Pakistan's captain Mohammad Rizwan made a significant error during the first T20 match of the scheduled series against Australia, but it went unnoticed by the umpires.
Due to the heavy rain, the match was reduced to just 7 overs per side, with two bowlers permitted to bowl two overs each, while three others could bowl the remaining three overs.
However, Rizwan made an incorrect decision by having three fast bowlers – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf – bowl two overs each. According to the rules, this was a violation, but neither the on-field umpires nor the third umpire noticed the mistake, and Pakistan was not penalised for it.
In the rain-affected game, played at the Gabba Cricket Stadium, Australia emerged victorious, defeating Pakistan by 29 runs and taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
The series' second T20 match is set to take place tomorrow (Saturday).
Chasing a target of 94 runs, Pakistan 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.
Xavier Bartlett played a crucial role in Pakistan’s downfall, picking up two wickets in his opening over and then removing Salman Ali Agha (4).
Bartlett finished with impressive figures of 13/3 from his two overs, keeping Pakistan under constant pressure throughout the chase.
Glenn Maxwell was declared Man of the Match for his brilliant innings.
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