LAHORE: Australian skipper Pat Cummins was thrilled to claim a historic Test series in Pakistan just months after their Ashes victory, on their first tour to the country in 24 years.
“I think everyone is totally elated. Winning at home in the Ashes series and winning overseas doesn’t happen very often,” said Cummins, whose team arrived on the back of a 4-0 Ashes win over England in January.
“It was real toil for the last 25 to 30 days and to come here was totally different to Australia, with different conditions,” he added, after being declared man of the match for his eight wickets in the Test.
“The whole spirit has been fantastic. A lot of fun.”
Australia capped the three-match series with a 115-run win in the final match in Lahore on Friday, with spinner Nathan Lyon taking 5-83 and Cummins 3-23.
Set 351 runs to win, Pakistan were bowled out for 235 in their second innings, losing their last five wickets for a mere 22 runs.
The first two Tests — in Rawalpindi and Karachi — ended in draws.
“I think in hindsight I would have liked one or two wickets overnight,” said Cummins of Pakistan’s 73-0 on Thursday.
“Getting top-order wickets with the new ball in the first 30 to 40 overs was tough but once the ball softens it starts reversing and I knew that close to going three runs an over (Pakistan) needed to bat exceptionally well.”
Pakistan lost Abdullah Shafique on his overnight score of 27 and Azhar Ali for 17 before Lyon and Cummins destroyed them in the last two sessions.
Australia are in Pakistan for the first time since 1998, having previously refused to tour over security fears.
Security in Pakistan has improved dramatically over the past few years, the country making a slow return to hosting international cricket.
Player of the series Usman Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad before migrating with his parents to Australia as a four-year-old, said the team had had a lot of fun on the tour.
“I just want to thank Pakistan and the fans. We’ve had a great time. Everyone has been really welcoming. To win this game is the icing on the cake,” said Khawaja, who scored 496 in the series with two hundreds and as many fifties.
An upset Pakistan captain Babar Azam refused to accept his team lost because of a defensive mindset.
“Our strategy was as per the situation of the match. We played the first session well but our two wickets were soft dismissals and that hurt us,” he said.
For Pakistan, Imam-ul-Haq scored 70 and Azam managed 55.
“We showed intent to chase down the target. This is not correct to say that we played defensively. We fought well but in the end Australia proved to be the better side,” Azam added.
Pakistan will now play three one-day internationals and a T20I against Australia — all in Lahore.
The first ODI is on Tuesday.
Man of the match Cummins ‘elated’ at historic Pakistan win
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Man of the match Cummins ‘elated’ at historic Pakistan win
- Australia arrived on the back of a 4-0 Ashes win over England in January
- The side capped three-Test series with 115-run win in final match in Lahore
Young future stars of Saudi golf enjoy a moment alongside the big names at LIV Golf Riyadh
- Participants in ROSHN Rising Stars program to develop golfing talent in the Kingdom play friendly competition at Riyadh Golf Club before round 3 of the season opener tees off
- ‘Golf is such a fundamental sport for development … The values of golf can be correlated to the values of society: confidence, resilience and integrity,’ says LIV Golf’s Jake Jones
RIYADH: While much of the spotlight during LIV Golf’s 2026 season opener in Riyadh this week has of course been on the return of some of the sport’s biggest names for the new campaign, a new generation of Saudi golfers is also quietly taking its own first steps into the game.
Participants in the ROSHN Rising Stars program, an initiative designed to introduce and develop young golfing talent across the Kingdom, gathered at Riyadh Golf Club on Friday afternoon for a friendly competition a few hours before the third round of the main event teed off under the lights.
“The real focus is getting golf into the lives of young people in the Kingdom,” Jake Jones, LIV Golf’s senior vice president of impact and sustainability told Arab News as the young golfers took to the course under cloudy skies.
“We wanted to do something a little bit different, something sustained, with a long-term outcome, and that’s how this program was created.”
The program runs for 20 weeks, during which the participants receive weekly coaching and instruction sessions at Riyadh Golf Club from Golf Saudi professionals.
“This takes them from never having held a golf club before to reaching a point where they’ve now played in a competition,” Jones said.
The fact that the LIV Golf season opens in Riyadh provides another key benefit for the participants, as they get to experience the professional game up close, and this access to world-class players and events forms a key part of their journey.
“We give them exposure to our LIV Golf events, here and internationally,” Jones added.
Beyond this, and teaching people how to play the game, the program offers participants insights into the wider aspects of the world of golf, including career opportunities.
“They’ve had behind-the-scenes tours, pitch-and-putt sessions, long-drive competitions and visits to places like the media center,” Jones said. “It’s about showing them what it’s like not just to play golf, but work in the sport as well.”
Friday’s event in Riyadh marked the conclusion of the 20-week program for its participants.
“Today is really the celebration point,” Jones said. “We’re at the graduation phase of this journey, where they’ll compete in a three-hole challenge. We then crown a winner and celebrate with them back at the ROSHN Fan Village.”
As golf continues to grow in popularity in the region, Jones believes initiatives such as Rising Stars will have a lasting effect on the development of next generation of players.
“Golf is such a fundamental sport for development; it’s not just about physical activity and having fun,” he said. “The values of golf can be correlated to the values of society: confidence, resilience and integrity.
“Imagine playing golf and you miss the ball or you end up in the sand; you have to get back up and try again. You block the noise around you and focus on the ball to make the right shot.”
Jones highlighted in particular the importance of integrity as one of golf’s defining characteristics, and how that can help shape personal development.
“The rules of golf are reliant on you following them,” he said. “That sense of honesty and self-discipline is something young players can carry beyond the course” into the roles they play in their communities, societies and countries.
“The role that golf can have with young people in Saudi Arabia is actually another layer of baking in those core societal skills, to ensure that they are fit and robust for the future,” Jones added.
This is particularly important given the youthful nature of the Saudi population, more than half of which is under the age of 30, he said, and they now have the chance to benefit from golf in one way or another.
“Golf is now another avenue that they can explore. Whether it’s playing, working in the sport or simply finding a community, we want to give them another reason to get excited.
“We believe that golf can do all of that and, hopefully, it can spark a lasting passion among the Saudi youth.”
