Pakistan level ODI series against Australia with six-wicket win

Stand-in captain Mohammad Hafeez has led Pakistan to their first victory on their tour of Australia with a six-wicket win in the second one-day international of the five-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The tourists, who were whitewashed in the preceding Test series and lost the first ODI in Brisbane, reached their target with 14 balls to spare after their bowlers had bundled out the hosts for 220 in the penultimate over of their innings.

Hafeez, leading Pakistan in the absence of injured captain Azhar Ali, carried his side to 221-4 off 47.4 overs with a 72-run knock to level the series 1-1 ahead of the third ODI of the series in Perth on Thursday.

The series-levelling win is Pakistan's first against the Kangaroos in Australia in any format for 12 years, having lost 16 matches in a row since their victory in an ODI at the WACA Ground in January 2005.

In addition, Pakistan defeated Australia at the MCG for the first time since 1985 after nine straight losses at the venue.