Australia vs Pakistan: Aussies end drought with MCG win
Australia has ended its one-day international drought with a dramatic five-wicket win over Pakistan in front of a bumper crowd of more than 40,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
The tourists looked to be cruising to victory at 6-248 in the 46th over but a dramatic collapse saw them lose their last four wickets for just 13 runs to be all out for 261
In reply, Australia reached the victory target with 10 balls to spare, with Ashton Agar hitting the winning runs with a boundary off the bowling of Haris Rauf. David Warner top-scored with 104 for Australia, while Steve Smith made 75 and Cameron Green a quickfire 40 off just 19 balls. It was a great win for Australia, who had lost their previous four ODIs and were under pressure to perform in front of their home crowd. Pakistan will be disappointed not to have been able to close out the game, but will take some positives out of their performance, including a fine century from Imam-ul-Haq.
The match was a thriller from start to finish, and the atmosphere at the MCG was electric. The crowd was behind Australia the whole way, and their support helped the team get over the line. It was a great night for Australian cricket, and hopefully this win can be a turning point in their ODI fortunes.
Key highlights of the match:
- Australia won the toss and elected to field first
- Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman put on a 112-run partnership
- Imam-ul-Haq scored 106 runs off 100 balls
- Australia fought back with wickets from Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Cameron Green
- Pakistan collapsed in the 46th over, losing their last four wickets for just 13 runs
- Australia reached the victory target with 10 balls to spare
- David Warner top-scored for Australia with 104 runs
Quotes from the players involved:
"It was a great win for us," said Australian captain Aaron Finch. "We needed that. We've been under a bit of pressure the last few weeks, but we showed tonight what we can do." Pakistan captain Babar Azam said: "We're disappointed not to have won, but we can take some positives out of our performance. We played well for most of the game, but we made a few mistakes at the end that cost us."
