Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has congratulated the Pakistan national cricket team on its recent ODI series victory over Australia, while urging the side to stay focused on long-term consistency and major ICC tournaments.
In a post on social media platform X, Azhar praised Pakistan’s overall performance in the series and highlighted several encouraging individual and team displays.
“Series won, congratulations Pakistan. A lot of encouraging performances throughout the series, but the bigger challenge still lies ahead,” Azhar wrote.
He said Pakistan has often performed well in bilateral cricket, but the real challenge is carrying that success into ICC tournaments.
“We’ve consistently shown we can compete in bilateral cricket but the real test is translating that success to ICC tournaments. Hopefully the World Cup remains the priority in every selection and planning decision moving forward,” he added.
Pakistan’s latest win marked its third consecutive ODI series victory over Australia. The team first defeated Australia 2-1 at home in 2022 before repeating the same scoreline in Australia in 2025.
Pakistan sealed the series with a hard-fought win in a low-scoring match. The team bowled Australia out for 157 in 42 overs, with Shaheen Shah Afridi leading the attack alongside Pakistan’s spinners.
Australia captain Josh Inglis top-scored with 65 off 71 balls, hitting eight fours and one six. Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey scored 19 runs each, but Australia failed to post a strong total.
Shaheen finished with figures of 3/30 from eight overs, while Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan took two wickets each. Haris Rauf also picked up one wicket.
Pakistan then chased the target in 41.5 overs, losing six wickets. Abdul Samad and Shadab Khan guided the team to victory with a composed partnership after an early setback.
Babar Azam top-scored for Pakistan with 40 off 84 balls, hitting three boundaries. Maaz Sadaqat added a quick 27 off 26 deliveries, including five fours.
Abdul Samad remained unbeaten on 18 off 30 balls, while Shadab made an important 29 off 42 balls with two boundaries.
For Australia, Matthew Kuhnemann was the standout bowler, taking 3/38 in 10 overs. Nathan Ellis, Matthew Short and Matt Renshaw claimed one wicket each, but Australia could not stop Pakistan from completing the chase and sealing the series.