He was instrumental in Pakistan’s five-wicket victory over Australia in the first ODI
Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi credited a well-executed game plan and an impressive spin-bowling performance for his side’s success in the landmark one-day international, while also highlighting the promise shown by emerging stars Muhammad Ghazi Ghori and Arafat Minhas.
Reflecting on Pakistan’s victory, Shaheen said the decision to field first was based on observations made during a practice match at the same venue, where conditions suggested that batting would become easier later in the day while spinners would receive significant assistance from the surface.
“Our plan was to bowl first,” Shaheen told reporters after the match.
“We had played a practice game here earlier, and the ball was coming onto the bat nicely in the evening. At the same time, we knew the pitch would offer plenty of help to the spinners, and our spinners delivered exactly as we expected.”
Pakistan’s spin attack played a decisive role in restricting the opposition, underlining the team’s growing confidence in adapting to varying conditions ahead of a busy international schedule.
The left-arm fast bowler also reserved special praise for young batter Ghazi Ghori, whose composed half-century helped Pakistan navigate a challenging batting surface.
Shaheen described the youngster as a technically gifted player capable of handling both pace and spin, expressing optimism about the future of Pakistan cricket.
“Ghazi Ghori did really well against Bangladesh,” he said.
“He is a great player against both spin and pace. The future of Pakistan cricket looks bright with talented youngsters coming through.”
The Pakistan captain was equally delighted by the performance of all-rounder Arafat Minhas, who made a significant impact during the match and continued his rise in international cricket.
Shaheen revealed that seeing Minhas succeed on the big stage reminded him of his own international debut and the emotions that come with representing Pakistan.
“I am very happy for Arafat Minhas,” Shaheen said.
“I saw his father celebrating and feeling proud of his achievement. It reminded me of my own debut for Pakistan. It was wonderful to see him perform under pressure and contribute to the team.”
Milestone Minhas
Spinner Arafat Minhas became the first Pakistan bowler to take five wickets on his ODI debut on Saturday as the hosts eased to a five-wicket win over Australia in the series opener in Rawalpindi.
Minhas finished with 5-32 as an under-strength Australia were bowled out for 200 in 44.1 overs before Pakistan chased down the target with 45 balls to spare for a memorable win in their 1,000th ODI.
Babar Azam struck 69 off 94 balls and Ghazi Ghori made an impressive 65 as Australia’s inexperienced spinners failed to match their Pakistani counterparts on a dry pitch assisting the slow bowlers.
Azam and Ghori added 127 runs for the third wicket after the departures of Sahibzada Farhan (28) and Maaz Sadaqat (8) left Pakistan 49-2.
Azam hit four fours and a six, while Ghori’s knock featured eight boundaries. Both eventually fell to paceman Nathan Ellis with victory in sight.
Minhas, who smashed a six to complete the win, said he was delighted with his starring role on debut.
“It’s great to have achieved a record,” said Minhas. “I like to enjoy that pressure environment, and my focus was on enjoying this opportunity and it’s great to have contributed to the victory.”
Australia’s stand-in skipper Josh Inglis rued a lack of runs.
“I think 30-40 more runs would have been interesting,” said Inglis. “I thought we made them work really hard to get over the line.”
Australia are missing a host of key players including regular skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood alongside opener Travis Head.
Australia, sent in to bat, saw Matthew Renshaw hit 61 after opener Matthew Short scored 55, but the tourists struggled against Pakistan’s spin assault, with eight wickets going to slow bowlers.
It was Abrar (2-44) who broke the opening stand of 34 with the wicket of Alex Carey for 19, before Minhas destroyed the batting with guile and accuracy.
Minhas had Inglis (13) and Marnus Labuschagne (0) in his fourth over before getting Cameron Green for a third-ball duck in his next.
At 68-4, Australia were in a spot of bother, but Short and Renshaw fought hard through a fifth-wicket stand of 55 before Minhas broke the partnership, with Short stumped.
Abrar returned for his second spell to dismiss Renshaw while Arafat completed his five-wicket haul by removing Ellis for eight.
The remaining two matches are in Lahore on Tuesday and Thursday.
