Australia vs Pakistan, 1st ODI Highlights: Australia beat Pakistan by 2 wickets

Shaheen Afridi to Josh Inglis, Dishes it out on a hard length, on middle, Josh Inglis nudges it to mid-wicket off the back foot.

Naseem Shah to Josh Inglis, On the pads, on a length, Inglis tickles it down to deep fine leg and picks up one.

Naseem Shah to Josh Inglis, Much better from Naseem! Attacking the stumps, on a good length, Inglis tries to work it away on the leg side with the angle but closes the bat face early. Gets a soft leading edge that rolls to the left of the bowler.

Naseem Shah to Josh Inglis, FOUR! Width on offer and Inglis cashes in! Shaping away, short and wide on off, Josh Inglis reaches out and hits it all along the ground. Cuts it to the left of cover for a boundary.

Naseem Shah to Josh Inglis, Hurls it on a length, around off, Josh Inglis gets a good stride in and punches it to cover.

Naseem Shah to Josh Inglis, WIDE! Drifts it down leg, on a good length, Josh Inglis misses the tickle. Wide given.

Naseem Shah to Josh Inglis, Play and a miss! A bit of extra bounce and this zips off the deck, on a back of a length, Josh Inglis arches back to flay it away on the off side but misses. An optimistic shout for caught behind from Naseem but he found no interest from the men behind the bat.

Naseem Shah to Josh Inglis, Delivers it on a length, just outside the off stump, Josh Inglis presses forward and blocks it out.

Shaheen Afridi to Steven Smith, FOUR! Easy pickings! Too straight from Afridi, on a back of a length, at the hips, Steven Smith gets inside the line nice and early and helps it down to the deep fine leg fence for a boundary.

Shaheen Afridi to Josh Inglis, Angling away, on off, on a nagging length, Josh Inglis gets squared up slightly but does well to open the bat face and steer it down to deep third. Gets off the mark with a single.

Shaheen Afridi to Steven Smith, Hurls it on a length, on off, a hint of late inward movement, Steven Smith shows the full face of the bat and pushes it to the right of mid off for a single.

Shaheen Afridi to Steven Smith, This comes back in off the deck, on a back of a length, on middle, Steven Smith gets on top of it and tucks it right in between the two fielders stationed close at square leg. Smith comes back for the second run with ease.

Shaheen Afridi to Steven Smith, This skids off the deck, on a back of a length, on off, Steven Smith goes on the back foot to defend it with a straight bat but gets beaten on the inside edge and wears it high on the back pad.

Shaheen Afridi to Steven Smith, An absolute snorter from Afridi! Bends his back and digs it in short and over middle and leg, the ball kicks off the deck a bit more and Steven Smith is hurried as he looks to stick his bat ahead and keep it out. The ball goes off the shoulder and lands safe on the off side. 

Josh Inglis walks out to bat at number 4 for Australia!

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, OUT! TAKEN! Naseem Shah roars in delight! Jake Fraser-McGurk runs out of luck and Pakistan have managed to send both openers back in the hut early. Naseem lands it on a back of a length, on middle and leg, Jake Fraser-McGurk hangs back and shapes up to go across the line. The ball gets big on him and hits the splice of the bat. It balloons towards wide mid on where Irfan Khan takes a dolly.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Full and on off, Jake Fraser-McGurk looks for a big swing but gets a thick outside edge that flies over backward point for a couple of runs. 

Naseem Shah to Steven Smith, Honing in at the pads, on a back of a length, Steven Smith gets on his toes and gets inside the line to nudge it through square leg. Two fielders give it a chas and cut it off. Three runs taken.

Naseem Shah to Steven Smith, WIDE! Naseem bends his back and digs it in short but this sails over the batter's head for a wide.

Naseem Shah to Steven Smith, This is on a short of a length, on off, Smith keeps it out on the leg side.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, A big mix-up but no harm done! Naseem bangs it on a back of a length, on off, Jake Fraser-McGurk awkwardly pulls it with the ball stopping in the surface. Miscues the pull but it lands safely in the vacant square leg region. JFM wants to come back for the second and is halfway down the track when Smith sends him back. He is struggling to make his ground as Babar fires in a throw towards the bowling end. Luckily for him, the ball plugs a bit in the outfield and pops out, resulting in all the pace coming off the ball and it balloons towards the bowler. This allows JFM to get back in with a dive.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, In and around the off-stump line, angling in from over the wicket, on a nagging length, at 136.9 kph, Jake Fraser-McGurk punches it to mid on.

Shaheen Afridi to Steven Smith, Shaping back into the right-hander, on a hard length, Steven Smith hops and goes deep in his crease to keep it out. End of a successful over for Afridi and Pakistan!

Shaheen Afridi to Steven Smith, This leaves the batter and it is on the fuller side, Steven Smith makes the leave.

Shaheen Afridi to Steven Smith, Afridi digs it in short, at the batter, Steven Smith rides the bounce and helps the pull to the left of deep backward square leg. Gets off the mark with a brace.

Shaheen Afridi to Steven Smith, Attacks the stumps, on a good length does Afridi, Steven Smith covers the line and tucks it across to mid-wicket. 

Steven Smith walks in at number 3 for Australia!

Shaheen Afridi to Matthew Short, OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Fine catch by Saim Ayub! Shaheen Afridi gives Pakistan the early breakthrough. Afridi bashes the back of a length, on off, Matthew Short goes for the pull but fails to get on top of the bounce and tries to drag it away on the leg side. Gets a top edge that goes straight up towards backward point. The keeper, the deep third fielder and Saim Ayub from backward point converge with Ayub turning around, trying to settle under it from the mentioned position. He calls for it and takes a safe catch.

