Babar, Shadab Guide Pakistan’s Tricky Chase to Beat Australia in 3rd ODI

Pakistan defeated Australia in the 3rd ODI by 4 wickets, as Babar Azam and Shadab Khan’s steady knocks helped the home side to chase down a tricky target. Australia tried their best to defend a low total, but Shadab Khan remained firm at the other end to complete the chase of 158.

Batting first, Australia got off to a poor start, as Matthew Short went back to the pavilion on the second delivery of the first over. Captain Josh Inglis then built a partnership with Marnus Labuschagne to take the game forward, however, Shaheen Afridi removed the latter for just 19 runs.

Alex Carey then came to the crease at number 4, but he couldn’t produce a big innings as well. Haris Rauf bowled him with a clean delivery, giving Australia another shock during the middle overs.  

Skipper Josh Inglis then completed his fighting fifty, but Shaheen came back with a sharp spell to remove him in the 27th over. He went back to the dugout after scoring 65 runs, hitting 8 fours and a six.

The middle order of Australia then crumbled quickly without showing any fight. As a result, the visitors folded for just 157 in the first innings, with Josh Inglis remaining their only notable performer.

Coming out to chase the target, Pakistan got off to a steady start. Despite losing Sahibzada Farhan in the 3rd over, the home side played confidently in the Powerplay to take the chase forward. After scoring quick 27 runs, Maaz Sadaqat went back to the pavilion in the 8th over, however, Babar Azam remained firm at the crease

He played a valiant knock on a tricky pitch that wasn’t allowing batters to hit big shots freely. Due to this, the middle order of Pakistan lost quick wickets, but Babar held his nerves to take the chase forward.

The superstar batter was looking well set to score a fifty, but Kuhnemann came up with a ripper to dismiss him on 40 runs. The home side then felt the pressure, as the Australian team saw an opportunity to come back into the match. Fortunately, Shadab Khan came up with a steady knock to disrupt their plans, as the allrounder smashed 29 towards the end to win the game. He was well supported by Abdul Samad at the other end, who also played well for his unbeaten 18 runs.

By winning the match, Pakistan successfully won the ODI series by 2-1, with Arafat Minhas bagging the Player of the Series award for performing well in all fixtures.