Rauf, Ayub shine as Pakistan thrash Australia by 9 wkts

Saim Ayub’s blistering 82 and Abdullah Shafique’s steady unbeaten 64 powered Pakistan to a dominant nine-wicket victory over Australia in the second ODI at Adelaide Oval on Friday, leveling the series 1-1.

Haris Rauf’s fiery 5-29 helped bowl out the hosts for a mere 163, which Pakistan chased down comfortably with 141 balls to spare, setting up a thrilling series decider on Sunday at Perth Stadium.

The Pakistani opening duo, Ayub and Shafique, started cautiously against Australia’s frontline pacers, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, managing just 47 runs in the first 10 overs. However, the tempo soon shifted as Ayub unleashed a flurry of boundaries, including massive sixes off Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Despite being dropped on 47 by Adam Zampa, the 22-year-old seized his chance, reaching his maiden ODI fifty in only his second match.

Ayub’s entertaining innings, which included five fours and six sixes, ended when he was caught by Hazlewood off Zampa, but the damage had been done. Babar Azam (15 not out) then joined Shafique to finish the chase, with Shafique sealing the win with Pakistan’s 10th six of the innings. Reflecting on the team’s performance, Ayub said, “The most important thing is the team won. We planned to be positive and not think about the result. Credit goes to Haris Rauf, but the other bowlers also supported him well.”

Rauf’s exceptional spell of fast bowling dismantled the Australian lineup, which struggled after Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan opted to field first. Steve Smith top-scored for Australia with 35, but the team was skittled out in just 34.5 overs. Rauf, well-supported by his fellow bowlers, caused chaos, with Rizwan taking six catches behind the stumps.

“It wasn’t one of our best days,” admitted Australia captain Pat Cummins. “You hope you get more than 160. They bowled well, but we wanted a bigger score. We tried to attack with our fielding, but it wasn’t to be.”

The Australian openers, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short, aimed to rebound from their failures in the first match. Fraser-McGurk briefly looked dangerous, hitting three early boundaries off Naseem Shah but was trapped lbw by Shaheen Shah Afridi for 13. Short survived a dropped catch from Afridi but was later caught on 19. The rest of the batting lineup faltered under pressure, with Smith’s laborious innings ending at 35, and Rauf ripping through the lower order, bowling Glenn Maxwell for 16 and dismissing Cummins to secure his second ODI five-wicket haul.

Pakistan’s comprehensive win now sets the stage for an exciting series finale, with both teams looking to claim a crucial victory at Perth Stadium.ppp