Australia 204 for 8 (Inglis 49, Smith 44, Cummins 32*, Rauf 3-67) batted Pakistan 203 (Rizwan 44, Naseem 40, Starc 3-33, Cummins 2-39) by two wickets

The 25,831 crowd looked sparse in the gigantic MCG. But it sounded like 100,000 and felt like it was in Lahore as Pakistani fans drowned out the locals to help keep their side in the game. But there was only so much they could do as Pakistan found a way to lose despite being on the brink of one of the great ODI heists.

His 32 not out won’t go down as his most memorable, but it was the equal of any of his best innings in Australian colours. It also justified his decision to have laser eye surgery in the winter to fix his vision, and some extensive batting work in Sydney with Australian batting consultant and well-known coach Trent Woodhill.

Australia’s chase began poorly with the new opening duo of Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk both falling within the first four overs.

Fraser-McGurk’s 16 was particularly hectic. But Smith was calm and settled into a stereotypical groove. Any fears about his Test form could well be allayed given how well he handled some excellent fast bowling on a fast pitch.

Australia could have been 55 for 3 when Inglis was dropped by Irfan Khan at gully. Naseem got one to back off a length and catch the edge but Irfan couldn’t keep flying high to the right.

It looked like it might have been the last chance. Due to an edge between the keeper and a wide slip he tries to slip a ball, Inglis was powerful. Coach Jason Gillespie’s four years coaching against Inglis in Australian domestic cricket didn’t translate to his four-string pace attack, where he avoided being dropped to the West Australian. It cost them three sixes and two fours.

After a stand of 85 runs, Smith made an uncharacteristic error. He cut a cut from Rauf straight to the back to be out in the 44th.

Pakistan’s insistence on going short to Inglis paid off as he edged another shot off Shaheen, only to see Irfan run long to hang on to an excellent catch in the deep.

Rauf, a Melbourne Stars favourite, then had the Pakistani fans in raptures as he turned up the pace and Australia lost 3 for 0. The Labuschagne top reached deep third, undone by extra bounce. Maxwell got the next ball to Rizwan and Australia were 139 for 6.

Aaron Hardie and Abbott stayed briefly, but it was fleeting. Hardie fell and tried to back away and cut a ball from Mohammad Hasnain that hit top of mid on.

Enter the skipper for another salvage job. It was unconventional, as it always is. He was bombed with short balls. But he kept scoring and kept surviving. Abbott was run out as Cummins pushed for a third. But he was there again at the end when the winning runs were scored to break the hearts of all those who don’t bleed green and gold.

Starc and Cummins, fresh and in rhythm ahead of a big summer, put on a show in front of a very pro-Pakistan crowd. Starc’s thunder of 140 km/h accounted for Saim Ayub on debut and Abdullah Shafique.

The pair opened the batting in ODI cricket for the first time after averaging just 8 as a pair in 12 Test innings together. Their international average fell to 7.61 as Ayub got a try to drive on.

Shafique looked like he was batting in a Test match. He defended, ducked and weaved his way to 12 from 26 before failing to get his bat out of the way of a rising delivery from Starc outside off as he tried to swing inside it.

Babar and Rizwan settled down but never accelerated. Babar looked fine but felt the pinch from the slow moving scoreboard. He tried to create a scoring opportunity off the back foot to Adam Zampa, but chose the wrong length and lost his off-stump.

Cummins welcomed Kamran Ghulam to Australia with a brutal delivery. The whites of his eyes appeared as Cummins’ 142.7km/h bouncer rose towards his throat. He got his hands up in time, but could only give it to Inglis.

Rizwan’s languid backhand began to pick up steam as he hooked Starc into the stands at fine leg. But he fell to Labuschagne and tried to sweep a wide leg break only to have a top edge on the helmet pop up to Inglis.

Some late strikes from Naseem, Shaheen Afridi and Irfan Khan, in the form of the man who had presented his debut cap in Wasim Akram, lifted Pakistan from a dire position of 117 for 6 to 203.

Naseem and Shaheen showed the type of intent that Pakistan’s top order could have used, launching five sixes between them after the entire top seven had contributed one, before Shaheen was bowled by Starc for 24 off 19.

Naseem celebrated with spin, launching Zampa into the stands twice and Maxwell once. But Naseem also launched Sean Abbott over deep midwicket. He held out to mid-off to end the innings. If he had fought until the end, it might have been enough.