Key events
20th over: Pakistan 94-2 (Babar 6, Rizwan 3) Five off the over as Babar and Rizwan calm things down after the double wicket whammy.
19th over: Pakistan 89-2 (Babar 5, Rizwan 0) Babar plays one of those gawwwgeous cover drives for four off Johnson.
18th over: Pakistan 85-2 (Babar 1, Rizwan 0) The experienced hands of Babar and Rizwan arrive at the crease. 56 needed for a famous win, Pakistan can’t mess this up, Shirley?
WICKET! Saim Ayub b Morris 42 (Pakistan 85-2)
Two wickets in the over for Morris and both openers in his back pocket. Saim goes back and chops a back of a length ball onto his stumps. Is this the start of something?
WICKET! Abdullah Shafique c & b Morris 37 (Pakistan 84-1)
A sharp grab in his follow through by Morris sees the end of Shafique! He’s laid a firm foundation for his side but has to depart shy of a half century.
17th over: Pakistan 84-0 (Saim 40, Abdullah 35) Zampa shuffles in and bowls flat at the pads and stumps. Clipped for four singles. Just 57 more needed for Pakistan.
16th over: Pakistan 80-0 (Saim 40, Abdullah 35) Wicket me, Hardie…
Change of bowling as Aaron Hardie come into the attack but he can’t get the breakthrough that Australia desperately need. Adam Zampa is being summoned, can he atone for that dropped catch?
15th over: Pakistan 75-0 (Saim 39, Abdullah 31) Singles collected without drama off Morris. Pakistan closing in on a momentous victory. Don’t just take my word for it.
The last time Pakistan won an ODI series in Australia, Wasim Akram was an active cricketer, Kohli was not even an U19 cricketer, T20s didn’t exist, Ronaldo had not made Manchester United debut, iPhone was not invented, Facebook was not founded and Naseem Shah was not born.
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) November 10, 2024
14th over: Pakistan 71-0 (Saim 38, Abdullah 29) Saim opens his shoulders! Flaying Abbot away for four through point. A single to midwicket brings Shafique on strike. Four more! Pulled into the leg side with panache. DROP! Adam Zampa what have you done! A simple chance in the grand scheme, skier at fine leg goes in and plops out. Australia are well off the pace in Perth.
The last time Pakistan won an ODI series in Australia, Wasim Akram was an active cricketer, Kohli was not even an U19 cricketer, T20s didn’t exist, Ronaldo had not made Manchester United debut, iPhone was not invented, Facebook was not founded and Naseem Shah was not born.
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) November 10, 2024
13th over: Pakistan 61-0 (Saim 33, Abdullah 24) Here’s Lance Morris. Can he prise a wicket for Australia? Nope. Abdullah clips for a couple. Pakistan need 80 more runs to win the series.
12th over: Pakistan 59-0 (Saim 33, Abdullah 22) A tale of two pull shots from Saim Ayub, his first off Abbott nearly brings about his demise but the ball lands safely between converging fielders and the next is timed away for four off the middle.
11th over: Pakistan 51-0 (Saim 26, Abdullah 21) Shafique drives Johnson down the ground handsomely and the openers scamper three runs to chalk up the fifty partnership. It’s not been that pretty but Saim and Abdullah are getting the job done for their side.
10th over: Pakistan 47-0 (Saim 25, Abdullah 18) It’s all happening in Perth! Sean Abbot over steps and is called for a no ball. Free hit incoming… SIX! Saim hoicks away into the leg side and Spencer Johsnon makes a hash of the catch on the sponge, parrying it over for six big ones. Abbot does not look happy but only has himself and his big size 11s to blame.
9th over: Pakistan 38-0 (Saim 17, Abdullah 18) Saim Ayub tries a hook this time and there’s a strangled appeal as he misses out but was there a tickle? Replays show a flat line, there was nothing on it as it passed through to Inglis behind the stumps. DROP! Lance Morris spills a tough chance at deep third as Saim cuts away uppishly, the fielder got a couple of mitts to it but couldn’t cling on. Australia can’t afford to let chances like that go begging.
8th over: Pakistan 37-0 (Saim 16, Abdullah 18) Sean Abbott replaces Stoinis and is hit for ten runs off his first over! Abdullah Shafique showing some good intent by dancing down and driving for a couple and then rocking back to book a short ball that soars away for SIX over the keeper’s head. Australia need wickets, like they didn’t before.
