Friday, 5th June 2026
Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 5th June 2026, 6:43 AM
Pakistan secured a 2-1 One Day International series victory over Australia by achieving a tense four-wicket win in the final match in Lahore. Pursuing a low target of 158 runs on a surface that heavily assisted the bowlers, the home side collapsed from a solid position to 112 for 6.
A resilient, unbeaten seventh-wicket stand by the lower order steadied the run chase, allowing Pakistan to reach the target in 41.5 overs and secure the series trophy.
Upon winning the toss, Australia chose to bat first but suffered an immediate setback when opener Matthew Short was caught out for a duck off the second ball of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s opening over.
Captain Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne checked the initial damage with a 46-run partnership. This recovery ended when Labuschagne was run out for 19. Inglis then found support from wicketkeeper Alex Carey, putting on 52 runs to push the total to 98 for 2.
The match turned sharply as Australia’s middle and lower order collapsed, losing six wickets for only 39 runs. Once Inglis was removed by Afridi for a team-high 65 runs with the score at 119, the remaining batsmen fell quickly. Australia were dismissed for 157 runs—their lowest completed ODI total on Pakistani soil. Left-arm seamer Afridi finished with 3 wickets, while spinners Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan collected 2 wickets each.
Pakistan’s response started carefully, but they lost opener Sahibzada Farhan for 27. The home side continued to lose wickets at regular intervals against a disciplined Australian bowling attack. Captain Babar Azam top-scored for the hosts with a steady 40 runs, but his dismissal left the lower order with substantial work to do on a difficult pitch.
The match was decided by an unbroken 49-run partnership between Shadab Khan and Abdul Samad. Joining each other at the crease at 112 for 6, the pair navigated the pressure to guide Pakistan home. Shadab finished unbeaten on 29, while Samad remained 18 not out to wrap up the chase.
The key individual performances from the series-deciding fixture are detailed in the table below:
| Player | Team | Primary Performance | Role in Match |
| Josh Inglis | Australia | 65 runs | Top-scored for Australia to anchor the first half of the innings. |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 40 runs | Top-scored for Pakistan to steady the top order during the chase. |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Pakistan | 3 wickets | Took a wicket on the second ball and broke the key Inglis partnership. |
| Shadab Khan | Pakistan | 29* runs & 2 wickets | Delivered an all-round performance and hit the winning runs. |
| Marnus Labuschagne | Australia | 19 runs | Built a 46-run partnership before being run out. |
| Abdul Samad | Pakistan | 18* runs | Shared the vital, unbroken 49-run seventh-wicket partnership. |
The outcome concludes the three-match ODI tournament, with Pakistan successfully coming from behind to win the final two matches and lift the home series trophy.
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