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Seamer Haris Rauf's breathtaking spell and batter Saim Ayub's quickfire innings propelled Pakistan to a crushing nine-wicket victory against Australia in the second ODI match to level the series at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
With the win in the second ODI game in Adelaide, the Men in Green have levelled the series against Australia by 1-1. The final ODI match on Sunday will be the decider of the series. The win on Friday was also etched on the history books as it's Pakistan's first victory in Adelaide against Australia after 1996. It seemed easy for Pakistan from the very first moment of the game. Mohammad Rizwan's side dominated the Aussies with the help of Rauf and Ayub. In the first inning, it was Rauf who delivered a breathtaking spell to bundle out the Aussie batting lineup at 163. During the run chase, Saim Ayub's knock helped the Men in Green to cruise swiftly towards the target with 23 overs remaining. Saim Ayub (82 runs from 71 balls, 5 fours and 6 sixes) and Abdullah Shafique (64* runs from 69 balls, 4 fours and 3 sixes) opened for Pakistan and cemented a 137-partnership and made it easy for the visitors to clinch an easy victory. The two Pakistan openers continued to smash the Aussie bowlers without facing any trouble. Meanwhile, in the 21st over, Adam Zampa made the first breakthrough of the inning but it was too late for the hosts to make a comeback in the game. Babar Azam (15 runs from 20 balls, 1 six) replaced Ayub on the crease and made a 32-run partnership with Shafique. In the end, when Pakistan needed just one run to win the game, Babar Azam sent the ball over the mid-wicket and finished the game off in a style with a six and helped the Men in Green to clinch a nine-wicket victory. Haris Rauf was named the Player of the Match following his staggering performance in the game. Earlier in the inning, Pakistan's decision to send Australia to bat first in the game did go in their favour as they successfully restricted the hosts at 163. Matthew Short (19 runs from 15 balls, 3 fours) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (13 runs from 10 balls, 3 fours) opened for the Aussies and could only make a partnership of 21 runs as Shaheen Afridi made the first breakthrough by removing Fraser-McGurk from the crease. Steven Smith (35 runs from 48 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) was the highest run-scorer in the match for the hosts. Apart from Smith, no other player could cross the 20-run mark. The Aussie batting displayed a sluggish performance in the first inning as top players like Josh Inglis (18 runs from 25 balls, 2 fours), Marnus Labuschagne (6 runs from 11 balls), Glenn Maxwell (16 runs from 21 balls, 1 six) failed to score runs and help their side. In the end, Adam Zampa (18 runs from 21 balls, 1 four and 1 six) tried his best to add some crucial runs on the board, however, Shaheen Afridi did not let that go for long and removed the leggie from the crease. Australia ended their inning at 163, with 15 overs remaining. The Pakistan bowling attack was at their top form as they rejuvenated under Rizwan's captaincy. Haris Rauf was the star in the first inning after he bagged five wickets and gave 29 runs in his 8-over spell. Shaheen Afridi. who was struggling with his form recently, picked up three wickets in his eight-over spell. Mohammad Hasnain and Naseem Shah also took one wicket each in their respective spells. Brief score: Australia 163 (Steven Smith 35, Adam Zampa 18; Haris Rauf 5/29) vs Pakistan 169/1 (Saim Ayub 82, Abdullah Shafique 64*; Adam Zampa 1/44). (ANI)
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