AUS vs PAK: Mohammad Rizwan Makes History in Australia, Joins Virat Kohli in Achieving Rare Feat Down Under
Mohammad Rizwan made history by becoming the second Pakistan captain and fourth overall to lead his team to a bilateral series victory in Australia. Pakistan won the third ODI in Perth on Sunday, securing a 2-1 series win. After a narrow two-wicket defeat to Australia in the opening match in Melbourne, Rizwan’s team bounced back strongly in the following two games, with the pacers playing a crucial role.
Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah took a combined total of 17 wickets across the second and third ODIs, restricting Australia to below 200 runs in both matches, which made it easier for Pakistan’s batsmen to chase down the target.
In doing so, Rizwan joined Waqar Younis as the only Pakistan captains to win a series in Australia, with Waqar achieving the feat in 2002. Virat Kohli of India (2019) and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (2010) are the other two captains to have accomplished this.
This victory also marked Rizwan’s first series win as a full-time captain. The win came after a period of instability at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), where Babar Azam had stepped down as white-ball captain for the second time in a year, leading to Rizwan’s appointment. Adding to the pressure, Pakistan’s white-ball head coach, Gary Kirsten, resigned amid a strained relationship with PCB officials, and Jason Gillespie was appointed as interim head coach for the Australia tour.
Pakistan’s pacers dominated the Australian batting line-up. Rizwan won the toss and chose to bowl, and Australia struggled against the pace attack, collapsing to 88/6 by the 21st over. Only Matthew Short and Aaron Hardie managed to reach double figures in the top seven, while Cooper Connolly was forced to retire hurt after being struck in the hand by Mohammad Hasnain.
Sean Abbott attempted to resist with a determined knock of 30, but he received little support from his teammates as Australia was eventually dismissed for 140 in 31.5 overs. In reply, Saim Ayub (42) and Abdullah Shafique (37) provided Pakistan with a strong opening partnership, allowing the visitors to comfortably chase down the target with 139 balls to spare.
Australia notably missed several key players, including regular captain Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Marnus Labuschagne, all of whom are preparing for the upcoming five-match Test series against India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, beginning on November 22.
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