Pakistan celebrated their 1,000th One Day International in style, dismantling Australia by five wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The hosts chased down a 201-run target with 45 balls to spare, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Australia struggled after being put in to bat, folding for an even 200 in 44.1 overs. Matt Renshaw provided some early resistance with a brisk 61 off 63 balls, and Matt Short chipped in 55 runs off 76 deliveries. The visitors simply couldn’t handle debutant Arafat Minhas.
The young spinner tore through the Australian batting order to claim 5-32 in his 10 overs. Abrar Ahmed backed him up, taking two wickets for 44 runs, according to a match recap confirming Minhas’s spectacular debut fifer and Babar Azam’s eventual half-century.
The run chase was a clinical exercise for the home side. Babar Azam anchored the innings with a composed 69 off 94 balls. Wicket-keeper Muhammad Ghazi Ghori carried them across the finish line, adding a vital 65 runs off 92 balls as Pakistan comfortably reached 202-5 in 42.3 overs. The batters looked completely dialed in, showing the same aggressive rhythm fans watched during dominant domestic run chases earlier this year.
This victory holds special weight. The fixture officially marked the nation’s milestone appearance since their 1973 debut against New Zealand. Pakistan now carries serious momentum to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for the second ODI on June 2.