Pakistan vs Australia, 2nd ODI, Australia tour of Pakistan 2026 - CommentaryPAK vs AUS, 2nd ODI, Australia tour of Pakistan 2026 - Commentary

So, that's it from our side. Australia were found wanting in slow and low conditions in the series opener but they rectified the chinks in their armour to bounce back in style today. That sets us up nicely for the grand finale. Join us day after tomorrow from the same venue. Until next time, goodbye and cheers!

Josh Inglis | Australia captain: (On a much-improved performance today) I think most of it was probably on the batting front. The guys had some good conversations around training yesterday about individual methods and how they were going to approach it. It was obviously dependent on the wicket, and it looked very similar to the other day. I thought the guys played it really well today. There were good contributions across the board and some good partnerships. (Did they plan to bat deep due to the slow surface?) Yeah, I think so. It was a pretty good total in the end. It would have been nice for someone to go on and get a big score, but it was about building partnerships through the middle overs and being patient. We thought anything over 200 meant we were right in the game. (On a couple of reviews missed) I'll blame the bowlers (laughs). (On Nathan Ellis' performance tonight) He was outstanding tonight. You can always call on Nell on those sorts of pitches. His variations are outstanding. When you've got pace around 145 and then slower balls just over 100 kilometres an hour, it's really tough for batters. I thought he bowled brilliantly tonight.

Shaheen Afridi | Pakistan captain: (On whether he thought it was a good bowling performance from them?) I think we gave away 20–25 extra runs towards the end. But yes, we struck early with wickets, and that helped build pressure. (On whether it was easier to bat on this surface as compared to Rawalpindi) No, it wasn’t that easy to bat on. In the second innings, the ball came onto the bat a bit better, but today the bowlers bowled really well. They hit the right areas and got rewarded. We will try to avoid our mistakes and move towards victory. One positive today was that the fast bowlers bowled really well. (On hitting the short of length and getting some reverse swing today) Yes, because on wickets like these, if you bowl in the right areas, there isn’t much swing available. When the ball started reversing and we changed the ball for the new one, the fast bowlers weren’t getting much assistance.

Nathan Ellis | Player of the Match: (On making the new ball count on a wicket like this) I think when you've got the new ball on a wicket like this, you want to try and maximise it for as long as you can. On nights like this, it's not that long. You try and get up there and swing it for four, five or eight balls, and then you get into your work, as we saw both teams do today. (On whether there was added pressure on him due to him being the only frontline seamer) Not added pressure. I think it's definitely different to the traditional one-day cricket we see around the world at the moment. One of the big strengths of this group is the willingness to be flexible, adapt and try things a little out of the ordinary. So no extra pressure, but it was a little different. (On employing any different tactic while bowling?) I think it's no secret that today was pretty low and slow. So you can bring your length back and still hit the top of the stumps. Me being a little bit of a shorter bowler allows me to do that in most places anyway. We saw the cutters and slower balls working a lot today, and the ball started to tail in reverse swing through the 35 to 45-over mark.

The hosts looked all but down and out but they scripted a fightback. Shadab held one end up while Arafat Minhas batted with good composure. The duo stitched a handy fifty-plus stand before Ellis returned to bowl and trapped Minhas in front. Shadab changed gears with the tail already exposed. He took Green on and hit him for two sixes to breathe life back into the contest. Shadab struck a fifty (his first fifty in ODIs in almost 4 years) under testing circumstances. But Shaheen fell against the run of play, making things even more difficult for Shadab. Haris Rauf hung around for a bit while Shadab mixed caution with aggression to perfection to keep his side in the hunt. It was too much for the tailender, though, as Ellis shaped one in nicely to knock him over. On the very next ball, Josh Inglis delivered the final blow by displaying brilliant glovework to get Shadab stumped down the leg side. Ellis was the standout bowler for the visitors, finishing with his career-best figures in this format. Stick around for the presentations...

23:58 Local Time, 18:58 GMT, 00:28 IST: It was a brilliant all-round performance from Australia to secure an exciting win. It got a bit too close for comfort for the visitors towards the end but they held their nerve to close the game out astutely. A shout out to Shadab Khan who batted extremely well under pressure but couldn't take his side home. If their top-order had contributed a bit more, it could have been a different story altogether. Earlier in the game, fifties from Inglis and Green and handy knocks from Renshaw and Peake lower down the order gave Australia a decent total on a sluggish surface. Pakistan would have still felt at the halfway stage that they did a good job with the ball and that it was their game to lose. In response, Pakistan were jolted early. They lost four wickets within the first powerplay and were pushed onto the back foot. The trend continued as the Australian bowlers remained on the money and kept striking to reduce Pakistan to 78/6.

Sangha to Shadab Khan, THATS OUT!! Stumped!!

Shadab Khan has been stumped down leg. Josh Inglis is really confident and so are his mates around him. OUT!

Nathan Ellis to Haris Rauf, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

Deep mid-wicket comes inside the circle