Australia sweep Pakistan in T20Is as Stoinis dominates

HOBART: Australia completed their sweep in T20Is against Pakistan with a dominant victory on Monday. After Pakistan only managed to score 117 runs, Australia completed their chase within 12 overs, behind an incredible innings from Marcus Stoinis.

Pakistan made 117 runs before losing their last wicket in the 18th over. The men in green were looking good at the end of the power-play, having made 58 runs while only loosing one wicket. However, Pakistan soon crumbled, losing nine wickets 69 deliveries, while only making 56 more runs.

Despite a disappointing innings overall for Pakistan, Babar Azam became the second leading run scorer all time in T20I’s with 4192 runs. He sits just behind Rohit Sharma who has made 4231 runs.

PAKISTAN’S INNINGS

Right after Sahibzada Farhan hit his first and only four of the match in the second over, he was dismissed on a delivery from Spencer Johnson that found the top edge of the Pakistani opener’s bat before settling in the hands of Xavier Bartlett.

Haseebullah Khan was dismissed next in the seventh over on a delivery from Adam Zampa. The Pakistani batter only managed to get the outside edge of his bat to the delivery, popping up the ball to Matthew Short. He scored 24 runs off 19 deliveries, hitting three fours in the process before being sent off. Usman Khan came in to replace Haseebullah, but was dismissed on the second ball he faced, allowing Aaron Hardie to pick up his first wicket of the match. Usman made three runs before he hit the ball towards sweeper cover where Nathan Ellis took the catch.

Naqvi confident about hosting Champions Trophy in Pakistan

Salman Agha, who took over as skipper as the PCB decided to rest Mohammad Rizwan, came to the field next and was dismissed after only scoring a single run off nine deliveries. Spencer Johnson took his second wicket on a delivery that hit Agha’s back pad, as Pakistan’s skipper missed an attempt to slap the ball over mid-wicket.

Babar Azam was the fifth wicket to fall for Pakistan. He was bowled by Zampa in the 13th over just nine runs short of his 37th T20I half century. Babar skipped down the pitch only to miss the googly from Zampa which crashed into the leg stump.

Pakistan continued to crumble, as Irfan Khan was run out on the first ball of the 13th over. Abbas Afridi who just made his way to the pitch, tapped a delivery from Hardie towards mid-wicket. Spencer Johnson picked it up and threw an absolute rocket to the bowlers side while Irfan was halfway down the pitch. Unable to stop the bleeding, Abbas himself got out in the very same over after he skied the ball to deep, where Tim David took the catch.

Right after blasting a six over deep square leg in the 17th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi would be dismissed. It was a slower delivery from Xavier Bartlett that Shaheen gloved into the air as he attempted to pull the ball for another boundary. Josh Inglis did the rest as he took the catch. Jahandad Khan, who was making his T20I debut, would follow suit in the next over, looking to flick a delivery from Nathan Ellis for six, but instead finding the hands of Tim David.

Sufiyan Muqeem was the last man in green to fall, as Spencer Johnson picked up his second wicket with a yorker that snuck under the bat of the Pakistani spinner to take out the stumps.

Rizwan and Naseem rested for third T20I against Australia

Pakistan made 117 runs before losing their last wicket in the 18th over. Aaron Hardie was the stand out bowler for Australia, putting up his career best in T20I’s, as he took three wickets, giving up only 21 runs in the process. Babar Azam was the stand out batsman for Pakistan, scoring 41 runs. The next highest scorer for Pakistan was Haseebullah Khan with 21. Only four Pakistani batsmen had scores in double figures.

AUSTRALIA’S INNINGS

Jake Fraser-McGurk hit two fours in the first over to get things started with Australia. He hit another in the second to bring his total to 14 runs off nine deliveries. Matthew Short opened alongside McGurk but was dismissed in the third over after only making two runs off four deliveries. A slower delivery from Shaheen Shah Afridi fooled Short, as he popped the ball up to mid-on where Irfan Khan took the catch.

Fraser-McGurk was dismissed soon after, giving the debutant Jahandad Khan his first ever T20I wicket. The Australian opener hit the ball to cover point with a poorly timed shot, and Usman Khan took the catch comfortably. He made 18 runs off 11 deliveries, hitting four fours in the process before being sent off.

Marcus Stoinis came to the pitch next, and although it didn’t take long for him to find his rhythm, the Australian batter completely took over the match in the ninth over. He smashed four boundaries in a row, including two fours and two sixes to the dismay of Haris Rauf.

Aqib Javed likely to be given key role with national team

Josh Inglis wanted to get in on the fun in the next over and hit a four right away. However he became a little overconfident, trying his hand at a scoop that he hit right to Rauf at short fine leg. Rauf almost dropped the catch, but eventually held on to the ball after a few stumbles.

Stoinis brought up his 50 in the 11th over. He hit three boundaries in a row, including two sixes, to bring his total to 54 runs, and he did it off just 23 deliveries. It was Stoinis’ fifth half century in T20I’s. With another six at the end of the over, and one more on the first ball of the 12th over, Stoinis leveled the scored.

And on the third ball of the 12th over, Australia would complete their sweep of Pakistan in T20I’s in anti-climatic fashion, as they were awarded one run on a no ball. It only took 12 overs for Australia to complete their chase in what was a dominant victory for the Aussies. Stoinis had an incredible performance, scoring 61 runs off only 27 deliveries, hitting five fours as well as five sixes in the process. It was the third highest score of his T20I career and he was named the player of the match. Spencer Johnson was named player of the series as he took eight wickets across the three contests.