Adelaide [Australia], November 8 : Riding on seamer Haris Rauf's five-wicket haul, Pakistan was able to restrict Australia at a paltry total of 163 in the second ODI match of the series at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan's debut as the captain for the Men in Green did not end up well as they conceded a two-wicket defeat to Australia in the first ODI.
However, Pakistan looked like they were booming with confidence in the Adelaide game, which, for a long time, seemed missing from the team.
Pakistan's decision to send Australia to bat first in the game did go in their favour as they successfully restricted the hosts at 163.
Matthew Short (19 runs from 15 balls, 3 fours) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (13 runs from 10 balls, 3 fours) opened for the Aussies and could only make a partnership of 21 runs as Shaheen Afridi made the first breakthrough by removing Fraser-McGurk from the crease.
Steven Smith (35 runs from 48 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) was the highest run-scorer in the match for the hosts. Apart from Smith, no other player could cross the 20-run mark.
The Aussie batting displayed a sluggish performance in the first inning as top players like Josh Inglis (18 runs from 25 balls, 2 fours), Marnus Labuschagne (6 runs from 11 balls), Glenn Maxwell (16 runs from 21 balls, 1 six) failed to score runs and help their side.
In the end, Adam Zampa (18 runs from 21 balls, 1 four and 1 six) tried his best to add some crucial runs on the board, however, Shaheen Afridi did not let that go for long, and removed the leggie from the crease.
Australia ended their inning at 163, with 15 overs remaining.
The Pakistan bowling attack was at their top form as they rejuvenated under Rizwan's captaincy. Haris Rauf was the star in the first inning after he bagged five wickets and gave 29 runs in his 8-over spell. Shaheen Afridi. who was struggling with his form recently, picked up three wickets in his eight-over spell.
Mohammad Hasnain and Naseem Shah also took one wicket each in their respective spells.
Pakistan need to make 164 runs to win the match and level the series.
Brief score: Australia 163 (Steven Smith 35, Adam Zampa 18; Haris Rauf 5/29) vs Pakistan.