Skipper Pat Cummins kept his cool under pressure with a gritty unbeaten 32 to steer Australia to a nervy two wicket defeat of Pakistan in the first of three one-day internationals on Monday.
Chasing 204, they reached the target with 99 balls to spare at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, surviving a huge scare when they lost three wickets in five balls.
“Wonderful match but it got a little tighter than I would have liked it there,” said Cummins.
With Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head on paternity leave, the world champions had a new-look opening partnership in Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short.
But Short lasted just four balls before top-edging to Saim Ayub off Shaheen Shah Afridi while Fraser-McGurk’s luck ran out on 16, slapping Naseem Shah to Irfan Khan at mid-on.
The experienced Steve Smith steadied the ship alongside Josh Inglis.
They put on 85 for the third wicket before Smith was undone by Haris Rauf on 44, well caught by Ayub at backward point.
Inglis followed for 49 soon after going for a big hit off Afridi, taken by Khan on his knees.
And when Rauf removed Marnus Labuschagne (16) three balls later, then Glenn Maxwell for a golden duck, Australia were suddenly 139-6 and it was game on.
Mohammad Hasnain bowled Aaron Hardie (10) and Sean Abbott (13) was guilty of a lazy run out, leaving the hosts needing 19 runs and two wickets left, with Cummins and Mitchell Starc (two) seeing them home.
“Really happy with how the guys bowled, everyone played their roles beautifully,” Cummins added.
“Obviously we need to try and find some partnerships (in the batting).”
