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Sharjah: Mitchell Starc took 5-42 and Michael Clarke and George Bailey hit fifties to help Australia beat Pakistan by four wickets in the first limited overs international on Tuesday.
The lanky left-armer's best one-day figures helped Australia keep their rivals down to 198 in 45.1 overs before they fought hard against Pakistani spinners to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series at Sharjah Stadium.
Australia owed their run chase to some responsible batting by skipper Clarke (66), who added an invaluable 54 with Bailey for the fifth wicket before Baily-Glenn Maxwell (38) put on 63 for the sixth to see off the target with 10 balls spare
Pakistan had attacked through their much-vaunted spinning trio of Saeed Ajmal (3-30), Mohammad Hafeez (2-29) and Shahid Afridi (1-37) but Australian batting was led by Clarke and finished by Bailey with an unbeaten 88-ball 57.
Clarke hit five boundaries during his 95-ball knock.
Bailey hit a six in the penultimate over before taking a single to seal the match.
Earlier left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc took a career best 5-42 and James Pattinson (3-19) to derail Pakistan, who won the toss and batted.
The 22-year-old Starc, who took 4-47 in Australia's 66-run win over Afghanistan here on Saturday, helped Australia keep the lengthy rival batting line-up of seven batsmen to a modest total, losing the last six men for just 38.
Pakistan were recovering well when the batting power-play began in the 36th over with the total at 159-4 but lost three wickets in the five overs for just 16 runs with Starc dismissing Asad Shafiq (56), Kamran Akmal (four) and Shahid Afridi (nought) in an incisive bowling display.
The second match will be played in Abu Dhabi on August 31.
Brief scores
Pakistan 198 (Shafiq 56, Starc 5-42, Pattinson 3-19)
Australia 199 for 6 (Clarke 66, Bailey 57*, Ajmal 3-30)
Result Australia won by four wickets
MOM Mitchell Starc (Australia)
