In a World Cup warm-up match in Hyderabad, Pakistan’s concerns with their openers and bowlers persisted as they suffered a 14-run defeat at the hands of Australia on Tuesday.
Opting to bat, Australia’s David Warner (48 off 33) and Glenn Maxwell (77 off 71) spent valuable time in the middle, helping their team reach a total of 351 for seven.
Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam, was in fine form, scoring 90 runs before retiring hurt, while middle-order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed (83 off 85) made a significant contribution batting at number four.
However, the persistent worry for Pakistan remained the form of their openers, particularly Fakhar Zaman (22 off 24), who continued to struggle and was dismissed while attempting to hit Maxwell out of the park. His opening partner, Imam-Ul-Haq (16 off 11), played some delightful shots but was caught behind for the second consecutive innings, leaving Pakistan in a precarious position. Abdullah Shafique (12 off 16), who was given the chance to open, also failed to make a substantial impact.
Despite the opportunity to chase down the target comfortably, Pakistan found a way to lose and ended their innings at 337 all out with 12 balls to spare.
