Pakistan bowl first in 1000th ODI; Minhas, Peake earn ODI debuts

Australia seamer Billy Stanlake returned to the side after seven years

Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi

Published: May 30, 2026, 11:33 AM (1 hr ago)

Toss Pakistan opt to bowl vs Australia

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi decided to field first against Australia at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in the opening ODI of the three-match series. He said that batting being potentially easier under the lights was a factor, as was spinners playing a bigger role in the first innings.

Pakistan handed a debut to Arafat Minhas, a 21-year-old left-arm spinner, who has previously played four T20Is for Pakistan. Legspinner Shadab Khan, who last played ODIs during the 2023 World Cup, also returned to the XI. The hosts played four spinners, the other two being Abrar Ahmed and Salman Ali Agha, while Afridi and Haris Rauf were the only pacers.

Australia handed a debut to 19-year-old explosive batter Oliver Peake, while the tall, fast bowler Billy Stanlake returned to the side after seven years. Cameron Green was slotted in the middle order, according to Australia's plans to test his finishing abilities, and Nathan Ellis was the other pacer in the side.

Tanveer Sangha and Matthew Kuhnemann were the two main spin options in the XI for captain Josh Inglis. Adam Zampa was a late withdrawal from selection due to a neck spasm.

This is Pakistan's 1000th ODI. They have become only the third team behind Australia and India to breach the 1000-match mark in the format.

Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Maaz Sadaqat, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Ghazi Ghori (wk), 5 Salman Ali Agha, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Arafat Minhas, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi (capt), 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed

Australia: 1 Matthew Short, 2 Alex Carey, 3 Josh Inglis (capt and wk), 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Matthew Renshaw, 7 Oliver Peake, 8 Nathan Ellis, 9 Tanveer Sangha, 10 Billy Stanlake, 11 Matthew Kuhnemann

Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi is a cricket journalist based in Lahore

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