Pakistan missed a key chance to secure a strong advantage in the ongoing three-match ODI series against Australia, losing the second ODI by 41 runs.
After winning the toss, Pakistan opted to field first, effectively limiting Australia to 231 runs for nine wickets in 50 overs. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi led the bowling attack with 3 wickets for 36 runs, supported well by Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, and Arafat Minhas, who each took two wickets.
Australia’s captain Josh Inglis scored a half-century, making five boundaries on a challenging pitch at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Allrounder Cameron Green added another fifty but couldn’t reach a hundred, hitting one four and two sixes. Matt Renshaw scored 43 runs off 43 balls, while Oliver Peake contributed 31 runs from 32 balls, helping Australia set a competitive total.
In response, Pakistan struggled and lost six wickets for just 78 runs in 16.3 overs, with only wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori (37 runs off 48 balls) showing intent among the top-order batsmen.
Nathan Ellis excelled with the ball, taking two early wickets—including Babar Azam—and ending a critical 59-run partnership between Minhas and Shadab Khan, putting pressure back on Pakistan.
Ellis finished with his best-ever ODI figures of 4 for 33, dismissing Haris Rauf to end a resilient stand with Shadab Khan. Tanveer Sangha stumped Shadab after he scored 71 runs off 104 balls, and helped bowl Pakistan out for just 190 in 44 overs. Matt Short also performed well with the ball, recording figures of 3 for 36.
More details to come…