Fast bowler Haris Rauf took 5-29 and Saim Ayub scored 82 runs as Pakistan defeated Australia by nine wickets in the second one-day international on Friday.
Australia was 163 all out in 35 overs against Rauf’s relentless pace and left-hander Ayub smashed six sixes and five fours as Pakistan cruised to 169-1 in 26.3 overs to level the three-match series.
Former captain Babar Azam (15 not out) clinched the victory with a pulled six off Adam Zampa with Abdullah Shafique staying unbeaten on 64 off 69 balls which featured four boundaries and three sixes.
The series decider will be played at Perth on Sunday with Australia resting five frontline players to prepare for the five-match home test series against India, starting from Nov. 22 at Perth.
“Obviously this win gives us confidence,” said Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan, who won the toss and elected to field. “We want to keep that confidence going. All the bowlers had plans and they worked well.”
The opening pair of Ayub and Shafique had been criticized for a run of low scores in test matches, but both blunted the Australian pace with a match-winning stand of 137 runs after Pakistan kept faith in the duo in the white-ball format.
Ayub took his time against fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc before he grew in confidence and flicked Pat Cummins, Starc and Aaron Hardie for sixes and also smashed Zampa for two big hits.
The left-hander, who made his ODI debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday, got a reprieve just before reaching a half century when Zampa dropped a sitter at third man, but he offered a tame catch at short third man just when he looked set for a century.
Earlier, Rauf, who nearly pulled off a victory for Pakistan in the first game, found the outside edges of the bats consistently by hitting the right lengths.
Wicketkeeper Rizwan took six catches — four off Rauf’s bowling — and could have had a seventh one had he not dropped a top-edge off Zampa (18) before Australia was dismissed.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-26) provided the breakthrough inside the first power play. Jake Fraser-McGurk hit three crisp boundaries on the off side in Naseem Shah’s first over to get Australia rolling before Afridi’s twin strike pushed back Australia.
Afridi dropped Matt Short at deep fine leg when the ball burst through his hands to the boundary but the left-arm fast bowler made amends when he had Short caught at covers after trapping Fraser-McGurk plumb leg before wicket.
Afridi ended Australia’s below-par innings when Zampa played a full ball back onto his stumps. Zampa flicked Naseem Shah for a six and a four in an over which enabled the home team to cross the 150-run mark.
Rauf sliced through the middle-order with only Steve Smith scoring 35 off 48 balls before he too chased a wide short ball of Mohammad Hasnain and edged behind the wicket.
