Clinical Pakistan dismiss Australia for 210 in third ODI
Clinical Pakistan dismiss Australia for 210 in third ODI
Pakistan grabbed early wickets to dismiss Australia for just 210 runs Saturday in the series-deciding third day-night international in Lahore.
Spearheads Haris Rauf (3-39), Mohammad Wasim (3-40) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-40) kept the pressure from the start as Australia were bowled out in 41.5 overs.
Alex Carey top-scored with a gritty 61-ball 56 and Sean Abbott hit a 40-ball 49 in an otherwise dismal batting show by the visitors.
The series is tied at 1-1 after Australia won the first match by 88 runs and Pakistan the second by six wickets.
Sent in to bat for a third successive time by Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, Australia lost in-form Travis Head with the first ball of the match, from Shaheen.
Out-of-form skipper Aaron Finch fell in the next over from Rauf, trapped leg-before for a second time in a row, as Australia lost both openers without a run on the board.
Rauf made it 3-6 when Marnus Labuschagne edged one to slip for Iftikhar Ahmed to take a simple catch.
Ben McDermott (36) and Marcus Stoinis (19) took the score to 59 when the latter chipped spinner Zahid Mahmood to Imam-ul-Haq, who took a good diving catch.
McDermott, who smashed a maiden ODI century in the second game, was trapped leg-before by Wasim for 36 as Australia lost half their side for just 67 by the 16th over.
Carey and Cameron Green (34) added an invaluable 81 runs for the sixth wicket off 95 balls, but Wasim came for his second spell to bowl Green in the 32nd over.
Carey's resistance finally ended when he holed out to spinner Iftikhar after hitting six boundaries and a six.
Abbott, who also hit six boundaries and a six, made sure Australia got past 200 during a last-wicket stand of 44 runs before falling to Rauf.
(C.Fournier--LPdF)