7th over: Pakistan 27-0 (Saim 15, Abdullah 9) Johnson sends down five dots before spearing in a very short ball that flies of Saim’s head and is called a wide. He’ll have to bowl an extra ball… and it costs him! Saim somehow clips off the inner half of his bat over the fielder at square leg and the ball rolls away for four. Streaky but Pakistan won’t mind at all.
6th over: Pakistan 22-0 (Saim 11, Abdullah 9) Stoinis joins the dots and stitches together a maiden. Run rate isn’t a problem for the visitors, they can afford the off frugal over. It’s all about wickets from here.
5th over: Pakistan 22-0 (Saim 11, Abdullah 9) Johnson loses his radar at the start of the fifth over, whangin’ consecutive balls down the leg side for wides. Scrappy doo. Shafique drives for a brace down the ground but then has a complete brain fade and is almost run out! A clip to Stoinis at mid off and the single wasn’t really on, a mid pitch dance and Shafique was gone if the big fella had hit the stumps with the throw. Settle down, settle down.
4th over: Pakistan 17-0 (Saim 11, Abdullah 6) Saim lofts over the ring at midwicket and desrved four, the ball plugging on the unusually slow Perth outfield. Three runs added. Stoinis is worked for singles, all a bit too easy for Pakistan. Time for some pace in the shape of Lance Morris, perhaps?
3rd over: Pakistan 11-0 (Saim 7, Abdullah 4) Johnson nearly pockets Saim Ayub with a beauty that shapes away late, leaving the batter groping at fresh air with the blade. Singles the order of the over, four taken from the over as Pakistan’s openers lay a foundation and chip away.
2nd over: Pakistan 7-0 (Saim 5, Abdullah 2) Marcus Stoinis bustles in for the second over. Torso like an American fridge. Shafique picks up a single down the ground and Saim Ayub clips a poor ball off his hips for an easy four to end the over. The sounds of A-Ha blast through the stadium PA system.
James Wallace
Thanks Martin and hello all. A rousing Pakistan series victory on Australian soil coming from behind you say? I don’t mind it, but will it be straightforward? Don’t count on it.
1st over: Pakistan 2-0 (Saim 1, Abdullah 1) A promising start from Spencer Johnson as the left-armer has the ball angling back into the Pakistan openers. Saim Ayub swipes at a wider ball and is fortunate to have missed completely. Abdullah Shafique then fails to punish the one loose ball of the over, as he picks out fine leg for a single.
Australia are into a huddle with captain Josh Inglis trying to fire up the troops in his national captaincy debut. The young squad has some weapons, with Lance Morris able to shake up any top order, left-armer Spencer Johnson just as quick, and Sean Abbott one of the craftier cricketers going around. The white-ball spin wizard Adam Zampa will test the Pakistan middle order if given the opportunity though we’re yet to see how this pitch will spin.
Spencer Johnson takes the new ball and will bowl around the wicket and I’ll now hand you over to James Wallace to steer you through the second dig.
While we wait for the second innings to start just a cheeky reminder that Australia have named their squad to face India in the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
The hosts could probably have done with that entire squad showing up in Perth for this ODI series decider against Pakistan, but we instead have Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne sitting out this third match after being part of games one and two. Travis Head and Mitch Marsh have skipped all of this series while on paternity leave.
Australia all out for 140
Australia have set a new, unwanted record for their lowest ODI total against Pakistan with 140-9 on the board, just two days after laying down the previous marker, as Shaheen takes out Lance Morris’s off-stump. You couldn’t expect the No 11 to do too much with that one.
There is plenty of bounce and movement out of the pitch but it would be unfair to take anything away from the Pakistan pace attack that frankly outclassed Australia’s undermanned batting lineup.
All four of the Pakistan quicks ran riot with Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-32) surviving an injury scare late in the innings, while Haris Rauf (2-24) again shook up the Australians and dismissed his newfound bunny Glenn Maxwell for the third time in the series. Naseem Shah (3-54) and Mohammad Hasnain (1-24) also played their part as Pakistan did not even have to call on a part-timer as their fifth bowler, a punt that has paid off handsomely in two matches now.
Sean Abbott (30) top scored for Australia as the all-rounder tried to set up a defendable total, after Matt Short (22) put together a more mature knock than we’re used to from him even as wickets fell with worrying regularity. Cooper Connolly was forced to retire hurt after copping a heavy blow to the hand and while any of his additional runs would be useful right now there is little to suggest this is a wicket worthy of such a meagre score.
WICKET! Abbott c Rauf b Shaheen 30 (Australia 140-8)
Abbott looks to get on the attack but is through his shot too early and pops a slower ball from Shaheen straight to Rauf at mid-on. Rauf isn’t going to spill that with the form he is in whenever he’s near the ball. With Connolly out of action after taking a blow to his hand while batting, Australia are down to their last stand.
