Australia suffered a humiliating five-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the first ODI in Rawalpindi on Saturday, with debutant spinner Arafat Minhas taking five wickets to lead his side to a memorable win in their 1,000th ODI.
Minhas Makes History on Debut
Minhas finished with figures of 5-32, becoming the first Pakistan bowler to claim a five-wicket haul on ODI debut. His spell helped bowl out an understrength Australia for 200 in 44.1 overs, before Pakistan chased down the target with 45 balls to spare.
Babar Azam top-scored with 69 off 94 balls, while Ghazi Ghori made an impressive 65, adding 127 runs for the third wicket after Pakistan were reduced to 49-2. Both fell to paceman Nathan Ellis, but Minhas smashed a six to seal the win.
Australia's Batting Collapse
Sent in to bat, Australia saw Matthew Renshaw hit 61 and opener Matthew Short score 55, but they struggled against Pakistan's spin attack, with eight wickets falling to slow bowlers. Minhas removed stand-in skipper Josh Inglis (13), Marnus Labuschagne (0), and Cameron Green (0) in quick succession, leaving Australia reeling at 68-4.
Short and Renshaw fought back with a 55-run stand, but Minhas broke the partnership by having Short stumped. Abrar Ahmed (2-44) dismissed Renshaw, and Minhas completed his five-wicket haul by removing Nathan Ellis for eight.
Inglis Rues Lack of Runs
Australia's stand-in captain Josh Inglis lamented his side's batting performance. "I think 30-40 more runs would have been interesting," he said. "I thought we made them work really hard to get over the line."
Australia are missing several key players, including regular skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and opener Travis Head.
Minhas Delighted with Record
Minhas expressed his joy after the match. "It's great to have achieved a record," he said. "I like to enjoy that pressure environment, and my focus was on enjoying this opportunity and it's great to have contributed to the victory."
The remaining two matches of the series will be played in Lahore on Tuesday and Thursday.
