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What a finish! What a series!
Pakistan have done it. They've beaten the World Champions 2-1 in a tense, low-scoring decider at the Gaddafi Stadium. If you missed this one, you missed a classic.
Chasing just 158, Pakistan made heavy weather of it. But Shadab Khan and Abdul Samad held their nerves to guide the hosts home with 8.1 overs to spare.
Final score: Pakistan 161/6 beat Australia 157 all out by 4 wickets. Pakistan win series 2-1.
📊 Match at a Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| 🏟️ Venue | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
| 🪙 Toss | Australia elected to bat first |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 157 all out (42 overs) |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 161/6 (41.5 overs) |
| 🏆 Result | Pakistan won by 4 wickets |
| 📈 Series | Pakistan wins 3-match series 2-1 |
| ⭐ POTM | Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/30) |
| 🏅 POTS | Arafat Minhas |
🔥 TOP 5 KEY HIGHLIGHTS
1️⃣ SHAHEEN'S FIRST-BALL MAGIC (0.2 overs)
Remember the second ODI? Shaheen removed Carey first ball. This time? Matthew Short gone for a duck. Off stump cartwheeling. Australia 0/1. The crowd lost it.
2️⃣ THE RUN OUT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING (11.5 overs)
Marnus Labuschagne was looking solid on 19. Then Haris Rauf's direct hit caught him short. Run out. Australia went from 46/1 to 46/2. Momentum shifted FOREVER.
3️⃣ ABRAR'S UNPLAYABLE SPELL (10-2-19-2)
44 DOT BALLS in 10 overs. That's 73% dot balls. Absolutely suffocating. Removed Renshaw (4) and Connolly (3) in a middle-over chokehold. Australia's batters had no answer.
4️⃣ INGLIS FIGHTS ALONE – 65 OFF 71
The only Australian who looked comfortable. 8 fours, 1 six. But when Shaheen removed him at 119/4, Australia's hopes went with him. Last 7 wickets fell for just 59 runs.
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5️⃣ SHADAB & SAMAD HOLD THEIR NERVE (112/6 → 161/6)
Pakistan were 112/6. Still needed 46 runs. Babar gone. Arafat gone. Crowd SILENT. But Shadab (29 off 42)* and Abdul Samad (18 off 30)* played sensible, mature cricket. No heroics. Just singles. Perfect chase management.
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🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA'S INNINGS – Total Collapse
Batting Scorecard
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | How Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Short | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | c Farhan b Shaheen |
| J Inglis † | 65 | 71 | 8 | 1 | c Farhan b Shaheen |
| M Labuschagne | 19 | 39 | 2 | 0 | run out |
| A Carey | 19 | 32 | 1 | 0 | b Haris |
| C Green | 7 | 15 | 1 | 0 | c Babar b Shaheen |
| M Renshaw | 4 | 13 | 0 | 0 | c Salman b Abrar |
| C Connolly | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | b Abrar |
| O Peake | 7 | 13 | 1 | 0 | c Ghori b Shadab |
| M Kuhnemann | 9* | 29 | 0 | 0 | not out |
| A Zampa | 10 | 23 | 0 | 0 | b Shadab |
| N Ellis | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | run out |
| Extras | 13 | ||||
| Total | 157 all out | 42 overs |
Pakistan Bowling – Absolute Clinic
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Eco | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaheen Afridi | 8 | 1 | 30 | 3 | 3.75 | 32 |
| Abrar Ahmed | 10 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 1.90 | 44 |
| Shadab Khan | 9 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 3.11 | 31 |
| Haris Rauf | 7 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 4.71 | 28 |
| Arafat Minhas | 6 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 4.50 | 24 |
😲 MIND-BLOWING STAT: Abrar Ahmed bowled 44 dot balls in 10 overs. That's 73% dot balls. Australia couldn't score off him AT ALL.
Wicket Flow – How Australia Fell Apart
| Wicket | Score | Batter | Partnership |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 0/1 | Short (0) | 0 runs |
| 2nd | 46/2 | Labuschagne (19) | 46 runs |
| 3rd | 98/3 | Carey (19) | 52 runs |
| 4th | 119/4 | Inglis (65) | 21 runs |
| 5th | 120/5 | Green (7) | 1 run |
| 6th | 126/6 | Renshaw (4) | 6 runs |
| 7th | 131/7 | Connolly (3) | 5 runs |
| 8th | 137/8 | Peake (7) | 6 runs |
| 9th | 156/9 | Zampa (10) | 19 runs |
| 10th | 157/10 | Ellis (1) | 1 run |
⚠️ CRITICAL STAT: Last 7 wickets fell for just 59 runs. That's the game right there.
