KARACHI: Former Test batsman Mohammad Yousuf named Pakistan’s greatest cricketers after the national team played their historic 1,000th ODI in the series opener against Australia at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Yusuf took to social media platform ‘X’ to mark the milestone, sharing a star-studded all-time line-up featuring legendary figures from different eras of Pakistan cricket, along with a tribute to the 1992 World Cup win.
“Pakistan’s historic #1000th ODI win inspires great players,” Yusuf wrote before listing his selected XI:
Captain & All-rounder: Imran Khan
Fast bowler: Wasim Akram
Batter: Saeed Anwar
Wicket Keeper: Rashid Latif
Spinner: Saqlain Mushtaq
He also mentioned that the 1992 World Cup final was the most memorable in the history of Pakistan cricket.
Meanwhile, the Men in Green started the three-match ODI series in dominant fashion, defeating Australia by five wickets in a low-scoring match. Debutant Arafat Minhas led the way to a record-breaking victory.
Minhas made an immediate impact on his ODI debut, picking up a sensational five-wicket haul in a disciplined 10-over spell.
His figures helped Australia to 200 all out in 42.3 overs, while also earning him a place in the record books as the first Pakistani bowler to take five wickets on ODI debut, finishing with the best debut figures of 5/32 by a Pakistani player.
In reply, the Green Shirts scored 204-5 in 42.3 overs and chased down the target with ease.
Babar Azam continued the innings with a 94-ball 69 with 4 fours and a six, while Ghazi Khori scored a fluent 92-ball 65 with 8 fours.
With the first ODI over, both the teams will now travel to Lahore for the remaining matches of the series, with the second and third ODIs scheduled at the Gaddafi Stadium on June 2 and June 4 respectively.
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