31st over: Australia 140-7 (Abbott 30, Johnson 12) SIX! Abbott looks to take matters into his own hands as he refuses an easy single off the first delivery of the over then two balls later bangs the first six of the innings. Abbott backs away and smacks the short high over midwicket, just long enough to fall out of reach of Abdullah Shafique on the boundary.
30th over: Australia 133-7 (Abbott 23, Johnson 12) Rauf has dominated this series with some fiery bowling but Johnson shows him little respect with a pair of sensational boundaries. The first comes from Johnson using the angle of the ball to deflect it through gully, the next is smacked in front of the wicket. Rauf responds with a shorter, quicker ball that Johnson does well to keep down perhaps with more glove than bat.
29th over: Australia 125-7 (Abbott 23, Johnson 4) Johnson punches Naseem through point for three runs then Abbott clips him over mid-on for a couple more. The all-rounder becomes Australia’s top scorer in the innings and has looked the most comfortable too.
28th over: Australia 120-7 (Abbott 21, Johnson 1) Haris Rauf is back and Australia might be looking to simply survive for as many balls as possible. Abbott immediately shows faith in his new partner as he scampers through for a risky single. A direct hit would have had Johnson heading back to the pavilion but the fielder holds onto the ball with no one backing up the throw to the keeper’s end.
27th over: Australia 118-7 (Abbott 20, Johnson 0) Abbott punishes a loose delivery from Naseem then survives a cracker that was angling away from the right-hander before jagging back into him off the seam. Zampa gives himself room to cut but doesn’t go hard enough as the ball flies straight to Saim Ayub at gully.
WICKET! Zampa c Saim Ayub b Naseem 13 (Australia 118-7)
Zampa was showing positive signs but a limp cut shot goes straight to Saim Ayub in the gully. It was a strange shot after the Australian had been looking to attack more but ends up with a very soft dismissal.
26th over: Australia 113-6 (Abbott 15, Zampa 13) Shaheen sends a scare through the Pakistan camp as he claims a throw in but then is cramped down on the ground with concern over his critical left hand. The fast bowler’s thumb looks to have popped out and Babar steps in to put it back into place. Drinks are taken while Pakistan sort it out with a healthy dose of the “magic spray”. Shaheen returns to bowl out the remaining three balls in the over, digs in a bouncer of the last delivery that is called a wide. Zampa swings wildly at the follow up but his head is up and he misses by a fair margin.
25th over: Australia 111-6 (Abbott 14, Zampa 13) The experience duo keep the score ticking over with easy singles. Now is not the time for any further risk with half the overs still in hand and Pakistan yet to turn to their fifth bowler.
24th over: Australia 107-6 (Abbott 12, Zampa 11) Sean Abbott shows his top order how it’s done as be hoicks a pull shot through midwicket for a powerful boundary along the grass. That’s the best shot we’ve seen from an Australian for quite some time. Shaheen pitches it up for the rest of the over but Abbott has it under control.
23rd over: Australia 101-6 (Abbott 7, Zampa 10) Australia bring up the 100 as they look to set a defendable target. 150 might be enough on this bouncy deck. Zampa slashes hard at a wide ball and immediately spins around as it takes an edge but is fortunate enough to see it sail high over slip for four.
22nd over: Australia 94-6 (Abbott 6, Zampa 5) Shaheen comes back into the attack as Pakistan look to finish off Australia. Abbott pulls a loosener away for a single but Zampa is on the attack to find three runs over cover.
21st over: Australia 90-6 (Abbott 5, Zampa 2) Hasnain gets the better of Stoinis and Pakistan are into Australia’s tail well before the halfway mark of the innings. Australia’s score of 163 – their lowest ever in ODIs between these two teams – seems a long way off.
WICKET! Stoinis c Rizwan b Hasnain 8 (Australia 88-6)
Stoinis tries to play over a ball travelling just outside off but is cramped up after it finds the seam. An edge takes it through to Rizwan for yet another catch and Hasnain has his first of the day. The young pacer has been playing his part superbly and deserved to get it on the action.
20th over: Australia 87-5 (Stoinis 8, Abbott 4) Stoinis has his head down and sees off a tamer over from Rauf. It’s a maiden.
19th over: Australia 87-5 (Stoinis 8, Abbott 4) Hasnain keeps the foot on the throttle with another tidy over. Abbott picks up a couple on the with a neat prod through the offside.
