A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia. For a team plunged into chaos, it has been a remarkable turnaround. Pakistan had left for Australia without limited-overs coach Gary Kirsten, who had stepped down a week earlier. But newly appointed captain Mohammad Rizwan and Test coach Jason Gillespie delivered Pakistan’s first One-day International series triumph Down Under since 2002. Having been undone in the opener in Melbourne, Pakistan bounced back; their pacers, led by Haris Rauf, fired on all cylinders and set up big victories in the last two matches — the first by nine wickets in Adelaide, and the second by eight in Perth. Australia might have rested some of their big names for the final ODI, with their Test series against India on the horizon, but nothing should be taken away from Pakistan’s ruthless performance.

They could have won the tense opener too, but Rizwan’s counterpart Pat Cummins stood firm. However, the team showed its mettle when it dealt Australia its heaviest home ODI defeat — in terms of wickets — since 1992. Haris was the star of that game. He finished the series with 10 wickets. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah took three wickets each as Pakistan heaped more misery on Australia to seal the series. This is the second series across all formats that Pakistan have won since the revamp of the selection committee, following the Test win against England. There has been consistency in picking the right players. The dark clouds may be dissipating and hopefully the team will replicate its success in the T20 series against Australia. The ODI win will improve Pakistan’s morale ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy. Although the fate of that tournament, set to be hosted in Pakistan, is mired in uncertainty due to the stand-off with India, the players have proved that they can thwart challenges and retain their title.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2024