Rauf, Ayub hand Pakistan first ODI win in Australia since 2017

Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan had a good outing in the field • Associated Press

Adelaide, November 8:

Pakistan 169 for 1(Ayub 82, Shafique 64*, Zampa 1-44) beat Australia 163 (Smith 35, Rauf 5-29, Afridi 3-26) by nine wickets

Haris Rauf ripped through Australia's middle-order for second consecutive game, and this time it wasn't in vain as a sparkling innings from Saim Ayub led Pakistan's charge to a series-levelling nine-wicket victory at the Adelaide Oval with a mammoth 23.3 overs to spare.

This was a complete hammering of the ODI World Champions. After his hair-raising spell in Melbourne, Rauf ran through the hosts' batting - his delivery to remove Marnus Labuschagne was particularly superb - to finish with the second five-wicket haul of his ODI career.

Then, after an initially cautions start to the chase by Ayub and Abdullah Shafique, the former blossomed into an innings of spectacular strokes, not least a pick-up against a pick-up flick off Mitchell Starc that went into the stands.

Ayub had made just 7 from 27 balls when he punched away a square drive against Josh Hazlewood and from there he was away. He magnificently deposited Pat Cummins and then Starc into the crowd before slog-sweeping another off Adam Zampa's third delivery.

Given a life on 47 when Zampa spilled a chance at deep point, his fifty came from 52 balls and a maiden century was on offer before he sliced to short third with job all-but done to end a rollicking opening stand of 137.