ABU DHABI – Australia defeated Pakistan by 80 runs in the third of the five-match ODI series at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Australia scored 266 runs in its first innings against Pakistan after winning the toss. For Australia, Finch scored 90 while Maxwell contributed 71 to the target in 50 overs with four wickets in hand.
Chasing the target, Pakistan lost all if its wickets in 45th over as no Pakistani batsmen managed to face the bowlers as the team managed to score 186 runs.
Misbah ul Haq scored 46 runs off 72 balls while Imad Wasim contributed 43 runs. Adam Zampa took four wickets while Pat Cummins took three.
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Pakistan’s head coach Mickey Arthur has promised his team will give their best to bounce back against Australia today, reiterating every time his players go on the field they want to win.
Pakistan are using the series to provide further experience and exposure to their bench strength, a ploy that has produced decent results with Haris Sohail and Mohammad Rizwan scoring centuries and fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain making an impressive debut.
Arthur confirmed there will be no debuts on Wednesday, meaning opener Abid Ali and middle-order batsman Saad Ali will have to wait.
Paceman Usman Shinwari will replace Faheem Ashraf – rested from the final three matches – while another left-arm paceman Junaid Khan will come in place of Mohammad Abbas.
Pakistan have handed ODI debuts to opener Shan Masood and, fast bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Hasnain in the first two matches.
They are trailing the five-match series 0-2 after losing the first two matches by identical margins of eight wickets, both in Sharjah.
Australia are on a roll after winning a tough series in India 3-2 and are leading this five-match series 2-0 on the back of eight wickets wins in each of the first two matches. That has given them five wins in a row.
Skipper Aaron Finch is in sublime form as he hit 116 to help Australia chase down 281 on Friday and an unbeaten 153, his highest ODI score to date, to anchor the 285-run chase on Sunday.
Australia will be forced to make their first change of the series after pace spearhead Jhye Richardson dislocated his shoulder on Sunday and has since returned home. That will bring in Pat Cummins, the most successful bowler with 14 wickets in India. Cummins went wicket-less in the first match in India, before taking four for 29, three for 37, five for 70 and two for 38, and has been in great wicket-taking form.
The final two matches will be played in Dubai on Friday and Sunday.
