Arafat Minhas Takes Five Wickets on Dream ODI Debut

RAWALPINDI: (Web Desk) – Spinner Arafat Minhas delivered a dream debut performance, becoming the first Pakistani bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in his maiden One-Day International as Pakistan secured a comfortable five-wicket victory over Australia in the opening match of the series in Rawalpindi on Saturday.

The left-arm spinner returned impressive figures of 5-32, helping dismiss an under-strength Australian side for 200 in 44.1 overs. Pakistan then chased down the target with 45 balls remaining, marking a memorable win in the country’s 1,000th ODI appearance.

Chasing 201, Pakistan recovered from an early setback thanks to a match-defining 127-run partnership between Babar Azam and debutant Ghazi Ghori. The pair steadied the innings after the dismissals of Sahibzada Farhan (28) and Maaz Sadaqat (8) left the hosts at 49-2.

Babar anchored the chase with a composed 69 off 94 deliveries, including four boundaries and a six, while Ghori impressed with a fluent 65 featuring eight fours. Although both batters fell late in the innings to Nathan Ellis, Pakistan remained firmly in control.

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Minhas fittingly sealed the victory by striking a six and later expressed his delight at achieving a historic feat on debut.

“It feels special to achieve this record,” Minhas said. “I enjoy performing under pressure, and I focused on making the most of this opportunity. I’m happy to have contributed to the team’s success.”

Australian stand-in captain Josh Inglis believed his side fell short of a competitive total.

“An extra 30 or 40 runs could have made things much more interesting,” Inglis said. “The positive was that we made Pakistan work hard for the win.”

Australia, missing several key players including regular captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and opener Travis Head, struggled against Pakistan’s spin attack after being asked to bat first.

Matthew Renshaw top-scored with 61, while Matthew Short contributed 55. However, Pakistan’s spinners dominated proceedings, accounting for eight of the ten wickets to fall.

Abrar Ahmed broke the opening stand by dismissing Alex Carey for 19 before Minhas took control of the innings. The debutant removed Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne in one over before dismissing Cameron Green for a duck in his next.

Australia slipped to 68-4 before Short and Renshaw mounted a brief recovery with a 55-run partnership. Minhas eventually ended the stand by having Short stumped, while Abrar later removed Renshaw. Minhas completed his memorable five-wicket haul by dismissing Nathan Ellis.

Pakistan now lead the three-match ODI series 1-0, with the remaining fixtures scheduled to be played in Lahore on Tuesday and Thursday.