Pakistan fought back after poor starts in either innings of the game but fell well short
Australia 147 for 9 (Short 32, Rauf 4-22, Abbas Afridi 3-17, Muqeem 2-21) beat Pakistan 134 (Usman 52, Irfan 37*, Johnson 5-26, Zampa 2-19) by 13 runs
What began as a potential run-fest transformed into a low-scoring thriller in Sydney, where Australia showcased their adaptability to edge past Pakistan by 13 runs and clinch the T20I series. Defending a modest 147, the hosts held their nerve in a tense finish, with Spencer Johnson emerging as the standout performer.
Johnson’s fiery spell of 5 for 26 bookended Pakistan’s innings, breaking through early and closing the chase with precision. He was ably supported by a disciplined bowling unit that capitalized on a gritty first-innings batting display. Although no Australian batter played a defining knock, six of them reached double figures, piecing together just enough for the bowlers to defend.
Australia looked poised for a big score after racing to 50 in just 3.1 overs— their fastest start in T20I history. But Pakistan, led by Haris Rauf, clawed their way back during the middle overs. However, sloppy fielding proved costly for the visitors, turning fine margins into decisive ones.
Pakistan’s cautious start with the bat ultimately left them chasing too much in the latter stages. Despite Usman Khan’s maiden T20I fifty and a late surge from Irfan Khan, they fell short, unable to recover from their slow start.
In a game of shifting momentum, Australia managed to stay one step ahead, making fewer mistakes and deserving their victory on the day and in the series.
Australia (20 ovs maximum)
| Batting | | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|
| b Abbas Afridi | 32 | 17 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 188.23 |
| c Agha Salman b Haris Rauf | 20 | 9 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 222.22 |
| c Sufiyan Muqeem b Haris Rauf | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| c Sahibzada Farhan b Sufiyan Muqeem | 21 | 20 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 105.00 |
| c Abbas Afridi b Sufiyan Muqeem | 14 | 15 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 93.33 |
| c Abbas Afridi b Haris Rauf | 18 | 19 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 94.73 |
| c †Mohammad Rizwan b Abbas Afridi | 28 | 23 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 121.73 |
| b Haris Rauf | 5 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 55.55 |
| not out | 1 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| c Sahibzada Farhan b Abbas Afridi | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| not out | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | (b 3, lb 1, w 4) | 8 | |
| Total | 20 Ov (RR: 7.35) | 147/9 | |
Fall of wickets: 1-52 (Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3.4 ov), 2-52 (Josh Inglis, 3.6 ov), 3-56 (Matthew Short, 4.6 ov), 4-86 (Marcus Stoinis, 9.5 ov), 5-95 (Glenn Maxwell, 11.3 ov), 6-115 (Tim David, 14.6 ov), 7-139 (Xavier Bartlett, 18.1 ov), 8-146 (Aaron Hardie, 19.4 ov), 9-146 (Spencer Johnson, 19.5 ov) • DRS |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
|---|
| 4 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 9.75 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 11.00 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 5.50 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 4.25 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 5.25 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pakistan (T: 148 runs from 20 ovs)
| Batting | | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|
| c David b Johnson | 16 | 26 | 44 | 1 | 0 | 61.53 |
| c Ellis b Bartlett | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| c Bartlett b Johnson | 5 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| c Bartlett b Johnson | 52 | 38 | 59 | 4 | 1 | 136.84 |
| c †Inglis b Johnson | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| not out | 37 | 28 | 53 | 4 | 1 | 132.14 |
| c Short b Johnson | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| b Zampa | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| b Zampa | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| run out (Short/†Inglis) | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| run out (David/†Inglis) | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 |
| Extras | (b 1, lb 2, w 12) | 15 | |
| Total | 19.4 Ov (RR: 6.81) | 134 | |
Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Babar Azam, 1.1 ov), 2-17 (Sahibzada Farhan, 2.5 ov), 3-44 (Mohammad Rizwan, 9.2 ov), 4-44 (Salman Agha, 9.3 ov), 5-102 (Usman Khan, 15.2 ov), 6-106 (Abbas Afridi, 15.4 ov), 7-107 (Shaheen Shah Afridi, 16.3 ov), 8-107 (Naseem Shah, 16.5 ov), 9-127 (Sufiyan Muqeem, 18.3 ov), 10-134 (Haris Rauf, 19.4 ov) • DRS |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
|---|
| 4 | 0 | 26 | 5 | 6.50 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 4.50 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 9.00 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 4.75 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3.4 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 8.18 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 11.00 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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