Arafat Minhas five-fer on debut sets up Pakistan's easy win

Pakistan clinched a five-wicket win over Australia in the first ODI at Rawalpindi on Saturday. On debut, Arafat Minhas starred with a superb five-wicket haul (5/32) to help bowl Australia out for 200 on a surface offering assistance to spinners. Fifties from Babar Azam and Ghazi Ghori guided Pakistan to the target with relative ease.

Having opted to bowl first, Pakistan introduced spin as early as the seventh over and struck immediately when Abrar Ahmed induced an outside edge from Alex Carey. Australia reached 51/1 in the Powerplay, but their innings unravelled soon after. Minhas trapped Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne LBW within three deliveries before bowling Cameron Green.

Australia slipped from 62/1 to 68/4 before Matthew Short and Matt Renshaw launched a recovery with a 55-run stand. Short brought up his half-century but was stumped off Minhas four overs later. Renshaw reached his fifty while adding 22 runs with Oliver Peake and 34 with Matthew Kuhnemann. Australia's hopes suffered a setback when Renshaw was undone by a skidder from Abrar in the 39th over. The visitors added only 21 more runs for their final three wickets before being bowled out in the 45th over. Minhas became the first Pakistan bowler to register a five-fer on ODI debut.

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Australia also turned to spin early, with Kuhnemann dismissing Maaz Sadaqat with his second delivery in the sixth over. Tanveer Sangha removed Sahibzada Farhan in the 13th over, leaving Pakistan at 49/2. However, Babar and Ghori combined for a match-defining 127-run partnership. Australia's bowlers probed but opportunities proved scarce, with Babar dropped in the 33rd over. The pair remained patient, bringing up their respective half-centuries.

Nathan Ellis broke the partnership when an off-cutter kept low and bowled Babar, then trapped Ghori LBW in his next over, but the result was a formality. Minhas capped a memorable debut by finishing the chase with a six as Pakistan reached the target with five wickets in hand and 7.3 overs to spare.

Brief Scores: Australia 200 all-out in 44.1 overs (Renshaw 61, Short 55; Minhas 5/32, Abrar 2/44) lost to Pakistan 202/5 in 42.3 overs (Babar 69, Ghori 65; Ellis 2-45) by 5 wickets.