Babar Azam was dismissed for only 16 as Pakistan were hammered by Australia in the second game of their three-match ODI series in Lahore on Tuesday.
Updated: June 3, 2026, 10:46 AM IST
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Babar Azam was dismissed for 16 in 2nd ODI vs Australia in Lahore on Tuesday. (Source: X)
PAK vs AUS 2026 2nd ODI: Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam had a night to forget in the second ODI against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday and so did the rest of the team. After their comprehensive win in the opening game last week, Shaheen Afridi’s Pakistan were brought crashing down to earth with a 41-run loss in the second ODI match as Babar Azam was dismissed cheaply.
Australia and Chennai Super Kings pacer Nathan Ellis wrecked havoc as Pakistan were never in the hunt to chase down a modest target of 232 to win in the second game of the three-match series. Ellis claimed 4/33 in 9 overs including the prize wicket of Babar Azam for a run-a-ball 16 apart from dashing opener Maaz Sadaqat for a first-ball duck.
Babar, who scored a match-winning 38th ODI fifty in the first game, fell leg-before to Ellis as Pakistan slipped to 33 for 3 in the 5th over of their chase. Ellis, who was retained by MS Dhoni’s CSK for Rs 2 crore ahead of the IPL 2026 season, had missed the T20 league due to injury. The Aussie pacer had Babar caught leg-before for 16 and came back later in the innings to also dismiss Arafat Minhas for 33 off 48 balls and Haris Rauf for a duck.
WATCH Babar Azam is dismissed by Nathan Ellis in the second ODI match HERE…
NATHAN ELLIS OWNING BABAR AZAM IN PAKISTAN..!!!!
– First ODI, Babar Azam smashed well against Australia & reached his team home
– Nathan Ellis gets him on dead delivery
– Second ODI, the feeling was coming that Ellis will get Babar & he did exactly. pic.twitter.com/z9yumHvw9K
— usman (@cricbyusman) June 2, 2026
“I think when you’ve got the new ball on a wicket like this, you want to try and maximise it for as long as you can. On nights like this, it’s not that long. You try and get up there and swing it for four, five or eight balls, and then you get into your work, as we saw both teams do today,” Ellis said about claiming early wickets with the new ball.
Ellis was the only lead pacer in the Australian line-up packed with spin bowlers for the second ODI but he revealed he didn’t feel much pressure of carrying the bowling burden. “Not added pressure. I think it’s definitely different to the traditional one-day cricket we see around the world at the moment. One of the big strengths of this group is the willingness to be flexible, adapt and try things a little out of the ordinary. So no extra pressure, but it was a little different,” Ellis said in the post-match presentation.
Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan came up with resolute 71 off 104 balls after the home team had been reduced to a dismal 78 for 6 in the 17th over of the match. Apart from Ellis, all-rounder Matthew Short claimed 3/36 while Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha claimed one wicket each.
Earlier, Australia posted a competitive 231 for 9 thanks to half-centuries from their skipper Josh Inglis (51 in 74 balls) and Cameron Green (53 in 92 balls) while Matt Renshaw smashed a run-a-ball 43. “It was a pretty good total in the end. It would have been nice for someone to go on and get a big score, but it was about building partnerships through the middle overs and being patient. We thought anything over 200 meant we were right in the game,” Inglis said after the match.
The three-match ODI series is now level at 1-1 with the third and final game of the series to take place in Lahore on Thursday.
