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Captain Pat Cummins kept his cool under pressure with a gritty unbeaten 32 to steer Australia to a nail-biting two-wicket defeat by Pakistan in the first of three one-day internationals on Monday.

Chasing 204, they reached the target with 99 balls to spare at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, surviving a huge scare when they lost three wickets in five balls.

“Great match, but it got a little more exciting there than I would have liked,” Cummins said.

With Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head on paternity leave, the world champions had a new opening partnership with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short.

But Short lasted just four balls before reaching the top of Saim Ayub off Shaheen Shah Afridi, while Fraser-McGurk’s luck ran out on 16, hitting Naseem Shah against Irfan Khan at mid-on.

The experienced Steve Smith steadied the ship alongside Josh Inglis.

They put on 85 for the third wicket before Smith was undone by Haris Rauf on 44, well caught by Ayub at backward point.

Inglis followed for 49 shortly after taking a big hit off Afridi, who was taken to his knees by Khan.

And when Rauf removed Marnus Labuschagne (16) three balls later and then Glenn Maxwell for a golden duck, Australia suddenly found themselves at 139-6 and it was game on.

Mohammad Hasnain bowled Aaron Hardie (10) and Sean Abbott (13) was guilty of a lazy run-out, leaving the hosts with 19 runs and two wickets, while Cummins and Mitchell Starc (two) saw them home.

“Really happy with the way the boys bowled, everyone played their part beautifully,” Cummins added.

“Obviously we have to try to find some partnerships (in batting).”

Earlier Starc won 3-33. Pakistan were dismissed for 203.

Newly appointed skipper Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 44 but they struggled with precision bowling, all out in the 47th after Australia won the toss and sent them in.

“We have to play against such teams,” Rizwan said. “We have decided, regardless of the situation, that we will fight and show courage.

“The luck was with Australia and that’s why they won.”

In Pakistan’s first 50-over match since last year’s World Cup, Starc made the breakthrough in the third over, with Ayub chopping at his stumps.

That left Babar Azam in trouble, unencumbered by the captaincy after his departure last month.

He upped the pace before Starc struck again, with Abdullah Shafique behind for a tame 12.

Azam put on 39 with Rizwan before spinner Adam Zampa entered the fray and broke the partnership, bowling Azam for 37 with his fourth delivery.

His replacement Kamran Ghulam lasted just six balls, no match for a brutal bouncer from Cummins, who gloved wicketkeeper Inglis to leave Pakistan 70-4 behind after 19 overs.

A patient in which Rizwan played himself, but the wickets kept falling.

Salman Agha was cleverly taken at square leg for 12 by Short of Abbott and Rizwan then departed with an attempted sweep from part-time spinner Labuschagne.

Afridi hit an entertaining 24, but Starc struck again, rattling his middle stump, before a late flurry, with Shag adding a quick 40.