Australia began the five-match ODI series against Pakistan in the best possible manner, defeating them by 92 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Here are the reactions from the game:
Australian captain Steve Smith
Smith commended the performance of Wade and stated that the top order needed to put in better performances moving forward.
"It was a pretty average start. We were in a bit of a hurry, to be fair. I thought Matthew Wade played an exceptional innings. 270 was around par, it was a bit of a slow wicket. We bat all the way down. Starcy is batting at No. 10 at the moment. We've got a long order. If we come off we're going to make some big scores. We need to be a bit smarter at the top. We bowled good areas all night, took the pace off well, got the job done."
Pakistan captain Azhar Ali
His counterpart Azhar Ali was obviously disappointed and added that his side could not build the partnerships that were needed to track the total down. He also provided an update over his own injury that he sustained during the game, stating that he was hopeful of attaining full fitness ahead of the next game.
"It's a bit sore, but hopefully it will recover soon. The physio will have a better look and see how far I can get. Hopefully I can take part in the next game. I think full credit to the bowlers, first half it was very good, but obviously credit goes to Matthew Wade the way he batted. We thought from five down for 78 we can get them out early, but unfortunately it didn't happen. It was still chaseable but we needed to have good partnerships up front."
Man Of The Match Matthew Wade
Wade was obviously overjoyed with his performance and also revealed what was going on in his mind in the final over.
“Feels great.It was challenging at the top, it was swinging and seaming around. Maxi took the pressure off me, and I was just looking to get him on strike. I was absolutely cooked (by the last over). They were taking the pace off, I was swinging way too hard. If the spinners bowled into the wicket it was hard to hit them down the ground."
Social media also reacted to Australia’s win:
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