Naseem Shah eyes series-levelling victory in second Pakistan-Australia ODI

ADELAIDE: Pakistan’s right-arm pacer Naseem Shah has set his sights on a series-levelling victory in the second ODI of the three-match series against Australia, scheduled on Friday here at Adelaide Oval.

Naseem displayed exceptional all-round brilliance in Pakistan’s two-wicket defeat in the series opener as he registered decent bowling figures of 1/39 in 7.2 overs after a blistering 40-run knock with the bat, which featured one four and four sixes.

His efforts to lead Pakistan to their first ODI victory in Australia since 2017 however, were dashed by a gutsy knock by Australian captain Pat Cummins, who steered the home side to a hard-fought victory with an unbeaten 32 off 31 deliveries.

"We were very close to winning the first ODI, but the defeat has taught us a lot. Our aim now is to win the second ODI and level the series," said Naseem.

Naseem was forced to leave the field midway his eighth over in the first ODI against Australia as the right-arm pacer suffered severe pain due to cramps.

The 21-year-old, however, has attained complete fitness and is available for the second ODI but could still be given rest to add a regular spinner to the bowling attack.

"Even though I am fully fit, cramps can happen to anyone, including batters. They can occur at any time during the match,” Naseem remarked.

Australia lead the three-match series 1-0, with the second ODI scheduled to be played at Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Pakistan ODI Squad for Australia tour:

Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi