Pakistan’s historic ODI series triumph in Australia, their first in 22 years, was a testament to their resilience and determination. The team’s 2-1 victory in the three-match series was sealed with an emphatic eight-wicket win in the decider at Perth.
Pakistan’s coach, Jason Gillespie, expressed his delight with the team’s performance but also raised concerns about the lack of promotion for the ODI series in Australia. “I saw no promotion of our one-day series by Cricket Australia,” Gillespie said. “It’s pretty obvious that they’re prioritizing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against India.”
Gillespie acknowledged that Australia’s decision to rest key players for the series, including Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne, gave Pakistan an advantage. “We knew that there was probably going to be some change,” he said. “We anticipated that, and that’s the nature of modern cricket.”
Despite the lack of promotion and the absence of Australia’s top players, Pakistan played with unwavering determination. They bowled out Australia for a paltry 140 in the decider, with Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf sharing seven wickets between them. Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq then led Pakistan’s chase with half-centuries, guiding the team to victory with eight wickets in hand.
Gillespie praised his team’s performance, saying, “It was pleasing not just to beat Australia but beat them pretty convincingly. The reality is we should have won the first game as well.”
Pakistan’s ODI series win in Australia is a significant achievement for the team and a testament to their growing strength in the format. It also highlights the need for greater promotion and recognition of ODI cricket in Australia.
