#PakvsAus: Pakistan Play Aggressive To Register A Record Run Chase

#PakvsAus series became interesting for once after the green shirts finally decided to play aggressive cricket. 

Read: #PakvsAus: Aaron Finch Signals Warning To The Injury Hit Squad

#PakvsAus: Pakistan Ditch Defensive Strategies To Claim A Record Victory

Pakistan chased down 349 runs to claim a memorable victory during the second ODI against Australia in Lahore. The record run chase saw Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam scoring centuries. Opener Fakhar Zaman also scored an impressive half century while Khushdil Shah dominated the proceedings with a cameo.

Read: #PakvsAus: Will Pakistan Lose To A Second String Australian Side?

What Was Different?

Pakistan lost the three match Test series to the kangaroos 1-nil. Pundits around the globe blamed the the green shirts for adopting a defensive strategy throughout the historic home series and believed that the loss came owing to the negative mindset of the entire dressing room. The first ODI then was no exception as the Babar Azam led unit once more played old fashioned cricket that saw them lose to an inexperienced Australian side by 88 runs.

During the second ODI however, the men in green finally played what can be termed as fearless and aggressive cricket. The mindset looked positive as Pakistan’s batting order looked to chase down the total while maintaining the required run-rate throughout the innings. The reward for deciding to play modern brand of cricket came instantly as Pakistan recorded their highest run chase in an ODI.

Read: #PakvsAus: Changes in Playing XI Expected, Shadab Likely To Miss Out

Pakistan Must Learn From The Victory

Pakistan must learn from the victory last night. Their batters need to continue playing the same way in the final ODI of the series as well as during the only T20i against the Australia. They need to be a little more positive in picking up their XI though and give up the idea of playing with four specialist bowlers only. The fact that Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah gave away 95 runs together in 10 overs of part time spin bowling cannot be ignored. Hence, the men in green should either pick Shadab if he is fit to play or bring in someone like Usman Qadir in the playing XI ahead of Iftikhar Ahmed.