Australian captain Pat Cummins revealed the reason behind the Aussies’ failure in the second ODI which Pakistan won by nine wickets said “There was a bit seam around there“.
A total of three ODIs were scheduled to be played during the Pakistan tour of Australia 2024. The hosts won the first game by 2 wickets and took the lead in the three-match ODI series.
Pakistan won the do-or-die match played at Adelaide and levelled the series. With the victory, Pakistan still have a chance to win the series. Pakistan bowlers who exhibited an impressive performance in the first ODI continued their momentum in the second game.
Pakistan contained the hosts for 163 runs in the first inning and chased the target with ease. Haris Rauf was awarded the player of the match for his impressive five-wicket haul.
Following a defeat in the second ODI, Australian captain Pat Cummins said “Wasn’t one of our best days. They bowled well, but we should have done better and scored more than 160. There was a bit seam around there.
We tried to attack (with some close-in fielders) but it wasn’t to be. I will leave it to him (Inglis), he has some experience. So let him be him. We have a week at home. Good training sessions needed, mind now switches to the red ball (for the upcoming Test series vs India).
Speaking of the match, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first where Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk opened the inning on behalf of Australia. Pakistan bowlers exhibited an aggressive attack since the first ball of the innings.
Australia struggled to withstand the Pakistan pace attack and lost wickets in a regular intervals. Shaheen Afridi made the first wicket by dismissing Fraser-McGurk for 13 and soon struck back in the seventh over and dismissed Short for 19.
After losing the openers before reaching the 50 runs mark, Aussie batters might planned to move the inning in a steady manner. But Pakistan bowers with their impressive bowling ability gave no room for the hosts to build a partnership.
Steven Smith’s 35 off 48 is the highest individual score by an Australian player in this match. Haris Rauf played a crucial role in Pakistan’s successful bowling attack as the pacer bagged five wickets for 29 runs in the eight overs he bowled.
On the other hand, Australian bowlers failed to replicate the hosts’ bowling performances and struggled to bag a wicket. Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique made a 100-run stand for the first wicket in the 163-run target game.
Zampa dismissed Ayub for 82 runs when Pakistan scored 137 runs. With Abdullah Shafique’s unbeaten 64, Pakistan reached the target in 26.3 overs and won the game by nine wickets.
With the victory, Pakistan levelled the three-match ODI series by 1-1 while the third and final match was to be played on November 10 in Perth Stadium, Perth.
