Skipper Pat Cummins scores unbeaten 32 runs to secure 1-0 lead in three-match series
\n Melbourne
\nAustralia beat Pakistan by two wickets in a nail-biting fixture in the first ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Monday.
\nChasing a modest 204-run target set out by the Green Shirts, the Kangaroos had to fight their way against the Pakistani bowling unit to secure a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
\nThe hosts had a shaky start to the pursuit as their openers Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short perished inside four overs with just 28 runs on the board.
\nBut, a solid 85-run partnership between Steve Smith and Josh Inglis put Australia in a dominant position.
\nHowever, despite Haris Rauf\u2019s three wickets and two that of Shaheen Afridi, Australian skipper Pat Cummins (32*) dug in to help his side across the line in the 34th over.
\nEarlier in the day, put to bat first by the hosts, Pakistan had a rather dismal start to their innings against a ruthless Australian bowling attack and could accumulate 203 before getting bundled out in the 47th over.
\nHis opening partner Abdullah Shafique tasted a similar fate as he, too, was dismissed by Mitchell Starc, resulting in Pakistan slipping to 24-2 in 6.4 overs.
\nFollowing the early hiccup, skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam forged a fighting partnership.
\nThe duo appeared to have settled down, having added 39 runs for the third wicket.
\nBut until Cummins\u2019 decision to introduce spin turned the tide in Australia\u2019s favour as Adam Zampa got rid of star batter Babar in the 18th over.
\nBabar scored a cautious 37 off 44 deliveries with the help of four boundaries.
\nHis dismissal prompted a middle-order collapse as Pakistan lost three more wickets in quick succession, including that of their captain Rizwan, and thus slipped to 117-6 in 31.4 overs.
\nRizwan remained the top-scorer for Pakistan scoring 44 runs for 71 balls, featuring two fours and a six.
\nDebutant middle-order batter Muhammad Irfan Khan then put together a crucial partnership with Shaheen.
\nThe pair added 31 runs at a brisk pace amid their stand, which lasted with Shaheen\u2019s dismissal off Starc in the 37th over.
\nIrfan then set out for another crucial partnership when he, alongside Naseem Shah, added 27 runs for the eighth wicket.
\nThe debutant, however, had an agonising end to his brilliant innings as he got run out after scoring 22 off 35 deliveries. Naseem Shah then launched an onslaught on the Australian bowlers and gave a late push to Pakistan\u2019s total, courtesy of his quickfire cameo smashing one four and four sixes on his way to a 39-ball 40.
\nStarc led the way for Australia with three wickets, followed by Adam Zampa and Cummins with two each. Sean Abbott and Marnus Labuschagne made one scalp apiece.
\nPlaying XIs
\nPakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain.
\nAustralia: Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Skipper Pat Cummins scores unbeaten 32 runs to secure 1-0 lead in three-match series Melbourne Australia beat Pakistan by two wickets in a nail-biting fixture in the first ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Monday. Chasing a modest 204-run target set out by the Green Shirts, the Kangaroos had to fight their way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":441593,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-441563","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n