Rawalpindi: Pakistan’s upcoming opener of the three-match home series against Australia will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday, marking their 1000th ODI.
The Green Shirts, who played their first ODI against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1973, have so far played 999 ODIs, winning 527 and losing 442. 21 matches ended in draw while 9 matches were drawn.
Since their first ODI appearance, Pakistan have achieved several feats in the format, the highlights being their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup glory in 1992 and their ICC Men’s Champions Trophy triumph in 2017.
For the uninitiated, their home series opener will make Pakistan the third team to play in 1000 ODIs, joining Australia and India.
Notably, India tops the list of most ODIs played with 1075 matches, followed by Australia with 1019 matches.
In the toss for the historic match, Australian captain Josh Inglis presented Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi with a souvenir – a bat with three bails attached to it, marking Pakistan’s 1000th ODI.
Pakistan captain Afridi noted that representing Pakistan in the landmark tournament is a “huge achievement” and the team will enjoy it and be motivated to win.
“It’s a special occasion for Pakistan. It’s a big achievement for Pakistanis to represent in ODIs. So I think it’s a special moment for the whole team and we’ll enjoy it and go for it,” Shaheen said after winning the toss and opting to field first against Australia.
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