Australia have come to Pakistan to play a three-match ODI series against the home team. Yesterday, they faced Pakistan in the first ODI of the series at the Gaddafi Stadium, where the Aussies have won by 88 runs. Travis Head, the Aussie all-rounder, became the Player of the Match for his brilliant performance both in ball and bat. However, Australia have climbed up to the 4th on point table of the ICC Super League. Meanwhile, Pakistan slipped down to the 11th after this loss against Australia.
Match Report
Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, won the toss and decided to bowl first at Gaddafi Stadium. So, Aussie skipper Aaron Finch and Travis Head started the batting innings for the visitors. Both were playing very confidently against Pakistan’s pacers. They consistently picked runs in the powerplay. Moreover, Australia added a hundred runs without losing a wicket. Finally, Zahid Mahmood broke the partnership as he picked up the wicket of Aaron Finch in the 15th over. Finch scored 23 runs from 36 balls.
However, opener Travis Head made another partnership with the new batsman, Ben McDermott. They added 69 runs together on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, Travis Head lost the wicket to Iftikhar Ahmed in the 25th over. Before losing the wicket, Head scored a brilliant century for the team with twelve fours and three sixes. On the other hand, McDermott became run-out after scoring 55 runs. In the end, Cameroon Green added 40 runs on the scoresheet. So after 50 over, Australia set a target of 314 runs for Pakistan.
Chasing a massive target, the home team lost their first wicket as Fakhar Zaman departed in the 5th over. He scored only 18 runs for Pakistan. After that, opener Imam-ul-Haq made a brilliant partnership with the skipper, Babar Azam. Together they added 96 runs for Pakistan. It looked they could chase the target. But the disaster started when the captain lost the wicket. In the 25th over, Babar Azam had to go back to the pavilion after scoring 57 runs. Since then, many batters have come and gone, but no one could play a meaningful innings. Imam-ul-Haq fought alone. Although he scored 103 runs for Pakistan, the team did not win.
Scorecard
Australia: 313/7 (50 Overs)
Pakistan: 225/10 (45.2 Overs)