The historic victory was sealed in Perth, where Pakistan’s bowlers restricted Australia to just 140 runs in the decisive third ODI. Pakistan then chased down the target of 141 in just 27 overs, losing only 2 wickets, thus clinching the series with a 2-1 win.
After leading Pakistan to a drought-ending series victory, the white-ball captain has set his sights to clean sweep Australia in the upcoming series.
He said that if his team plays as a unit then it has every chance to not only beat Australia in the upcoming T20I series but to whitewash them.
“No one was hoping that the team would beat Australia in Australia. We played like a unit and if we keep doing that, we will whitewash them in T20Is,” Rizwan told the players in a dressing room speech, released by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
He further urged the players to chase bigger goals like Champions Trophy, World Cups and Olympic medals.
He said, "It is fine we have celebrated the ODI series win because no one expected us to win in Australia. But at the same time all the players must remember they are ambassadors of Pakistan and behave appropriately at all times on tour.”
"I think we must all strive to win big titles like the World Cups and Champions Trophy to show everyone what Pakistan cricket is capable of," he noted.
He termed the ODI series victory over Australia a great source of learning before vowing to create history in whichever country the team tours in future.
Meanwhile, former Test cricketer Rashid Latif has lauded Pakistan team’s historic victory marking the first such triumph in 22 years.
Latif credited several key factors for Pakistan’s success, emphasizing the importance of good leadership.
The former captain explained that a strong captain plays a pivotal role in uniting the team, both on and off the field.
In an interview with a local news channel, he said, “When you have a good captain, the team performs on the ground. We can see this happening in this series,” he remarked, praising the leadership on display.”
The former wicketkeeper-batter noted that the victory was not just about leadership but also about effective player selection and the ability to adapt to pitch conditions.
“In this win, captaincy, player selection, and pitch conditions all played a significant role,” he said.
Latif also lauded the outstanding performances from both the Pakistani bowlers and batters.
The former cricketer noted, “The bowlers performed beyond expectations, dismissing Australian players who are familiar with their home pitches. And the batting, which chased down 141 with ease, was equally impressive. This win against Australia in Australia is highly encouraging for Pakistan cricket.”
Pakistan’s T20I squad for Australia tour: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan