Australia outplay Pakistan in second ODI to level series 1-1

Australia thrashed Pakistan by 41 runs in the second ODI at Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday to level the three-match series 1-1. Chasing a decent 232-run target for victory, Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 190 in 44 overs. Shadab Khan was the highest scorer for the Green Shirts, who made 71 off 104 balls, striking one four and three maximums. Ghazi Ghori made 37 off 38 balls with the help of five fours. Arafat Minhas contributed 33 off 43 balls, hitting four boundaries. Babar Azam made 16 off 16 balls and Shaheen Shah Afridi 11 off 18 balls. Player of the match Nathan Ellis bagged four wickets and Matthew Short three, while Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha and Matthew Kuhnemann took one wicket each. Opting to bowl first, Pakistan made an early impact as Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Alex Carey on the opening delivery. Despite the setback, Australia recovered through Inglis and Green, who anchored key partnerships to steady the innings. Inglis scored a fighting 51 off 74 balls, while Green top-scored with 53 off 92 deliveries. Useful contributions from Matt Renshaw and Oliver Peake helped Australia push their total to 231/9. Pakistan’s bowling attack kept things tight throughout, with Shaheen leading the charge with 3 for 36. Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf and Abrar Ahmed picked up two wickets each. Playing XIs Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Alex Carey, 3 Josh Inglis, 4 Matt Renshaw, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Oli Peake, 8 Nathan Ellis, 9 Matt Kuhnemann, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Tanveer Sangha Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Maaz Sadaqat, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Ghazi Ghori (wk), 5 Salman Ali Agha, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Arafat Minhas, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi (capt), 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed Pakistan secures rights to host ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2028