LAHORE – Pakistan and Australia are set to clash in the final One-Day International at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore today (Thursday), with the three-match series finely poised at 1-1.
The series decider comes after Australia secured a hard-fought 41-run win in the second ODI on Tuesday, leveling the contest and setting up a winner-takes-all encounter.
Both teams now have the opportunity to finish the series on a winning note. For Pakistan, the match also serves as an important chance to evaluate a developing ODI squad as the side continues its preparations for the 2027 World Cup.
Australia beat Pakistan by 41 runs in the second ODI, with Nathan Ellis claiming four wickets and Matthew Short removing three batters to bowl out Pakistan for 190 in 44 overs while chasing the 232-run total.
Earlier, Pakistan bowlers restricted Australia to 231 for nine, with skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi returning figures of 8-1-36-3, Arafat Minhas 10-2-27-2, Haris Rauf 10-1-49-2 and Abrar Ahmed two for 34 in 10 overs.
Shaheen struck on the first ball of the innings to remove Alex Carey, while Abrar and Arafat removed Short and Labuschagne, respectively within the first 10.4 overs with 51 runs on the board. Skipper Josh Inglis (51, 74b, 5x4s), batting at three, and no.5 Cameron Green (53, 92b, 1×4, 2x6s) struck valuable half-centuries to put Australia on course for a fighting total.
Towards the end of the innings the visitors were helped by a run-a-ball 43 from Matthew Renshaw (3x4s) and a 32-ball 31 comprising one four and two sixes by Oliver Peake as they stretched their innings from 184-6 in 43.2 overs to 231-9 in 50 overs.
Pakistan were jolted with early blows and reduced to 78-6 in 16.3 overs before Mohammad Ghazi Ghori, Shadab Khan and Arafat Minhas led the repair work. For the hosts, the slide began when opening batter Maaz Sadaqat was bowled by player of the match Ellis off the third ball of the innings.
Sahibzada Farhan followed in the next over with Matt Kuhnemann picking up his solitary wicket. Babar Azam contributed a run-a-ball 16 featuring two boundaries before being dismissed leg-before-wicket by Ellis as the scoreboard read 33 for three in the fifth over.
Short then struck twice in quick succession to send back Salman Ali Agha for seven and Abdul Samad, reducing Pakistan to 58 for five.
Ghazi Ghori provided some resistance with a grinding 48-ball 37 hitting five fours before being bowled by Adam Zampa as the Green Shirts slipped to 78 for six in the 17th over.
Arafat then pushed back with a 43-ball 33 featuring four fours, adding 59 for the seventh wicket with top-scorer Shadab before being trapped leg-before-wicket by Ellis on the final delivery of the 32nd over.
Shadab then anchored the innings with a 104-ball 71; his second-highest ODI score, hitting one four and three sixes, before being stumped by captain Josh Inglis off Tanveer Sangha as Pakistan fell 41 runs short.
For Australia, Ellis finished returned figures of 9-1-33-4, while Short bagged three for 36 in his eight overs.
Pakistan: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Rohail Nazir (wicket-keeper), Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain and Sufyan Moqim
