Pakistan beats Australia by four wickets to clinch ODI series 2-1

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan overcame Australian spin challenge on a tricky wicket to win the third and final one-day international by four wickets and clinch the series 2-1 on Thursday.

Pakistan had to fight hard on a turning wicket to reach 161-6 in 41.5 overs after Australia had crashed to its lowest ODI total in Pakistan and got bowled out for 157 in 42 overs.

All-rounder Shadab Khan, who had earlier picked up 2-28, made unbeaten 29 while Abdul Samad was 18 not out to earn Pakistan its third successive ODI win in a bilateral series against Australia.

On pitches tailor-made for spinners, Australia won the second game by 41 runs at the same venue on Tuesday while Pakistan won the first match at Rawalpindi last week by five wickets.

“It was a complete team effort throughout the series,” said Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took 3-30 and was splendid with both the new and old ball. “The conditions were tough for the batters, but every run counted and the players put in a great effort … all of our bowlers executed their plans well, and the credit goes to them.”

Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann (3-38) had pushed Australia’s bid when he clean bowled top-scorer Babar Azam for 40 in the 30th over and Pakistan slumped to 6-112.

Babar batted resolutely for 84 balls in nearly two hours and struck only three boundaries before he was undone by Kuhnemann’s brilliant delivery that spun away enough to hit the off stump.

But Shadab and Samad both showed plenty of patience on an abrasive pitch as Australia couldn’t get the breakthrough before Shadab smashed Adam Zampa to long-on boundary for winning runs.

“A bit like the first game, we were just too many runs short,” Australian captain Josh Inglis said referring to Australia getting bowed out for 200 in the first game. “I thought the bowlers and the fielding group, in particular, made a great effort to put us in a position to potentially win the game, but it wasn’t to be in the end.”

Australian middle-order crumbled against Afridi and leg-spin of Abrar Ahmed (2-19) despite Inglis scoring a gritty 65 off 71 balls after he had won the toss and opted to bat first.

Inglis’ second successive half century seemed to keep Australia on track for a challenging total but none of the other batters could score more than 19 as the visitors lost their last seven wickets for 38 runs.

Inglis replaced Alex Carey as opener for the first time in the series but Afridi made an early impact when he removed Matthew Short in the first over.

Inglis added 46 runs with Marnus Labuschagne (19), who struggled in the series and was run-out while trying to steal a second run. But Inglis and Carey shared a half-century stand and put Australia back on course before the middle-order got crumbled against pace and spin.

Fast bowler Haris Rauf ignited the collapse when he hit the top of Carey’s (19) middle stump in the 23rd over and then Afridi struck twice in one over with the old ball when he dismissed Inglis and Cameron Green in the 27th over. Inglis holed out at mid-on and Green was smartly held by Babar at short mid-wicket as he tried to flick Afridi but couldn’t keep the ball down.

Cooper Connolly, who replaced Tanveer Sangha for the series decider, lasted only 12 balls and scored 3 before he was bowled round his legs while going for a ramp shot against Abrar as Australian middle-order couldn’t come to terms with the slow wicket.

Shadab finally got amongst the wickets after being wicketless in his last five ODIs when he removed Oliver Peake and Zampa as Australia tail folded quickly when last man Nathan Ellis was run-out.

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

Australia's Josh Inglis plays a shot during the third one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Australia's Matthew Kuhnemann, right, and teammates celebrates after the dismissal of Pakistan's Babar Azam during the third one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Pakistan's Babar Azam bats during the third one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Pakistan's Arafat Minhas, centre, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, right, during the third one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi, left, celebrates with teammate after the dismissal of Australia's Cameron Green during the third one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Ground staff cover pitch and surrounding area during heavy rain at the Gaddafi Stadium before start of the third one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Graham Platner, the insurgent Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, will hold his first major campaign rally on Friday night as reports continue emerging about his history with women.

Last weekend, his campaign wrestled with stories about sexually explicit messages that Platner sent to several women while he was married. Then on Thursday, The New York Times reported about his relationships with previous girlfriends. Some viewed him positively but others described him as volatile and insulting.

