leg-before-wicket (lbw) in a single over. He followed it up with a peach of a delivery to clean bowl power-hitter Cameron Green.
Despite a resilient 61 from Matt Renshaw and Short's half-century, the visitors collapsed from a decent 62/1 to a modest 200 all-out in 44.1 overs. Minhas rewrote history by registering phenomenal figures of 5 for 32, becoming the first-ever Pakistani bowler to claim a fifer on his ODI debut.
Babar and Ghori Anchor the Chase
Chasing 201, Pakistan's response met an early bump, slipping to 32/2 after losing openers Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat to the spinning ball. However, former captain Babar Azam assumed total control of the innings.
Partnering with young wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori, Babar stitched together a match-winning 127-run partnership for the third wicket. Babar struck a silky 69 off 94 balls, while Ghori showcased elite temperament, registering a composed maiden ODI fifty (65 off 92 balls).
Though Aussie pacer Nathan Ellis struck back late to remove both set batters, the result was never in doubt. Poetically, it was the man-of-the-match Arafat Minhas who finished things in style, launching a towering six to seal the 5-wicket victory with 45 balls to spare.