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Australia secured a narrow two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first One Day International (ODI) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. However, despite the win, the performance of the Australian batting lineup drew sharp criticism from former wicketkeeper-batter Ian Healy, who expressed his disappointment with the team's approach and shot selection.
Healy, known for his blunt and insightful commentary, took aim at Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk, two of the Australian batsmen. He labeled their batting style as that of 'schoolyard bullies,' highlighting their disregard for the conditions and the quality of the Pakistan bowling attack. Healy pointed out that the bowlers had emphasized the uneven bounce and two-paced nature of the pitch during the innings break, yet Short and Fraser-McGurk seemed to ignore these warnings and went for reckless shots.
Healy emphasized that Australia needed to learn from their performance, especially with the upcoming Champions Trophy in mind. He argued that the team should treat these games as serious preparation for the tournament, instead of playing in a careless and haphazard manner. He criticized the batters for not learning from the experience of their bowlers and for failing to show respect for their opponents.
Despite the criticism, Australia managed to pull off the victory, thanks to contributions from Steven Smith and Josh Inglis. The second ODI between the two teams is scheduled for Friday, and it will be interesting to see if Australia can improve their batting performance and silence their critics.
The match also saw a decent performance from Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan, who top-scored for his team with 44 runs. Naseem Shah also made a valuable contribution with a quickfire 40 runs. However, it was Australia's Mitchell Starc who shone brightest, taking three wickets for 33 runs in his 10 overs.