PAK vs AUS ODI-3: Pak won the series against Australia after 33 years
After a major heartbreak in the test series, Pakistan finally got their revenge against Australia by creating history. Pakistan has won the ODI series against Australia at home after 33 years with a dominant batting performance, led by their Captain Babar Azam's unbeaten century.
Babar AzamThe Lahore crowd was on their feet, applauding their team's performance and victory.
Australia got no chance to stabilize the inning.
Pakistan started the first inning with the statement that they're here to win this in dominance. In 5.1 overs, the top three batters of Australia were back in the pavilion at a small score of 5, and after a hard-fought total of 67 half of the team. Alex Carey managed to score a half-century from Australia, and Sean Abbott played a cameo of 49, but Australia was bowled out for a small total of 210. Pakistan brought a complete team performance in the bowling department. Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr took three wickets each, while Shaheen Afridi scalped two wickets.
Australian skipper Aaron Finch said, "When you three down, you can't do much. We tried to do a different thing, but two guys showed their class. We wanted to keep attacking. We wanted to get 260 or 270 but took too many risks. Travis and Ben played well throughout. Adam Zampa was excellent throughout. It has been amazing to play in Pakistan in front of some great fans."
The super-consistent top order of Pakistan
After competing in the first two games, Australia didn't seem proactive enough with bat or ball. Opener Fakhar Zaman got out early for 17-runs in 12 balls. Imam-ul-Haq then built a partnership with skipper Babar Azam. The pair was comfortable enough to sail their team past the target. They both added a 190-run partnership from 250 balls as they chased down the total and remained not out. Imam-ul-Haq scored 89 off 100 balls, whereas captain Babar Azam scored 105 off 115. Back-to-back tons for the skipper in two matches speak volume about his form. The inability to strike wickets and give tough competition to hosts was evident enough to highlight how depleted the Australian squad was, especially in the bowling department.
Imam-ul-Haq, post-match said, "The way boys came back from the first match comes down to the self-belief and trust we have in each other. I'm a mature player now. I am working hard for the last one and a half years. Thanks to Babar, my best friend, and we help each other. Fakhar got out early and we knew we are in good form - me and Babar. Wasn't a big target. Just wanted to stay calm and punish the loose balls. I respect everyone. I have changed myself because I only look to control what I control (response to critics?)."
Time for one-match T20I
The final match of the series didn't turn out to be the contest fans were hoping for, as Pakistan won the match one-sided against Australia. This victory also means that Pakistan breaks a deadlock with New Zealand and West Indies to move into sole possession of eight places on the Cricket World Cup Super League points table with 60 points from 12 matches. After the Test and ODI series, all attention would be on a one-off T20I between the two.