Pak vs Aus: Haris Rauf and Saim Ayub star as the Green Shirts beat the hosts by 9 wickets in the 2nd ODI, level series 1-1 – Sports

Haris Rauf and Saim Ayub made the biggest contributions as Pakistan defeated Australia by nine wickets in the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Pakistan openers Ayub and Abdullah Shafique were under little pressure thanks to the modest 164-run target and were cautious in the opening exchanges, with only one ball hit by bat in the first seven overs.

However, once they were comfortable, the runs began, with young Saim being by far the more aggressive of the two. He took advantage of his chances, which in most cases paid off when the left-hander scored his half-century at the end of the 15th matchday.

Ayub finally finished the game with 82 from 71 balls, five boundaries and six maximums. He missed his first ODI ton when Adam Zampa caught him in the 21st over.

Shafique, the other opener who was happy to take a backseat as Ayub imposed his will on the Australian bowlers, finished with an unbeaten 64 from 69 deliveries.

Babar Azam also contributed 15 and scored the crucial six.

Rauf proves too hot for Australian batsmen

Earlier, fast bowler Haris Rauf secured a five-for and was the pick of the Pakistan pacers as they bowled out Australia for just 163 runs in just 35 overs.

The Rawalpindi-born pacer, who also took three wickets in the first ODI defeat, was again at his best as he tore through the Australian middle order after the hosts were asked to bat first by tosser Mohammad Rizwan.

Rauf’s demolition job was made easier by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had eliminated both Australian openers, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short, in his opening game with the new ball.

In the end, Rauf had five wickets, Afridi three, while Shah and Mohammad Hasnain grabbed a scalp each.

It was only the second five-wicket ODI success of Rauf’s career and he was named player of the match for his performance.

Steven Smith was the best player for Australia with 35 points. Some of their batters reached double figures but couldn’t stay in the crease for long.

In the opening ODI on Monday, Pakistan narrowly lost in a low-scoring encounter.

Before today’s win, Pakistan had not won an ODI in Australia since January 2017 when then-captain Mohammad Hafeez guided the side to a rare win.

Rizwan sets the world record with 6 catches and drops the 7th

It was also a busy and productive day behind the wickets for captain Rizwan, who took a world record six catches and could have ended up with a seventh, only for him to drop a skier offered by Adam Zampa off the bowling of Naseem Shah in the 34th. over.

He now shares the record with eight others, including his compatriot Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Legendary Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist took six catches in an ODI innings the most, taking four of them to his name.

We wanted to be positive and not think about the result: Ayub

“The most important thing is that the team won,” said Ayub. “We planned to be positive and not think about the result, but the most important thing is how we play as a team.

“The thanks go to Haris Rauf, but the other bowlers also supported him well.”

Wasn’t our best day: Cummins

“It wasn’t one of our best days,” Australian captain Cummins said.

“You hope to get more than 160. They bowled well but we wanted to get a higher score.

“We had a few catchers and tried to attack but it didn’t work,” he added about their bowling.

The result will decide the series on Sunday at Perth Stadium.