One woman said Platner twisted her arm during an argument and locked her in a room. Platner called that allegation untrue.

But with Maine's primary around the corner Tuesday and Democrats desperate to rally behind a candidate who can defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November, there's been little sign of voters or political allies backing away from Platner, who has pitched himself as an imperfect person who has redeemed himself.

Some dismissed news of the text messages as a private matter, one that should be addressed solely by the married couple. Others argue that the need for Democrats to take back control of the U.S. Senate from Republicans is too important to cast aside imperfect candidates.

Yet they're also wrestling with the question of whether more controversial information surrounding Platner could come out ahead of the November election.

“I think a lot of people are afraid,” said Deb Dagnan, chair of Maine’s Piscataquis County Democrats. “They’re waiting for the other shoe to drop after he gets the nomination. Then what do we do?”

Platner is key to Democrats hopes' to take back the U.S. Senate this year. Yet he's been bedeviled by near-constant controversies involving his disclosure of a since-covered tattoo of a Nazi symbol, his history of inflammatory online comments and the texting revelations.

Nevertheless, Platner's most prominent supporters have continued to back the candidate, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Ruben Gallego. Platner is scheduled to appear in Bar Harbor Friday evening with progressive Rep. Ro Khanna of California, as well as Democratic candidates for U.S. House and governor, as a part of a “get out the vote” rally in the coastal resort town.

The event is taking place just days ahead of the state's June 9 primary election, where Platner is expected to secure the Democratic nomination. His top opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in late April.

He'll do so under reignited scrutiny amid reports that he and his wife, Amy Gertner, have had marital difficulties and sought counseling after he allegedly sent sexually explicit text messages to other women.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Gertner had told the campaign in August about the messages, which she had discovered on his phone last year, to make sure they weren’t a liability to the campaign. Platner’s campaign team reportedly decided that the texts were private and being handled by the couple, who were married in 2023.

Genevieve McDonald, a former campaign staffer for Platner, told The Associated Press that the candidate was “sexting multiple women while married” and that “the campaign tried to assess that as an election vulnerability.”

Shortly after the news came out, Platner posted a five-minute video taken by Gertner, who avoided speaking directly about her husband’s reported texts but dubbed the broader coverage as “gossip” and said “being married is hard.”

Gertner's emotional comments about working on her marriage have resonated with some women, who say they are shocked that a former campaign aide would betray someone's trust and the issue should remain between the couple.

“It’s none of my business as far as I’m concerned,” said Joanne Mason, a local Democratic leader from south-central Maine. “And I would hope that people wouldn’t judge any one person on their own private marriage.”

Valerie Tate, a Democrat from Belfast, described Gertner's honesty about trying to work on their mental health and marriage as admirable.

“That is not a scandal,” Tate wrote in an email. “That is integrity. Personal growth is not a disqualification from public life. For many of us, it is precisely what made us worthy of it.”

However, Tate conceded that her mind wasn’t fully at ease. With the public still learning about Platner’s past, there is a chance something could emerge as a dealbreaker for voters.

“Of course, there is that concern as there would be in any race with somebody we don’t know all the dramas and the journeys they’ve been on," she wrote. "Something could come out that would be disqualifying.”

This isn’t the first time Platner has faced questions about his past. He had a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, which he had covered up after starting his campaign.

Platner has said he didn't realize the meaning of the tattoo. However, a former girlfriend told the Times he joked about it being a Nazi symbol and called it “my Totenkopf.”

There’s also been much attention on Platner's former Reddit posts, which were dismissive of military sexual assaults and used homophobic slurs, for which he has apologized.

Platner has never held elected office and has fashioned a straight-talking, progressive, populist-style campaign focusing on issues such as income inequality, lack of health care accessibility and the rising cost of housing. In return, he's attracted thousands at his rallies and campaign events and collected millions in campaign funds to further boost his messaging.

Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at an event hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders in Orono, Maine, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)