Australia say they are using this ODI series against Pakistan as a warm-up for the Champions Trophy in February and the upcoming Test series against India.
If that is the case then they can’t be confident about claiming either trophy.
Australia’s batting line-up collapsed for the second straight match and unlike in Melbourne on Monday night, the tail didn’t wag to bail them out of trouble as they posted a paltry 163 on a typical Adelaide Oval road.
Pakistan, in unPakistani fashion, never even looked like they were going to make a meal of the straightforward run-chase and cruised their way to a nine-wicket cakewalk to level the series heading into Sunday’s decider in Perth.
Australia had not lost an ODI on home soil by nine wickets since they were slaughtered by West Indies in Perth in 1992.
Batting blues continue
Although they are missing Travis Head and Mitch Marsh from their regular top order there are no excuses for Australia’s inability to put up decent totals.
Jake Fraser-McGurk’s haphazard start to his international career continued when he came and went inside 10 balls.
It was an innings which is unfortunately for him becoming his trademark at this level.
The talented opener had the crowd on their feet as he caressed three drives to the cover boundary in quick succession but his lack of footwork was exposed on the 10th delivery he faced when he was trapped in front by Shaheen Shah Afridi to be on his way for 13.
JFM and Matt Short are auditioning to be Head’s permanent partner at the top of the order in the post-David Warner era but they are both fluffing their lines. Short was out cheaply for the second time this series when he departed for 19 off 15 when his team needed him to consolidate after conceding an early wicket.
Josh Inglis again appeared in total control before he gloved a short ball down leg side on 18 to kick-start Haris Rauf’s haul of 5-29.
The Australian selectors still haven’t got the hint that Marnus Labuschagne is a Test batter or quality but a modest performer at best in coloured clothes. They persist with him in the middle order and it again backfired as he departed for six as the home side wobbles to 4-87.
All-rounder Aaron Hardie is one of several rising stars who have been hungry for a chance to shine but he again failed with the bat, nicking off to Rauf for 14 soon after Steve Smith’s exit for what would become a mediocre team top score of 35.
When Glenn Maxwell followed up his MCG golden duck with a breezy 16, it summed up the Australian woes.
There is no balance to the line-up. The batters are either frenetic cats on a hot tin roof like Fraser-McGurk and Maxwell.
Or they are too slow by modern standards like Smith and Labuschagne, who then get themselves out by playing an unnecessarily attacking shot because they’re worried they’re scoring too slow by modern standards.
Like Fat Bastard’s yo-yo dieting habits in Austin Powers, it’s a vicious cycle.
With the tail going down swinging in rapid fashion, the Aussies left 15 overs on the table as they ended up roughly half of what should have been considered a par score for them on this batting paradise.
Haris Rauf celebrates the wicket of Aaron Hardie. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
Pakistan pair pulverise all-star attack
Australia brought Josh Hazlewood back from Shield duty to reunite him with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa but the quality quartet was powerless to stop the onslaught of opening duo Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub.
The aggressive pairing have been in and out of the Pakistan line-up in their first few years of international cricket but they looked like season pros as they launched lavish shots off the front and back foot to all angles of the uniquely shaped oval.
They motored along nicely early to bring up their half-century stand in the 11th over and then stepped on the throttle, needing only 32 further deliveries to reach three figures.
Ayub was dominant as he hit four fours and three sixes in reaching 50 in 52 deliveries before clearing the rope three more times as Pakistan obliterated any hope of a green and gold comeback to be unbeaten on 137 by the end of the 20th over.
The only question remaining was whether Ayub would get to a well-deserved ton but he skied Zampa to Hazlewood on 82 from the 71st delivery he faced.
Shafique stayed until the end to be 64 not out as the tourists polished off their boilover inside 27 overs.
The Adelaide fans who paid full price for their ticket should be entitled to at least a protocol refund with the match barely going past half of the 100-over allotment.
Right time to rest?
Australia are giving Cummins, Labuschagne, Smith, Starc and Hazlewood the weekend off, which shows you all you need to know about how much they truly value this bilateral series.
The Test stars are spending a week at home before heading to WA to prepare for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener against India.
Inglis will be the stand-in skipper of a second-rate team for the series decider although the lesser lights can’t go much worse than the full-strength line-up on Friday night.
“We’ve been pretty good of late but today was right up there with one of our worst unfortunately,” Cummins said.
“You’d hope you’d get more than 160-odd. I thought they bowled well but we could have been better to finding a way to get to a better total.”
Sean Abbott will get a recall after making way for Hazlewood with Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson and Josh Philippe brought into the squad which also contains Marcus Stoinis, Cooper Connolly and Lance Morris.