Pakistan star Kamran Ghulam, who scored a brilliant hundred on his Test debut against England, couldn’t get his ODI career off to a promising start on Monday. With Pakistan up against the mighty Australians in a 3-match series, Kamran could only score 5 runs from 6 balls in the series opener, after being dismissed to an unplayable delivery by the opponent team’s skipper Pat Cummins. Kamran tried to tease Cummins on the previous delivery, hoping to unsettle the Aussie skipper but ended up losing his wicket on the next delivery.
In a video shared by Cricket Australia, Ghulam tried to tease Cummins on the 5th delivery of the 19th over. Cummins ended up smiling at the Pakistan star’s antics. On the next delivery, the pacer bowled a stunning bouncer that Kamran had no answer for.
The ball kissed the Pakistan batter’s gloves and ended up in the hands of the wicket-keeper. Here’s the video:
Pat Cummins wins the battle #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/zSJWnriUjD
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 4, 2024
As for the innings, Australia pacer Mitchell Starc took 3-33 as Australia dismissed Pakistan for at the MCG. Newly appointed skipper Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 44 for the visitors but they struggled against some precision bowling, all out in the 47th over.
Starc broke through in the third over with Saim Ayub chopping onto his stumps, mistiming a rising ball before a subdued crowd at the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground.
That brought Babar Azam to the crease, unburdened by the captaincy after quitting last month.
He upped the tempo before Starc struck again, with Abdullah Shafique caught behind for a tame 12 in a superb opening spell from the speedster.
Azam was in decent touch and put on 39 with Rizwan before spinner Adam Zampa entered the fray and broke the partnership, bowling Azam for 37 with his fourth delivery.
A patient Rizwan played himself in before opening the bat, hitting the first six of the day off Starc. But the wickets kept falling.
Salman Agha was smartly taken at square leg for 12 by Matt Short off Sean Abbott and Rizwan then departed attempting a sweep from part-time spinner Marnus Labuschagne, caught by Inglis.
Shaheen Shah Afridi hit an entertaining 24, but Starc again struck, rattling his middle stump, before a flurry from the tailenders pushed Pakistan beyond 200.
Naseem Shah, coming in at nine, added 40, an innings that included four sixes, with 20 taken off one Zampa over.
With AFP Inputs
