'When a captain inspires, the team fires' - Shahid Afridi is all praise for Mohammad Rizwan after emphatic victory vs Australia

It was a commanding performance by Pakistan as they ripped apart Australia - both with ball and bat - to achieve a victory they will cherish for time immemorial to draw level at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. Opting to field first, Pakistan never let the hosts off the hook as not only did they keep the run rate fairly in check, but also kept on taking wickets at regular intervals. As for with the bat, the bulk of the run-chase was shouldered by the openers, as they made the Australian bowlers look like club cricketers. 

Former Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, took to X a few minutes post the winning shot by Babar Azam which travelled all the way towards the deep midwicket fence to draw curtains on the game. He attributed the essence of the victory coming from their skipper, Mohammad Rizwan. He also namedropped Rizwan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Saim Ayub, and Abdullah Shafique for their efforts. The passionate message to the team ended with him wishing luck to the side.

When a captain inspires, the team fires!

What a phenomenal comeback performance by Pakistan in Adelaide – securing our first-ever nine-wicket win over world champions Australia on their home turf! This victory is a huge confidence booster for the ODIs ahead.

The word…

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) November 8, 2024

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Rizwan equals landmark milestone as Rauf stars with the ball 

Earlier in the piece, it was the lethal combination of Rauf and Rizwan who starred by combining for four of the ten dismissals. Rizwan equalled former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed's record of holding on to the most number of catches (6) by a Pakistani wicket-keeper in a single ODI, while Rauf secured his second five-wicket haul in ODIs to end up with figures of 5/29 in eight overs.

Ayub and Shafique started off with a bang as they looked very comfortable in negating the new-ball threat posed by the Australians, as it was displayed in the first ODI. The swashbuckling southpaw missed out on a well-deserved ton, but an anchoring knock by Shafique coupled with Babar's steady approach got Pakistan past the finish line with ease.