Minhas’s debut five-for guides Pakistan to victory in 1,000th ODI
Spinner Arafat Minhas became the first Pakistani bowler to take five wickets on his One-Day International debut, guiding the hosts to a five-wicket victory over an under-strength Australia in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
Minhas finished with figures of 5-32 as Australia were bowled out for 200 in 44.1 overs. The memorable win came in Pakistan’s 1,000th ODI match.
Chasing the target on a spin-assisting pitch, Pakistan reached 201 in 42.3 overs. Babar Azam (69) and Ghazi Ghori (65) anchored the innings with a crucial 127-run partnership for the third wicket after Pakistan were 49-2. Minhas fittingly hit the winning runs with a six.
For Australia, who are missing several key players including captain Pat Cummins, Matthew Renshaw top-scored with 61 and Matthew Short made 55. After the match, stand-in skipper Josh Inglis said his team was 30 to 40 runs short of a competitive total.
With the victory, Pakistan has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The remaining two matches will be played in Lahore.
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Updated: 12:44 PM PKT — May 31, 2026
Left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas dismantled the Australian batting order on his debut, starting with the dismissal of captain Josh Inglis with the team’s score at 62. He then trapped Marnus Labuschagne for a duck on the same score, followed shortly by Cameron Green, also for a duck. This triggered a collapse that saw Australia lose three key batsmen between the scores of 62 and 68.
Minhas later removed the set Matt Short to claim his fourth wicket with the total at 123, before completing his five-wicket haul by dismissing Nathan Ellis in the 41st over. He finished with figures of 5-32 from his 10 overs, having previously been noted for his performances in T20 cricket.
Updated: 11:43 AM PKT — May 31, 2026
Following its 1,000th One-Day International, Pakistan stands as only the third team in cricket history to reach the milestone, after Australia and India. Across these matches, the national team has secured 527 victories against 442 defeats. The team’s highest total was 399 against Zimbabwe in 2018, while its lowest was 43 against the West Indies in 1993.
Individually, Inzamam-ul-Haq remains Pakistan’s top ODI run-scorer with 11,739 runs, while former captain Wasim Akram leads the bowlers with 502 wickets. Saeed Anwar and current captain Babar Azam jointly hold the record for the most centuries with 20 each. Fakhar Zaman’s unbeaten 210 stands as the highest individual score, and Shahid Afridi’s 7-12 remains the best bowling performance in the format for Pakistan.
Updated: 8:09 AM PKT — May 31, 2026
The victory in Rawalpindi gives Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match series against Australia. Debutant Arafat Minhas, who became the first Pakistani to take a five-wicket haul on his ODI debut, was named player of the match for his figures of 5-32. His spell was pivotal, as he dismissed Australian captain Josh Inglis before removing Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green for ducks to cripple the visitors’ middle order. The teams will now travel to Lahore for the second ODI at Gaddafi Stadium on June 2.