Shaheen Afridi to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Not in control but JFM gets away with it! Angling across the batter, near the tramline on off, on a length, Jake Fraser-McGurk stays rooted in the crease and flays at the delivery. Gets a thickish outside edge that flies down to deep third. Collected on the bounce by Naseem in the deep. They cross.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, A tighter line, on off and middle, on a hard length, Jake Fraser-McGurk dabs it down in front of mid-wicket and gets to the other end quickly. An expensive first over from Naseem. 14 runs off it.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, FOUR LEG BYES! A bit too straight from Naseem, on a nagging length, on the pads, Jake Fraser-McGurk tries to help it away but misses. The ball comes off his pads and races down to the deep fine leg fence for a boundary.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, FOUR! Not the cleanest connection but JFM will take it! Fuller and on off, Jake Fraser-McGurk holds his shape and swipes across the line. Gets enough bat on it to clear mid-wicket and picks up a boundary.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, WIDE! On a back of a length but down leg, Jake Fraser-McGurk swings to heave it away but misses. Wide given.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Slanting in again, on a length, on middle and leg, Jake Fraser-McGurk chips it up and over wide mid on for a couple of runs more.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Angling in, on a good length, on off, Jake Fraser-McGurk defends it out solidly.

Naseem Shah to Jake Fraser-McGurk, In the air...but safe! A real teaser for Babar Azam at mid off. Naseem serves it on a length, on off, Jake Fraser-McGurk looks to go back over the bowler's head but goes through his shot a bit early. Gets more height than distance on it and it goes very high towards mid off. Babar Azam turns around and goes after it. Gives it a good chase but the replays show that he almost overran the ball and it landed over his left shoulder. A couple of runs taken.

It will be Naseem Shah to share the attack from the other end!

Shaheen Afridi to Matthew Short, Afridi drags the length back and gets the ball to move back into the right-hander, on a back of a length, Matthew Short sets himself up to heave it away but fails to get any bat on it. The ball goes under his bat and hits him high on the thigh pad.

Shaheen Afridi to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Angles one across the batter now, on a length, Jake Fraser-McGurk drops it with soft hands in front of cover and takes a quick single.

Shaheen Afridi to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shaheen Afridi goes full in search of swing but gets the line slightly wrong, serves it on the pads, Jake Fraser-McGurk clips it through square leg. Naseem Shah runs and slides to his left from deep backward square leg to mop it up. A couple of runs for JFM to open his account.

Shaheen Afridi to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shaping back into the right-hander, on the fuller side, Jake Fraser-McGurk goes deep in his crease and presents a straight bat to push it to mid off.

Shaheen Afridi to Matthew Short, Sprayed on the pads, on a length, Matthew Short glances it down to deep backward square leg for a single. Short and Australia are underway!

Shaheen Afridi to Matthew Short, A hint of inward shape first up for Shaheen as he steams in from over the wicket. Lands it on a good length, on middle and leg, Matthew Short wrists it to mid-wicket.

Welcome back for the chase. The umpires and players are all out in the middle and the new opening pair of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short are set to start for Australia! Shaheen Afridi has the new ball in hand and is raring to go! It will be Afridi to Short first up! Away we go! 

... THE RUN CHASE ....

Australia rotated through eight bowlers, with Mitchell Starc leading the charge, claiming three crucial wickets that set the tone for their dominant performance. The rest of the attack chipped in effectively, but the last 20-30 minutes allowed Pakistan some breathing room, which may sting a bit. With a target of 204 runs, Australia will back themselves to get the job done, yet Pakistan’s fierce bowling attack has the potential to make this chase challenging. Early breakthroughs will be essential for Pakistan to stay in the hunt, while Australia’s new opening pair will look to lay a solid foundation. We’re in for an exciting chase!

Shaheen Afridi chipped in with an entertaining cameo, but his stay was short-lived, ending with a clean strike from Starc. The tail, however, showed resilience, Naseem Shah and Irfan Khan forged a 27-run stand, and Naseem's spirited counterattack against spin kept the scoreboard ticking despite wickets falling around him. His late heroics lifted Pakistan to a total of 203, a score that had seemed far out of reach for much of the innings.

Babar Azam entered with confidence, showcasing his class with a few elegant strokes to settle Pakistan's nerves. While Mohammad Rizwan initially struggled to find his rhythm, the pair weathered the early onslaught and began building a promising partnership. However, the introduction of Adam Zampa disrupted Pakistan’s momentum, as he claimed the crucial wicket of Babar, further tightening Australia’s grip on the innings.

Australia put on a fantastic display with the ball, bowling the visitors out for a modest 203 runs. Although they might have aimed to keep Pakistan to an even lower total, this target is one Australia will feel confident chasing. They fully capitalized on winning the toss and opting to bowl, with Mitchell Starc setting the tone brilliantly from the outset, supported seamlessly by skipper Pat Cummins. Starc struck early, dismissing debutant Saim Ayub in his second over and following it up with the wicket of the other opener Abdullah Shafique just a few overs later.

Naseem Shah’s late heroics have transformed Pakistan’s innings, pushing their total past 200 and giving them something to compete with the ball. This knock will certainly inject some momentum into Pakistan's camp and they will hope to carry it on with the ball in hand.