Australia emerged victorious over Pakistan in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup warm-up match at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, securing a 14-run win.
Despite impressive performances from Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed, they couldn’t chase down the challenging target of 352 runs and suffered a loss in their second practice match.
The match began with a solid partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, but Pakistan lost its first wicket when Fakhar Zaman was dismissed by Glenn Maxwell.
Abdullah Shafique, who came in at number three, couldn’t make a significant impact as he fell to Sean Abbott’s bowling.
The standout performance of Pakistan’s innings was from Babar Azam, who scored a brilliant 90 runs from 59 balls before retiring. He was well-supported by Iftikhar Ahmed, and together they put up a partnership of 144 runs for the fifth wicket.
After Babar Azam’s departure, Mohammad Nawaz contributed with a fiery inning of 50 runs from 42 balls.
Australia’s bowlers, including Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Marnus Labuschagne, and Mitchell Marsh, made every effort to contain Pakistan’s batsmen. Labuschagne was the most successful bowler, taking three crucial wickets.
In the end, Pakistan finished their innings with a total of 337 runs for the loss of nine wickets.
Earlier, Australia posted a formidable total of 351 runs in their innings, with Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis being the top performers.
Despite a wicket for Pakistan, Haris Rauf had a tough outing, conceding 97 runs in just nine overs.
Australia won the toss and chose to bat first in the warm-up match. The ICC World Cup 2023 warm-up matches consist of 50 overs per side, but they do not have ODI status. Teams can field all 15 members of their squad in these matches.
Pakistan will play their first World Cup game against the Netherlands on October 6, while Australia will face India on October 8 in Chennai.
