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Mitchell Starc (Source-Cricket Australia)
Pakistan began their tour of Australia with the first ODI game being played in Melbourne. Veteran pacer Mitchell Starc got into action right away with the wicket of Pakistani opening batter Saim Ayub in the 3rd over of the day. The left-arm seamers form will worry India who are set to depart for Australia on November 10th.
Saim Ayub was batting on 1 when he got a fast and fuller delivery from Starc. The batter couldn’t handle the pace on the ball and got an inside edge back onto the bat. It was a huge wicket for Australia as the youngster is known to be an attacking batter.
Starc gets the ball rolling! #AUSvPAKpic.twitter.com/CYXcVECkj1
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 4, 2024
Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bowl first with the Aussies having some new names in the mix. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short are set to open the batting. Josh Hazlewood was rested for the first game as Aaron Hardie and Sean Abbott got a chance to play the match.
Babar Azam fails on his return to the team
After the fall of Saim Ayub in the third over, Babar Azam came out to join Abdullah Shafique. The 30-year-old wasn’t picked for the final two games against England during the recent Test series.
Mitchell Starc struck for the second time when he dismissed Shafique for 12 caught by Josh Inglis. Babar Azam scored 37 runs from 44 balls with four boundaries and looked set for a big score. Adam Zampa bowled a delivery that kept it a low shot off the wicket and went through the defenses of Babar Azam.
Pat Cummins then got the fourth wicket of the day when he dismissed Kamran Ghulam for five. Australian skipper bent his back and bowled a delivery at 143 KPH which the batter tried to fend. The ball took the edge of the bat as Josh Inglis took an easy catch.
Just before the start of the series, Cummins spoke to Cricket Australia and said, “My body feels like it's not 50 years old. I'm really happy with how the build-up has gone, no hiccups. I feel as well-placed as I could. It's a really good entry into the summer.”
The 31-year-old also said, “Outside of playing for NSW, I hadn't played for a few months. ODIs are high-intensity cricket but you're capped at 10 overs, which is a great way to kick into the summer."