(UTV | PAKISTAN) – Centuries from Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam powered Pakistan to a stunning victory in Lahore in a record chase that saw them chase down the required 349 in 49 overs.
With partnerships worth 118 and 111 for the first two wickets, Pakistan set the platform to complete an excellently-paced chase. Ben McDermott’s maiden ODI century went in vain as Pakistan picked up a six-wicket win to level the series 1-1. It was Pakistan’s first win against Australia since 2017. It was also their highest successful run chase in ODIs.
Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq started strongly as runs flowed on a flat wicket, much like it did in the first innings. Imam was handed a life when McDermott couldn’t pluck out a tough chance at midwicket.
Zaman and Imam kept the attack intact with the former getting to his fifty with a six. Marcus Stoinis, however, returned to break the stand with Zaman failing to pick the slower ball as he was knocked over for 67.
Pakistan breezed past 200 with a new budding stand that grew from strength to strength. Imam scored a successive hundred off 90 balls and Babar got to his fifty before the former was caught by Labuschagne in the deep.
It was a chase of partnerships for Pakistan as another 80-run stand was built between Mohammad Rizwan and Babar, off just 61 balls. Australia used as many as seven bowlers, but none were able to make the incisions as needed to curb Pakistan’s scoring rate.
Australia hit back with the wickets of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan once Pakistan went past 300, but with 27 needed from the last three overs, some big hits from Khushdil Shah saw Pakistan complete the chase with 6 balls to spare.
Khushdil finished unbeaten on 27 off 17, following his 35-run partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed that came off just 19 balls. Azam’s 114 came off 83 balls comprising of 11 fours and a six, putting Pakistan in control in the middle overs.
Australia themselves had put on a strong batting performance earlier in the day. McDermott’s century and quickfire cameos from other batters powered them to a solid total as they played their shots and stitched stands to pile on the runs. Pakistan got off to the best of starts when Aaron Finch was trapped leg-before off the first delivery of the match by Shaheen Afridi with an inswinger.
Centurion Travis Head from the first match got together with McDermott to put on a batting masterclass. The pair took the attack back to Pakistan’s bowlers and attacked anything with width and punished the errors in the lengths. They not just stabilized the innings, but turned the game around as both went on to bring up their respective fifties adding 162 in 144 balls for the second wicket.
Pakistan pulled things back a tad bit between overs 20 and 25 with Head falling just shy of another deserved century for 89, top-edging a slog-sweep. Pakistan would’ve hoped to make a comeback with that wicket, but McDermott carried on unperturbed with Marnus Labuschagne. Iftikhar Ahmed continued to bowl into the McDermott’s arc on a flat pitch and was punished, taken for 38 runs in the four overs he bowled on the night.
Wasim Jr. and Haris Rauf were impressive with the pitch not the easiest to bowl on, but they did limit the scoring rate to some extent, going under six an over. Zahid Mehmood was inconsistent with his lengths, bowling too many loose deliveries conceding 71 in his 10 as Labuschagne and McDermott added 74 runs in 63 balls.
McDermott brought up his maiden ODI century with a booming six over long-on, after having scored a 55 in the first ODI. He fell two overs later to a soft dismissal picking out midwicket for 104 off 108 after a knock that comprised 10 fours and four sixes.
Labuschagne scored a brisk fifty himself before Pakistan struck back with quick wickets. While Labuschagne fell for 59 off 49, Alex Carey and Cameron Green fell within the next 5 overs as a 350 finish was looking a tad tough.
However, an aggressive finish from Marcus Stoinis (49 off 33) and Sean Abbott (28 off 16) with the pair scoring 25 off over 48 and 49 had Australia finish on a high. The pair added 42 off 23 for the seventh wicket before Shaheen Afridi dismissed both in the final over to finish with 4-63.
Brief scores: Australia 348/8 in 50 overs (Travis Head 89, Ben McDermott 104, Marnus Labuschagne 59, Marcus Stoinis 49, Sean Abbott 28; Shaheen Afridi 4-63, Mohammad Wasim Jr 2-56) lost to Pakistan 352/4 in 49 overs (Fakhar Zaman 67, Imam-ul-Haq 106, Babar Azam 114; Adam Zampa 2-71) by 6 wickets.