The duo of Australia skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc excelled by not only restricting Pakistan to a low total but also standing like a wall at the crease while chasing, guiding their team to victory in the first ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on Monday, November 4.(Highlights | Scorecard | More Cricket News)
The match began with Australia winning the toss and opting to field first, a decision that proved to be a smart one as the Aussie bowlers restricted Pakistan effectively.
Starc delivered a sizzling spell, putting Australia in a commanding position at the innings break, with Pakistan bowled out for just 203 runs in 46.4 overs at the MCG.
Mitchell Starc concluded with impressive figures of 3 for 33 in 10 overs, showcasing his excellent form this summer and earning the Player of the Match award.
Pakistan's batters struggled alot to adjust to the fast and bouncy conditions at the MCG, with Babar Azam standing out by scoring a stylish 37 off 44 balls. Transitioning directly from the low-spinning Test pitches of Multan and Rawalpindi last month made the change in conditions particularly challenging.
New captain Mohammad Rizwan was the top scorer with 44 runs, but it took him 71 balls to reach that total. Naseem Shah also made a significant impact from the No. 9 position, contributing 40 runs off 39 balls, including four sixes, which helped ensure Pakistan set a target of over 200 for Australia.
Starc's fast deliveries at 140 kph accounted for the wickets of Saim Ayub on his debut and Abdullah Shafique.
The pair have not opened the batting together in ODI cricket, but their partnership has struggled in the past, averaging only 8 runs across 12 Test innings. Their international average has now gone down to 7.61 with Ayub's dismissal.
Their opening partnerships have been quite disappointing with scores of 0, 0, 3, 5, 0, 7, 8, 0, 15, 9, 35, 14, and 3.
Australia's chase started with a new opening pair, Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk, who looked promising at first but fell victim to Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah in the early overs. Then came the man who seemed like a nightmare for the Pakistani bowlers, Steve Smith.
He scored 44 off 46 balls but was dismissed just before reaching fifty. Josh Inglis faced a similar fate, scoring 49 off 42 balls before being out to Afridi. The Pakistani bowlers ensured the Australians did not complete their fifties, creating a sudden shift in momentum.
But it was Haris Rauf who made what seemed like an easy chase a tough one for the mighty Australians. After a solid start at 139 for 3, with Steven Smith and Josh Inglis looking in control, things took a turn when they slipped to 155 for 7 thanks to Rauf's explosive spell.
The situation got worse at 185 for 8 when Sean Abbott was run out, nearly taking Cummins with him.
Still, the skipper stood his ground, just like he had in Edgbaston, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Christchurch over the last year and a half. It’s safe to say the bowlers played a crucial role in securing the win for Australia today.
