Australia defeat Pakistan by 29 runs in rain-hit first T20I
Photo: Cricket Australia
Glenn Maxwell’s blistering knock, combined with a solid bowling performance, guided Australia to a convincing 29-run victory over Pakistan in the rain-affected first T20I at The Gabba on Thursday.
Chasing a target of 94 runs, Pakistan could only managed to score 64 runs.
The visitors got off to a solid start, scoring 12 runs for the loss of one wicket in the opening over. However, a dramatic middle-order collapse followed, which saw the dismissal of key players Babar Azam (3) and Mohammad Rizwan (0). Pakistan found themselves struggling at 20/5 after just three overs.
Bartlett finished with impressive figures of 13/3 from his two overs, keeping Pakistan under constant pressure throughout the chase.
Gleen Maxwell was declared Man of the match for his brilliant innings,
First innings
Batting first, Glenn Maxwell (43) and Marcus Stoinis (21) showcased brilliant power hitting to propel Australia to post 94-run target for Men in Green in first T20I.
Maxwell, who joined Matthew Short at the crease, wasted no time, smashing four boundaries off Naseem Shah to take Australia to 33-1 after the first two overs.
However, Pakistan fought back through Haris Rauf, who bowled a tight over, conceding just three runs and removing Short (7), bringing Pakistan back into the contest.
Maxwell, though, continued his onslaught, capitalizing on Rauf's next over by hitting two sixes and a four, even though he had been dismissed three times by Haris in the ODI series.
His blistering knock came to an end when he was caught by Usman Khan at deep square leg off Abbas Afridi’s delivery. Maxwell’s innings of 43 came from just 19 balls, including eight boundaries, three of which were sixes.
In the same over, Abbas struck again, dismissing Tim David (9), who was caught by Irfan Khan at deep midwicket. Stoinis, however, took charge in the final over, smashing Naseem for 20 runs, including two fours and a six, to help lift Australia’s total to 93-4.
Stoinis remained unbeaten on 21 from 7 balls, while for Pakistan, Abbas Afridi claimed two wickets, and Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf each took one.
It should be noted that the opening match of the series has been shortened to seven overs per side following a delay of two hours and 20 minutes due to rain and thunderstorms.
In the seven-over format, each team is allowed a maximum of two overs per bowler, with no other bowler permitted to bowl more than one over. The powerplay will be limited to two overs,
Light drizzle has been falling in the area since last night, with more rain expected throughout the day, further complicating the situation.
Pakistan, led by newly-appointed captain Mohammad Rizwan, made history by defeating Australia in the third ODI by eight wickets in Perth, clinching their first series win Down Under since 2002.
Despite losing the opening match of the three-game series by two wickets, the visitors mounted a strong comeback, ultimately winning the series 2-1.
Head-to-head stats
Historically, Pakistan holds a slight edge over Australia in their T20I encounters. The two teams have faced off 25 times in the format, with Pakistan winning 13 of those matches and Australia claiming victory on 11 occasions. One match between the sides ended in no result.
With both teams eager to make an impact in the opening match of the series, the weather will be the primary factor determining when the game can take place. Fans are hopeful for a timely improvement in conditions to allow the highly anticipated contest to go ahead.
Pakistan Playing XI: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haseebullah Khan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
Australia Playing XI: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short, Josh Inglis (c/wk), Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
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