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In his first ODI series as full-time captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, Mohammad Rizwan led Men in Green to a 2-1 win in the bilateral series played on Australian soil.
Mohammad Rizwan becomes 2nd Pakistan captain to win bilateral ODI series in Australia. (Picture Credit: AP)
Pakistan beat Australia by 8 wickets in the third and final ODI of the three-match series played at Perth Stadium on Sunday (November 10). The visitors chased down the target of 141 runs in 26.5 overs for the loss of two wickets. The win in the third ODI helped Pakistan win the bilateral series against Australia. It is the first time in 22 years and overall second time in history that Pakistan has managed to defeat Australia in a bilateral series played on Australian soil.
It is a memorable start for Mohmmad Rizwan as full-time captain of Pakistan’s ODI team. Rizwan was appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball captain last month.
Before Rizwan, only Waqar Younis had managed to win a bilateral ODI series in Australia as Pakistan captain. Under Waqar’s leadership, Pakistan defeated Australia 2-1 in the three-match assignment played in June 2002.
During that series as well, Pakistan lost the series opener played in Melbourne and went on to win the next two fixtures.
Apart from Waqar and Rizwan, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (in November 2010) and India’s Virat Kohli (in January 2019) have managed to win a bilateral ODI series among Asian captains in Australia.
Asian captains to win bilateral ODI series in Australia
- Waqar Younis (Pakistan) – 2002 (2-1)
- Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) – 2010 (2-1)
- Virat Kohli (India) – 2019 (2-1)
- Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) – 2024 (2-1)
Before getting the better of Australia on Sunday in the winners take it all contest in Perth, Pakistan defeated Australia by nine wickets in the second ODI played at Adelaide Oval on Friday (November 8). In that match, riding on Haris Rauf’s five for 29 in eight overs, the Rizwan-led side dismissed Australia for just 163 runs in 35 overs and then chased down the 164-run target in 26.3 overs for the loss of only one wicket.
Australia had won the series opener played at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Monday (November 8) by 2 wickets after chasing down the target of 204 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 33.3 overs.
For his super performances in the series, Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf has won the Player of the Series award.
Both the teams will now face each other in a three-match T20I series, which is set to start on November 14 at the Gabba in Brisbane. The next two T20Is will be played at Sydney Cricket Ground on November 16 and Bellerive Oval in Hobart on November 18.
