On Tuesday, Australia defeated Pakistan by 88 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in the opening of a three-match One-Day International series. Pakistan was bowled out for 225 in 45.2 overs while chasing a 314-run mark, losing by 88 runs.
Despite Imam-ul-century, Haq’s Haq’s squad struggled to stay together during the chase, losing wickets at a rapid pace. The opener hit six fours and three sixes in a 103-run innings off 96 balls. Babar Azam, on the other hand, reached the half-century mark with 57 off 72 balls. Australia’s Adam Zampa was in fine form, taking four wickets.
Earlier in the innings, Travis Head’s century (101 off 72 balls) had helped Australia reach 313 for seven in 50 overs, a 314-run total. Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Zahid Mahmood each grabbed two wickets.
Head hit 12 boundaries and three sixes in a 72-ball 101 to help Australia reach 313-7 in his first ODI since November 2018. Ben McDermott (55) also played his part, getting his first ODI fifty.
In the middle overs, spinners Zahid Mahmood (2-59) and Khushdil Shah (1-50) drew Pakistan back, before Cameron Green’s (40 not out) late burst took Australia beyond 300.
Despite a brilliant century from opener Imam-ul-Haq (103), who was removed by a Nathan Ellis yorker in the 39th over, the hosts struggled to gain pace on a slow Gaddafi Stadium surface.
With two wickets, Head (2-35) completed a perfect day, teaming with fellow spinners Adam Zampa (4-38) and Mitchell Swepson (2-53) to restrict Pakistan to 225 in 45.2 overs.
With a boundary off Swepson in the first ODI in Lahore since his debut in 2015, Babar became the second-fastest player behind Hashim Amla to achieve 4000 ODI runs, and he did so in style amid fans chanting his name and waving their illuminated iPhones.
Babar flicked the ball around and hit the rare boundary with amazing precision, keeping the long game in mind. He escaped a lbw appeal after a brilliant square drive off Swepson, which was granted, much to the chagrin of Australia’s skipper Aaron Finch, and maintained Australia’s poor use of DRS from the Test series.
based on “The lads did a fantastic job on the court. The opening batters set the tone for us to post a competitive total early on. To be honest, we expected the dew to make it a particularly difficult chase to defend. Our rapid bowlers, on the other hand, created a lot of pressure early on, and we were able to get some results later on. [Consultation from Daniel Vettori]
All of this is purely tactical. We do some research on the opposition and then discuss the strategy before going out, so we aim to keep things simple. It kept low and skidded through, I believe. Later in the evening, the dew appeared. We bowled slower to the tailenders because it began to spin late. It has been a fantastic experience.
We haven’t been here in 24 years, but we’re safe, joyful, and the crowds are incredible. [Referring to Travis] Travis excites me. He hasn’t played in a while, and a century off 70 balls is a match-winning innings.”
Therefore “We calculated that we’d require around 300 points. Because we had no prior experience with what we believed we needed to set, Travis Head getting off to a solid start made it a little easier for us.
They bowled well in the middle of the innings and towards the end, making it difficult for us to break away. We believed we needed an extra spinner because of how dry the square looked and how the Test wicket behaved.
There isn’t much grass in the vicinity. We come here with an open mind, willing to be flexible with the squad we pick and the many roles the people fill, and I’m quite impressed with how the lads tackled the task. Right now, it’s extremely wet.
The guys were attempting to hold the ball in the back end as long as possible. If you get some in batters, like Babar stated, it will be a lot easier. If you’ve just exposed a new batter, it can be a little more difficult. So, if we bat second, we’ll have to be aware of the fact that once you get someone in, you have to cash in big.”
Published By : VATSAL KOTHA
Edited By : KHUSHI THAKUR
