Pakistan look to seal the ODI series against Australia in Lahore
Pakistan can wrap up the series when they meet Australia in the second ODI at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on June 2. A 5-wicket win in Rawalpindi has put the hosts 1-0 up in the three-match series, and another result in Lahore would settle it with a game to spare.
How Pakistan went 1-0 up
The opener on May 30 belonged to a debutant. The 21-year-old left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas took 5 for 32 in his first ODI, becoming the first Pakistan bowler to claim a five-wicket haul on debut in the format. Australia were bowled out for 200, with Matt Renshaw top-scoring on 61 and Matthew Short making 55, and never built the platform their middle order needed.
The chase was calmer than the target suggested. Babar Azam made 69 and shared a stand of 127 with wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori, who finished with 65. Pakistan got home with 45 balls to spare for the loss of five wickets. Nathan Ellis was the pick of the Australian bowlers with 2 for 45, but there was little around him to defend.
An understrength Australia searching for answers
Australia arrived in Pakistan badly weakened. Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were all left out because of IPL 2026 commitments, and the man originally named to lead the side, Mitchell Marsh, was then ruled out with an ankle injury. Josh Inglis took over as captain, and the brief is as much about blooding players as it is about results.
That makes the partnership problem in Rawalpindi the headline worry. Renshaw and Short gave Australia starts but the innings kept stalling, and 200 was never going to test a Pakistan batting order on home soil. Inglis can shift a game quickly from the top of the order, and Australia need their senior batters to bat deeper if they are to take the series to a decider.
History is not on the tourists' side. Australia have not won an ODI series in Pakistan since 1998, and Pakistan have taken the points in their last two meetings in the format.
What to watch in Lahore
The Gaddafi Stadium fixture is a day-night affair, which puts the toss and the evening dew firmly in play. Lahore is a batting-friendly surface, but it tends to help the spinners as the match wears on, and dew can make bowling second awkward. Captains will think hard about chasing.
For Pakistan, the questions are good ones to have. Minhas has announced himself, Babar looks settled at the top, and Ghori's runs at number five add depth. Win in Lahore and the series is theirs, with the third ODI a chance to give fringe players a look. Australia, meanwhile, need a sharp response simply to keep the tour alive as a contest.
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