Australia beat Pakistan in the first ODI.© AFP
Australia etched its name into the history books by becoming the most successful team against Pakistan in the ODI format after playing a thriller at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Australia managed to sneak its way to a narrow 2-wicket victory to go 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series. This was the 71st time the Baggy Greens made Pakistan taste defeat in the format, which is the joint-most highest tally by any team.
In the ODI format, West Indies have also defeated Pakistan 71 times, but Australia managed to achieve it in 28 fewer matches. Australia’s 71 wins have come in 109 matches, while the Men in Green have come out victorious on 34 occasions.
On the other hand, the West Indies managed to get 71 wins in 137 games. Sri Lanka have the third-highest wins over Pakistan with a tally of 59 in 157 matches. England and India have 57 wins each in 92 and 135 games, respectively.
This wasn’t the only way Australia established its supremacy in the world of cricket. The left-arm speedster Mitchell Starc overtook legendary pacer Brett Lee to become the fastest bowler to achieve 100 ODI wickets in Australia.
In the series opener, Starc delivered a performance with the ball that lived up to his reputation. He picked up a three-wicket haul while giving away 33 runs in his 10-over spell at a mere economy of 3.33.
The seasoned pacer left his mark in the powerplay with his scorching pace, got the wickets of both openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub in the powerplay, and later went on to get the scalp of Shaheen Shah Afridi.
After his spell ended, Starc hit the three-digit figures by completing 100 ODI wickets in Australia in just 54 innings, outdoing Lee’s record of reaching the milestone in 55 innings. Glenn McGrath, another Aussie legend, is third on the list, who got his 100th ODI wicket in Australia in his 56th innings.
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