The hosts also missed out on a chance to earn 10 valuable ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points, which could have been vital in the long run.
The combination proved ineffective, as the Australian batters extracted runs from the start, particularly Travis Head, who went on to smash a century in just 70 balls, the fastest for Australia against Pakistan.
Pakistan were able to make a slight comeback when the spinners managed to put the brakes on the scoring and Pakistan somewhat pulled things back after Head’s wicket to hold Australia to an eventual score of 313/7.
For Pakistan, opener Imam Ul Haq and skipper Babar Azam continued to impress with their bat after their sublime form in the Test series, but the middle-order couldn’t quite stand tall.
While skipper Aaron Finch could just be one knock away from rediscovering his best, Ben McDermott, with his recent fine form, has another opportunity to firmly put a claim for a regular spot in the limited-overs setup.
However, given Pakistan’s top-order form heading into the second ODI, it will be critical for pacers to turn up and strike early to mount pressure early on.
Pakistan opted to bowl first, but the plan backfired as the Australian top order batters produced a fine show to post a challenging total of 313/7.
After losing Fakhar Zaman early in the chase, Imam Ul Haq and Babar Azam batted steadily for the hosts, but leg-spinner Swepson dismissed Babar for 57 to end the 96-run stand.
Aaron Finch : “We have come here with an open mind to be flexible and select the side.
But we didn’t start well in the first ten overs, but we restricted them well in the end.