A sublime combination of the old and the new gave Australia a 1-0 series lead over Pakistan with an eight-wicket victory in the first of three one-day internationals on home soil.
The old – in experience, rather than age – came in the shape of captain Meg Lanning, playing her first international match after a five-month mental health break. Alongside her was the new kid on the block, 19-year-old Phoebe Litchfield, making her highly anticipated ODI debut a month after appearing in her first T20I in India. Together they put on a 137-run partnership that broke the back of Australia’s chase in a match reduced to 40 overs a side by rain that delayed its start at Allan Border Oval.
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