Australia secured a 14-run victory over Pakistan in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup warm-up match held at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Despite notable performances by Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, and Iftikhar Ahmed, they were unable to chase down the formidable target of 352 runs, resulting in a defeat in their second practice match.
The game kicked off with a strong opening partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq. However, Pakistan suffered an early setback when Glenn Maxwell dismissed Fakhar Zaman.
Abdullah Shafique, batting at number three, couldn’t make a significant impact as he fell to Sean Abbott’s bowling.
The standout performance in Pakistan’s innings came from Babar Azam, who played a brilliant innings of 90 runs off 59 balls before retiring. He received valuable support from Iftikhar Ahmed, and together they built a partnership of 144 runs for the fifth wicket. Following Babar Azam’s departure, Mohammad Nawaz contributed with a fiery inning of 50 runs from 42 balls.
Australia’s bowlers, including Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Marnus Labuschagne, and Mitchell Marsh, put in a concerted effort to contain Pakistan’s batsmen. Labuschagne emerged as the most successful bowler, claiming three crucial wickets.
In the end, Pakistan concluded their innings with a total of 337 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Earlier in the match, Australia posted a formidable total of 351 runs, with Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis being the top performers.
Despite Pakistan securing a wicket, Haris Rauf had a challenging outing, conceding 97 runs in just nine overs.
Australia won the toss and elected to bat first in this warm-up match. It’s important to note that the ICC World Cup 2023 warm-up matches are played with 50 overs per side but do not hold official ODI status. Teams are allowed to field all 15 members of their squad in these matches.
Looking ahead, Pakistan is scheduled to play their first World Cup match against the Netherlands on October 6, while Australia will face India on October 8 in Chennai.