Nathan Ellis returned career-best figures of 4 for 33 from nine probing overs as Australia toppled Pakistan by 41 runs in the second ODI at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, keeping the three-match series alive.
What made the victory all the more satisfying for the visitors was that it came on a rank turner, achieved by a side that was less than full-strength. Ellis’s disciplined spell repeatedly exploited the rough and the unpredictability of the surface, strangling Pakistan’s chase.
Australia fared far better on Lahore’s spin-conducive pitch than they had in Rawalpindi: they batted the entire 50 overs to post a total that set Pakistan 232 to win. The surface offered considerably more turn and variable bounce than the one used in the first ODI, so the target always posed a stern challenge for the hosts.
Josh Inglis produced a gritty 51 and Cameron Green top-scored with a fluent 53, guiding the visitors back from early setbacks.
Oliver Peake played a valuable late cameo, adding 31 crucial runs to the tail end of the innings.
Shaheen starred with the ball for Pakistan, returning figures of 3-36, while Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas and Haris Rauf each claimed two wickets.
With the series now evenly poised at 1-1, both sides head into a winner-takes-all third ODI.