Minhas' five-wicket haul on ODI debut earns Pakistan five-wicket win over Australia

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Arafat Minhas took five wickets on debut and hit the winning runs for Pakistan to beat an under-strength Australia by five wickets in a one-day international on Saturday.

The 21-year-old left-arm spinner Minhas took 5-32 and became the first Pakistan bowler to pick up five wickets in an ODI debut.

Australia was dismissed for 200 in 44.1 overs on a dry pitch tailor-made for spinners.

Pakistan reached 202-5 in 42.3 overs to lead the three-match series 1-0.

Babar Azam scored 69 off 94 balls and wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori 65 for his maiden ODI fifty. Their 127-run stand helped Pakistan cruise to the target.

Minhas then sealed the game with a straight six against Marnus Labuschagne in an unbeaten 18 off 17 balls.

“There was indeed pressure,” Minhas said, "but I like to enjoy that pressure environment and my focus was on enjoying this opportunity.”

Babar was recalled after missing the Bangladesh series in March. He was dropped by Matthew Kuhnemann just after he completed his 38th ODI half-century, including four boundaries and a six.

Nathan Ellis clean-bowled Babar and trapped Ghori leg before but by then Pakistan was on the brink of victory.

Australia was without first-choice bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc due to the Indian Premier League and workload management, and the bowling resources were further depleted when Adam Zampa was ruled out of Saturday’s game due to neck spasms.

Spinners Kuhnemann (1-29) and Tanveer Sangha (1-31) bowled steadily for 20 overs but Babar and Ghori didn’t attempt any extravagant shots against them.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi read the sweltering conditions perfectly and after he won the toss Minhas cleaned out the Australia top order with support from Abrar Ahmed (2-44) and Salman Ali Agha (1-21).

“We knew there would be a lot of assistance for the spinners and the spinners delivered," Afridi said. "I am very happy for Arafat Minhas. … Ghori is a great player against both spin and pace, so the future of Pakistan looks bright.”

Minhas took three wickets in six balls. He trapped captain Inglis and Labuschagne and hit the top of Cameron Green’s off stump with a magical delivery that spun away from the right-hander. Australia slipped to 68-4 in the 16th over.

Leg-spinner Shadab Khan played his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup and was expensive in his wicket-less eight overs.

Matthew Renshaw top-scored for Australia with 61, six runs more than opener Matthew Short.

Pakistan became the third nation after India (1,075) and Australia (1,020) to play 1,000 ODIs. Lahore hosts the remaining two games on Tuesday and Thursday.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Pakistan's Ghazi Ghori, left, and Babar Azam run between the wickets to score during the first one day international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Babar Azam bats during the first one day international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Australia's Cameron Green, right, is bowled by Pakistan's Arafat Minhas during the first One Day International cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Arafat Minhas, bottom second right, celebrates with teammates after taking wicket of Australia's Nathan Ellis during the first One Day International cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Arafat Minhas, who took five wickets, displays the ball as he walks off the field on the end of first innings during the first one day international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The end of California’s chaotic primary season for governor and Los Angeles mayor was approaching as leading candidates rushed to deliver their closing arguments days before voting concludes on Tuesday.

Former U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra has called for “hot competence summer" in his bid for governor, promoting his decades of public service as evidence he has what it takes to be California's next governor.

Republican Steve Hilton pledged an end to a “bloated, nanny-state bureaucracy” during remarks outside the state Capitol on Wednesday.

Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer told reporters this week in Berkeley, California, that he has made it his life's work to advance progressive causes, a mission he'll bring to Sacramento.

They are seeking to stand out in a field of roughly 60 names on a single gubernatorial ballot, regardless of party, under California’s top-two primary system. The two candidates who receive the most votes Tuesday will face off in the general election to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who can’t seek a third term.

The crowded race includes Democrats Becerra, Steyer, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, and Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose. Hilton, a former Fox News host backed by President Donald Trump, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are the most prominent Republicans in the race.

As of Friday afternoon, 13% of voters had cast their ballots. That included 13% of Democrats and 18% of Republicans, according to a tracker by Democratic strategist Paul Mitchell. The breakdown is unusual because Democrats in recent years have tended to vote early while many Republicans wait until Election Day.

Some Democrats have been waiting to cast their ballots to see if a candidate breaks away from the pack in the final days, or because they are unimpressed with the crowded field.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass is vying for reelection under a cloud of residents' displeasure over the direction of the city, and has several stops planned Saturday to try and pull ahead of her competitors.

Those include Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican who gained a name on the reality TV show “The Hills," and Nithya Raman, a progressive city councilmember. The race is officially nonpartisan.

The contenders have been traveling across the state that includes roughly 23 million registered voters as they seek an edge over rivals. Becerra, Hilton, Steyer and Bianco will all be in the San Francisco Bay Area this weekend. Fresno and Los Angeles have also been popular campaign stops.

Becerra has been highlighting the more than 35 years he's spent in state and federal office.

“This is not a place for on-the-job training,” he said on a podcast hosted by political commentator Ana Navarro. “You better know what you’re doing.”

He’ll hit a text-banking event with Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta in San Francisco and rally with the Service Employees International Union in San Jose.

Hilton has been selling himself as someone who would bring a fresh set of eyes to state government, reduce regulations, and bring down housing and energy costs. He thinks it'll be a unifying message, he told reporters this week in Sacramento.

“It's not ideological," Hilton said. "It's just simple, practical commonsense — $3 gas, cut your electric bills in half.”

Hilton will host a town hall in Silicon Valley on Saturday night, and he is making a social media pitch for Republican voters to rally around himself, not Bianco, to ensure they have a shot in the top two.

Hilton has been cautious not to emphasize Trump’s endorsement. If he advances to the November election, he will need to appeal to voters outside his party to win in the Democrat-dominated state that hasn’t had a Republican governor since 2011.

Steyer, a self-described “billionaire who wants to tax other billionaires," said the race was a contest between three candidates: himself, Hilton and Becerra. Steyer has described Hilton as “a hard-right Republican who’s endorsed by Donald Trump.”

Steyer on Saturday focused several social media posts on Becerra, repeating an argument he recently told a crowd of supporters at a sports bar in Berkeley. Becerra, “to my surprise, is a corporate Democrat," he said, referencing Becerra's acceptance of campaign contributions from Chevron.

“And the third person’s me,” he said. “And I am running because Californians can’t afford to live here anymore.”

Steyer’s headed to a campaign rally Saturday in San Francisco to put a finer point on his message to voters.

Mahan, meanwhile, will mingle with voters in Los Angeles, Porter will give a speech in Orange County, and Bianco will lay out his vision at a church in San Jose.

Bass is pursuing her second term after a tumultuous first, which included devastating wildfires and a rebuilding process that critics say is too slow.

The mayor has focused her reelection on the progress that has been made, such a decrease in street homelessness, but she says there is more work to do.

Pratt, one of Bass' opponents, lost his home in the wildfires, and is running a buzzy, social media driven campaign as a populist outsider with promises to rid the city of disorder and dysfunction.

Nithya Raman is campaigning on a more progressive platform, partly focused on affordability and infrastructure. Both Raman and Pratt have attacked Bass for her response to the wildfires, though their recent posts have been directed at each other.

A November runoff appears likely because there are more than a dozen names on the ballot.

Associated Press journalist Terry Chea in Berkeley, California, contributed to this report.

California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer speaks with reporters during a campaign event in Berkeley, Calif., Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks during a campaign event in West Hollywood, Calif., Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)