LAHORE — Elite pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi and resilient all-rounder Shadab Khan delivered masterclass performances to anchor Pakistan’s hard-fought, four-wicket victory over Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. The crucial win in the third and final One-Day International sealed a 2-1 series triumph for the hosts, marking Pakistan’s third consecutive ODI bilateral series victory against the Aussies.
The clinical performance began with Pakistan’s bowling unit strangling the visitors after Australia won the toss and elected to bat. Shaheen ripped through the top order, finishing with lethal figures of 3-30. He was expertly backed by mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed (2-19) and Shadab (2-28). Shaheen struck on just the second ball of the match, removing Matthew Short. While Australian skipper Josh Inglis staged a fighting recovery with a top score of 65 off 71 balls, building partnerships with Marnus Labuschagne (19) and Alex Carey (19), the visitors suffered a catastrophic collapse. Australia lost their final seven wickets for a mere 38 runs—compounded by two costly run-outs—collapsing entirely for 157 in 42 overs.
The modest target of 158 looked far from straightforward on a tricky, deteriorating surface. Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann turned the game on its head with a career-best spell of 3-38, which included the vital wicket of a well-set Babar Azam for 40. A sudden batting collapse saw Pakistan reeling at a precarious 112-6, breathing life back into Australia’s defense.
However, Shadab Khan combined his bowling exploits with ice-cold batting maturity. Joined by the young Abdul Samad, the duo constructed an unbroken, match-winning 49-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Shadab remained unbeaten on 29, guiding the chase home in 41.5 overs with a definitive boundary to seal the match, while Samad anchored the other end with a gritty 18 not out.
Following the win, Shaheen praised his unit for a flawless execution of bowling plans under tough batting conditions, calling it a complete team effort across the three matches. Despite the loss, Australian captain Josh Inglis commended his young, inexperienced squad for showing immense fighting spirit on the field, noting that the challenging series serves as an invaluable learning experience for his building team.