🇵🇰 PAKISTAN'S CHASE – Nervy But Home
Batting Scorecard
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | How Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S Farhan | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | b Ellis |
| M Sadaqat | 27 | 26 | 5 | 0 | lbw b Short |
| B Azam | 40 | 84 | 3 | 0 | b Kuhnemann |
| G Ghori † | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0 | b Kuhnemann |
| S Agha | 15 | 24 | 1 | 0 | c Inglis b Kuhnemann |
| A Minhas | 9 | 25 | 1 | 0 | c Green b Renshaw |
| A Samad | 18* | 30 | 1 | 0 | not out |
| S Khan | 29* | 42 | 2 | 0 | not out |
| Extras | 9 | ||||
| Total | 161/6 | 41.5 overs |
Australia Bowling – Brave But Not Enough
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Eco | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Kuhnemann | 10 | 1 | 38 | 3 | 3.80 | 39 |
| N Ellis | 9 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 4.44 | 31 |
| M Short | 7 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 3.28 | 28 |
| A Zampa | 9.5 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 3.86 | 32 |
| M Renshaw | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2.00 | 13 |
Wicket Flow – The Nail-Biter
| Wicket | Score | Batter | Partnership |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 27/1 | Farhan (6) | 27 runs |
| 2nd | 41/2 | Sadaqat (27) | 14 runs |
| 3rd | 60/3 | Ghori (8) | 19 runs |
| 4th | 93/4 | Salman (15) | 33 runs |
| 5th | 112/5 | Babar (40) | 19 runs |
| 6th | 112/6 | Arafat (9) | 0 runs |
| 7th | 161/6 | Shadab & Samad | 49 runs (unbroken) |
📈 POWERPLAY BREAKDOWN
Australia
| PP | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Run Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PP1 | 1-10 | 41 | 1 | 4.10 |
| PP2 | 11-40 | 113 | 7 | 3.76 |
| PP3 | 41-42 | 3 | 2 | 1.50 |
Pakistan
| PP | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Run Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PP1 | 1-10 | 45 | 2 | 4.50 |
| PP2 | 11-40 | 103 | 4 | 3.43 |
| PP3 | 41-41.5 | 13 | 0 | 7.80 |
⭐ PLAYER RATINGS
Australia
| Player | Performance | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| J Inglis | 65 (71) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| M Kuhnemann | 3/38 + 9 runs | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| N Ellis | 1/40 | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| M Short | 0 & 1/23 | ⭐⭐ |
| Rest of batting | 19 runs combined | ⭐ |
Pakistan
| Player | Performance | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| S Afridi | 3/30 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Abrar Ahmed | 2/19 (10 overs) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Shadab Khan | 29* + 2/28 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| A Samad | 18* (30) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| B Azam | 40 (84) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| M Sadaqat | 27 (26) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
🏆 SERIES AWARDS
| Award | Winner | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Match (3rd ODI) | Shaheen Afridi | 3/30 |
| Player of the Series | Arafat Minhas | 2 wickets + 33 runs across 3 matches |
| Series Result | Pakistan | Won 2-1 |
📅 WHAT'S NEXT?
Pakistan – Have a break now. Next assignment TBA.
Australia – Travel to Bangladesh for 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is, starting June 9.
📋 FINAL MATCH SUMMARY
| Australia | 157 all out (42 overs) |
|---|---|
| Top scorer | Josh Inglis 65 |
| Best bowling | Shaheen 3/30, Abrar 2/19 |
| Pakistan | 161/6 (41.5 overs) |
|---|---|
| Top scorers | Babar 40, Shadab 29, Samad 18 |
| Best bowling | Kuhnemann 3/38 |
| Result | Pakistan won by 4 wickets |
| Series | Pakistan wins 2-1 |
| POTM | Shaheen Afridi (3/30) |
| POTS | Arafat Minhas |
What a series! Did Pakistan deserve to win? Should Australia have scored more? Drop your thoughts below!
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