Australia lost by two wickets to Pakistan in the first of three one-day internationals on Monday, but skipper Pat Cummins kept his cool with a gritty unbeaten 32.
At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, chasing 204, they reached the target with 99 balls remaining, surviving a huge scare when they lost three wickets in five balls.
Cummins commented, “Wonderful match, but it got a little tighter than I would have liked it there.”
Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short were the new-look opening partnership for the world champions because Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head were on paternity leave.
However, Short only played four balls before top-edging Saim Ayub off Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Fraser-McGurk’s luck ran out on 16, when he slammed Naseem Shah into Irfan Khan at mid-on.
Along with Josh Inglis, the experienced Steve Smith steered the ship. They reached 85 for the third wicket before Smith was run out on 44 by Haris Rauf, who was caught perfectly by Ayub at backward point.
Soon after taking a big hit from Afridi and going for 49, Inglis was stopped by Khan on his knees.
Australia were suddenly 139-6 and the game was on when Rauf removed Marnus Labuschagne (16) three balls later, followed by Glenn Maxwell for a golden duck.
The hosts needed 19 runs and two wickets left when Mohammad Hasnain bowled Aaron Hardie (10) and Sean Abbott (13), but Cummins and Mitchell Starc (two) got them home.
Cummins continued, “Really happy with how the guys bowled, everyone played their roles beautifully.”
“Obviously we must attempt to form partnerships (in the batting),”
Earlier in the fight, Starc won with 3-33, and Pakistan lost for 203.
Mohammad Rizwan, the new captain, scored the most runs with 44, but they were all out in the 47th over after Australia won the toss and sent them in after struggling against some precise bowling.
Rizwan stated, “We need to play teams like that.” We decided that we would fight and be brave no matter what.
“Australia won because luck was on their side.”
Starc broke through in the third over of Pakistan’s first 50-over match since the World Cup last year with Ayub cutting into his stumps.
After quitting last month, that freed Babar Azam to step into the captain’s chair.
He increased the pace before Starc struck once more, catching Abdullah Shafique behind for a meager 12.
Rizwan and Azam put up 39 before Adam Zampa, a spinner, broke the partnership and bowled Azam for 37 with his fourth delivery.
Kamran Ghulam, his replacement, played only six balls, was too weak to handle a brutal Cummins bouncer, and he gloated to wicketkeeper Inglis, leaving Pakistan with 70-4 after 19 overs.
Rizwan played himself into the game with patience, but the wickets kept falling.
Short took Salman Agha well at square leg for 12 off Abbott and Rizwan, and he then left to try to sweep from part-time spinner Labuschagne.
