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Pak vs Aus: Usman Khawaja says Australia eye scoring as many runs as they can in first innings

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  • “As many as you can,” Khawaja says about scoring in first innings.
  • “It will be interesting to see how tomorrow goes,” opener says.
  • Usman remained unbeaten with 127 from 266 deliveries on first day.

KARACHI: Australian batter Usman Khawaja said Saturday his side would like to score “as many [runs] as they can” during their first innings and have an upper hand on Pakistan.

Talking to journalists after the first day’s play, Khawaja termed Pakistan’s bowling tactic in the middle of the day as “negative” in the face of a hard-hitting Australian batting side.

“As many as you can,” Khawaja said while speaking to journalists via video link when he was asked how much Australia would like to post on the scoreboard during the first innings before letting Pakistan bat.

“It will be interesting to see how tomorrow goes. I think if we bat well enough tomorrow morning, we’ll have an opportunity to drive the game. I felt like Pakistan were in a perfect position last game but they just didn’t do it, they didn’t really take many opportunities to increase the run rate,” he said.

The opener said he was eyeing to take his side to 400 or 500 runs in the first innings, but noted that it was still a long shot as the current score was 251.

He mentioned that in the middle session of the first day, Pakistani spinners went a little bit “negative” to the legside, trying to slow the scoreboard.

“I don’t know if it backfired. And I think it’s pretty hard to bowl fast out there consistently. It’s very hot. So, I think spinners had to bowl in that sort of period,” he mentioned while discussing Pakistan’s strategy.

Usman remained unbeaten with 127 from 266 deliveries. Talking about his innings, the opening batter said that every century is special and it felt good when the crowd were chanting “Khawaja Khawaja”.

He also mentioned that he has relatives in Karachi and his relatives were present at the stadium when he scored the century.

“My family’s all from Karachi. I was born in Islamabad and my parents are from Karachi, so this one meant a lot too,” Usman said about his century at the National Stadium.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulates the Pakistan team for their triumph over Australia.

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Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, conveyed his sincere congratulations to the national men’s cricket team for their historic ODI series triumph against Australia.

Pakistan, led by newly-appointed captain Mohammad Rizwan, triumphed against Australia in the third ODI in Perth, securing victory by eight wickets and clinching their first series in Australia since 2002.

The visitors lost the initial match of the three-match series by two wickets; however, they executed a remarkable comeback to secure the series 2-1.

Subsequent to the victory, Shehbaz Sharif utilized his official X (previously Twitter) account to commend the national cricket team for their commanding performance.

“Significant Day for Pakistani Cricket.” Congratulations to the Pakistan cricket team on their momentous ODI series triumph over Australia. The Prime Minister declared, “After 22 years, Pakistan has convincingly defeated Australia on their home turf.”

He commended the leadership of Mohsin Naqvi, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

This triumph resulted from the solidarity and collaboration of their exceptional players, alongside the efforts of the coaching staff and the PCB under the competent leadership of Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. He expressed, “May this mark the commencement of a remarkable and illustrious era for Pakistani Cricket.”

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Derailment in Adelaide caused by Rauf and Shaheen

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Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and chose to field first in the pivotal second ODI against Australia at Adelaide Oval. The visitors confront a critical must-win scenario after being behind 0-1 in the three-match series.

Pakistan: (2 overs, 50 balls, Target: 164) 10 divided by 0

Australia: (35 overs, 50 overs) 163 runs

Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Adam Zampa, culminating in a significant triumph for Pakistan by reducing Australia to their lowest-ever ODI total against them. Afridi’s last delivery dismissed Zampa for 18 runs, concluding Australia’s innings at 161 in 34.6 overs.
Pakistan’s fast bowlers excelled, with Haris Rauf taking four wickets, while Naseem Shah and Afridi each secured two. Zampa, after exhibiting resilience with two boundaries and a six, succumbed to Afridi’s precise bowling. Naseem’s intense bowling performance featured a series of near misses, including a missed catch by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, which almost established a world record for the most dismissals by a keeper in an ODI.

Pakistan’s unyielding pace attack constrained Australia, resulting in a record low score and a momentous victory for Pakistan in Adelaide.

The pace attack of Pakistan, spearheaded by Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, disassembled Australia’s batting order in a commanding performance at Adelaide. Rauf excelled, taking four wickets for only 27 runs in six overs, while Naseem offered vital assistance by removing Mitchell Starc for his inaugural wicket of the match.

By the 29th over, Australia had deteriorated to 131/8, as Pakistani bowlers adeptly capitalized on the conditions with precision and energy. As wickets fell consistently, highlighted by five catches from Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s bowlers maintained intense pressure, causing Australia to struggle to endure till the conclusion of the innings.

The Pakistan squad retains their prior lineup, demonstrating faith in the team after their initial defeat. Australia enhances their bowling lineup by substituting seasoned bowler Josh Hazlewood for Sean Abbott.

The Australian batting lineup will depend on the powerful opening duo of Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk, succeeded by the robust middle order including Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell. Pat Cummins directs the home team’s bowling contingent, aided by Mitchell Starc and spin expert Adam Zampa.

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A significant boost is given to Pakistan before their second ODI match against Australia.

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The speed bowler Naseem Shah’s injury recovery gave Pakistan a big boost ahead of the second ODI against Australia, which is set to take place here on November 8.

In Melbourne during the first ODI against Australia, Naseem had to leave the field after cramping two balls into his eighth over.

Although his health for the second ODI was questioned, the right-arm bowler and the rest of the team nonetheless showed up for the training session at the Adelaide Oval.

He is in good physical shape and has fully healed, according to the reports, thus he is prepared and qualified to be selected for the second ODI.

At the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Pakistan had a strong showing with the ball but lost the opening ODI by two wickets.

On the other hand, Naseem Shah received recognition for his performance throughout the game, as he took out Australian opening batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk and played a vital innings of 40 runs.

On November 10, after the second ODI, Perth will host the third ODI. A three-match T20I series will follow the ODI series, with play starting on November 14.

The inaugural T20I will be held in Brisbane, and the subsequent games are set for November 16 and 18 in Sydney and Hobart, respectively.

Josh Inglis, the wicketkeeper, will captain Australia for the first time. He will lead the team in the upcoming T20I series and the third ODI match against Pakistan.

Australia vs. Pakistan ODI Series squad
Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Mohammad Hasnain, and Shaheen Shah Afridi were among the people that worked.

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