Pakistan vs Australia 1st ODI Highlights: Arafat Minhas Shines As Pakistan Beat Australia By 5 Wickets

Adios - That wraps up a fairly one-sided contest, with Pakistan drawing first blood in the series. The action now shifts from Rawalpindi to Lahore's iconic Gaddafi Stadium, where the Men in Green will be aiming to wrap up the series, while Australia will be eager to bounce back and level things up. The second ODI is scheduled for Tuesday, 2nd June, at 11.30 pm GMT. As always, do join us ahead of the game for all the build-up and pre-match coverage. Until then, goodbye and take care!

The victorious skipper of Pakistan - Shaheen Afridi says the plan was always to bowl first, pointing to a practice match ahead of the series where the ball was gripping sharply for the spinners early on and was coming nicely under the lights as well. About Minhas' dream debut, he then shares a warm moment, saying he spotted Arafat Minhas' parents in the stands making videos of their son. Expresses that it made him really happy. He says he understands exactly what parents feel watching their child make a debut. On Ghazi Ghori's knock, Shaheen mentions that his preparation has been very good, calling him a quality player of both spin and pace, and signs off by saying the future looks bright for Pakistan with talents like him coming through.

The captain of Australia - Josh Inglis, on the total, concedes that it was probably not enough, noting that they were put in on a surface that offered the spinners some assistance. He feels the team made a real fist of it in the second innings and made Pakistan work hard, but looking back, another 30 or 40 runs could have made it a very different game. On the spinners, Inglis is full of praise for Tanveer Sangha and Kuhnemann, saying they were outstanding in the way they varied their pace, adjusted their fields and stuck to their plans, making Pakistan work hard for every run. About the younger players stepping up in the absence of seniors, he calls it one of the positives to take away, saying they responded well to the opportunity, particularly with the ball. And then, with a smile, he addresses the tips he has been receiving from Marnus Labuschagne, who has a pretty good PSL experience to draw on. He says he has had plenty of information from Marnus so far on this tour, and jokes that perhaps less would be more. He then shifts focus to what lies ahead, saying he is looking forward to heading to Lahore and expects a very good wicket down there.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Undoubtedly, Arafat Minhas wins the award for his fifer on debut. He also played a cameo of unbeaten 18 runs and hit the winning runs as well. About whether there was any pressure in his debut game, Minhas admits that there is always some pressure, but adds that his confidence from the PSL experience helped him a lot. He says he simply tried to soak in the environment and enjoy the occasion, adding that the basics never change regardless of conditions. Credits the pre-series camp in Lahore for giving the squad the preparation edge they needed. On his father watching from the sidelines, Minhas says it must have been a proud moment for him, as playing for Pakistan was his father's dream too, and he is certain he (his father) enjoyed every bit of it.

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Not enough runs to defend - Australia gave it everything they had but simply did not have enough runs on the board to truly challenge Pakistan. That said, taking the game beyond 40 overs is a positive they can carry into the remaining matches, especially in unfamiliar conditions. The spin duo of Matthew Kuhnemann and Tanveer Sangha struck early to give Australia some hope, but they were unable to build sustained pressure. A crucial partnership in the middle overs effectively took the game away from them. Nathan Ellis managed to remove both set batters, while Marnus Labuschagne chipped in with a wicket late on, but by then the result was all but decided. Defending a total of 200 was always going to be a tough task, and Australia ultimately fell short.

Arafat Minhas stars on dream debut - Earlier in the game, Australia had no answers to Pakistan's spin attack and were bundled out for a modest 200. The only real resistance came from Matthew Short and Matt Renshaw, who both battled hard for gritty half-centuries, while the rest of the batting line-up struggled to get going on a challenging surface. For Pakistan, debutant Arafat Minhas stole the show with a sensational five-wicket haul. Abrar Ahmed picked up a couple of wickets, while Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf chipped in with one each to complete a superb all-round bowling performance.

Hosts ease to the finish line - Despite losing an early wicket, Pakistan never seemed under any real pressure during the chase. While the openers failed to make a significant impact, Babar Azam anchored the innings beautifully with his experience. He took his time to settle into the conditions before putting together a crucial 127-run partnership with Ghazi Ghori. Both batters brought up well-crafted half-centuries but were dismissed in the 60s. Their stand had already taken Pakistan within touching distance of the target, and Arafat Minhas completed the job comfortably without any late drama, fittingly hitting the winning runs on his memorable debut.

Pakistan draw first blood - Pakistan take a 1-0 lead in the series with a commanding all-round display. It was a thoroughly professional performance from the hosts, who outplayed Australia in every department. The Men in Green were simply too good in this series opener, with both bat and ball firing at the right moments. Australia, meanwhile, have plenty to ponder and will need a much-improved showing in the remaining matches if they are to turn the series around.

SIX! Minhas finishes off in style. A dominant, all-round performance from the hosts, who outplayed Australia in every department. And the timing could not have been more perfect, as this victory comes in Pakistan's 1000th ODI, making it a lot more special. A pretty poetic end to the game, as Minhas picked up a five-for with the ball, and hit the winning runs as well, quite fittingly to end a very memorable ODI debut for him. Flatter, on off, Arafat Minhas stays in his crease, gets a bit crouched and powers it downtown and over long on for a biggie.

A full toss, on off, Abdul Samad drills it to mid off. A misfield allows the batters to collect a single.

Abdul Samad is the new batter in for Pakistan, at number 7. Just a matter of a hit, then. Let's see who hits the winning runs.

OUT! LBW! Marnus Labuschagne gets a wicket upon his return. He bowls it straight, targeting the stumps on a fuller length. Salman Agha gets low and looks to sweep it, but plays all over it and misses. The ball goes on to strike his pads. A loud appeal goes about for LBW, and the finger goes up almost instantly. Salman Agha does not bother to refer to this one as it looks dead straight. He walks back with Pakistan needing just 6 runs to win.

Marnus Labuschagne is brought back on. 1-0-8-0 so far.

FOUR! Spoils the over! Matt Renshaw errs his line down leg, Arafat Minhas gets low and sweeps it past short fine leg for a boundary. Just 6 runs needed now.

Quicker, on off, Arafat Minhas eases it to the right of the bowler.

Slows it up, on leg, Arafat Minhas blocks it to the left of the bowler.

Fired in, on leg, Arafat Minhas blocks it to the on side.

Too full, on off, Arafat Minhas digs it back to the bowler.

Nice and full, on leg, Arafat Minhas flicks it towards the mid-wicket fielder.