With the match shortened to seven overs per side, Australia’s explosive batting performance, especially from Glenn Maxwell, set an insurmountable target, securing a dominant win by 29 runs and giving Australia a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Glenn Maxwell went wild with the bat, then Xavier Bartlett ripped apart Pakistan’s top order as Australia dominated a seven-over Gabba Twenty20 slog to win by 29 runs.
Australia, under Josh Inglis’ leadership, secured a decisive win over Pakistan in a rain-shortened T20I at The Gabba, taking a 1-0 series lead with an explosive batting display led by Glenn Maxwell and a strong bowling performance.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : The surface at the Brisbane Cricket Ground is preferred by the pacers. The batters will need to stay patient in the early stages of the innings. Opting to bowl first after winning the toss could prove to be a wise decision. With conditions likely to be overcast for the fast bowlers could have a big say in the game. Team batting first is likely to have a tough time dealing with the Pacers. Prediction for the night is very promising and even if the start of the game is delayed by rain, a washout is highly unlikely.
Toss : After a long wait due to rain in a 7- over match, Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and chose to bowl as expected with 3 pacers in the playing XI. Australia skipper Josh Inglis batting first included Nathan Ellis and Tim David in the playing XI.
Glenn Maxwell’s 43 runs in 19 balls carries Australia to 93 for 4 in 7 overs
On expected lines, Jake Fraser-McGurk went after the bowling from ball one after Pakistan asked Australia to bat first. He fetched successive boundaries off Shaheen Afridi in the first over and Matthew Short finished that over with a six. Pakistan thought they found some respite when Fraser-McGurk found the fielder at cover at the start of the second over but Glenn Maxwell walked in with intent, used the reverse scoop to great effect and hit Naseem Shah for four boundaries as Australia raced to 33 in just two overs.
Glenn Maxwell’s nemesis over the last few days, Haris Rauf, calmed proceedings with a terrific over that saw him concede just three runs while also picking the wicket of Short. Mohammad Rizwan called correctly at the toss and unsurprisingly put Australia in. But the hosts had a clarity of purpose from the outset, looking to hit a boundary off every ball, aware that wickets didn’t really matter as much.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was plundered for 16 off his first over to set the tone, and though Haris Rauf’s tight first over had Glenn Maxwell flailing, the tide would turn soon.
However, Glenn Maxwell kept going at the other end as he astonishingly reverse swept Shaheen for a six over third man and then finally managed to get one over Rauf by smashing him for two sixes in an over. Abbas Afridi managed to put an end to Glenn Maxwell’s heroics while also deceiving Tim David in the same over with a slower delivery.
Pakistan’s hopes of finishing the innings on a high however, were ruined by Marcus Stoinis. In the final over that was bowled by Naseem, Stoinis fetched a boundary down the ground before rounding off the innings with another six and a four to help Australia breach 90.
Glenn Maxwell deployed the reverse slog expertly, using the bowlers’ pace to get his shots away. Afridi was spectacularly dismissed over third man for six, before he ripped into Rauf, his ODI tormentor, smashing 19 off his second over. When he holed out to Abbas Afridi, Tim David and Marcus Stoinis picked up the baton, with Stoinis’ 20 off Naseem in the final over seeing Australia surge to 93.
Nathan Ellis and Xavier Bartlett gives Australia a 29 runs victory over Pakistan as batters failed miserably in a short chase
Even though Sahibzada Farhan kicked off the chase with back-to-back boundaries off Spencer Johnson, the pacer had the last laugh as he got rid of the opener just two balls later. Xavier Bartlett then struck first ball when Mohammad Rizwan managed to get only a leading edge to get caught at backward point. Usman Khan had a wild swing a couple of times before finally connecting one but his joy was short-lived as Bartlett accounted for his wicket as well.
Pakistan began the innings with Sahibzada Farhan biffing two boundaries off the first two balls, but that’s as good as the chase got for the visitors. Spencer Johnson got him two balls later. It began a remarkable passage of play where five wickets fell in 12 balls for eight runs. Mohammad Rizwan sliced Xavier Bartlett to backward point for a duck, and Usman Khan sent one down deep third man’s throat later in the over.
16/3 soon became 16/5 as the visitors were next stunned by Nathan Ellis. Bowling his trademark slower delivery first up, Ellis dismissed Babar Azam before Irfan Khan miscued one to fall for a two-ball duck. The chase was done and dusted at that point as Abbas Afridi just managed to reduce the margin of defeat with a couple of lusty blows.
Babar Azam – who came in at number three – miscued a half-volley down to long-off off Nathan Ellis’ first ball, with Irfan Khan joining him two balls later. When Salman Ali Agha, debutant and vice-captain, skied one off Ellis, Pakistan were staring down the barrel of an enormous defeat, despite the heavily curtailed nature of the game.
But Pakistan managed to restore some respectability to the scoreline in the final three overs, primarily when Haseebullah Khan and Abbas managed 18 off the fifth over. Wickets would continue to fall, though, with Ellis snaring Haseebullah for his third wicket. When Adam Zampa came in to bowl the final over, Shaheen managed to smear one over long-on for six, but in an innings characterized by clumps of wickets falling quickly, that Zampa signed off with consecutive wickets of his final two balls was a fitting end.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Josh Inglis the winning Australia skipper said : Really nice. At times tonight we didn’t think we would get a game. We did a great job – nice to get that first win. There’s been a lot of noise around that last week (ODI series loss). All the bowlers were great tonight. Helps with Xavier and Spencer playing a lot of T20 cricket at the Gabba. Taking early wickets in short chases is crucial.
Mohammad Rizwan the Losing Pakistan skipper said : Can’t say anything in this kind of match. Thing was going quite fast. We tried our best with bat. If you look at the whole match, credit to Maxwell. Not just this match, the last couple of years as well. Will try our best at SCG.
Glenn Maxwell Player of the Match for his 43 runs said : Certainly had a lot of fun out there. To get the opportunity to bat for an over in the powerplay was great fun. There was a little bit of tack in the wicket. Bowlers did a great job. Few of us had packed our bags expecting the game to be called off. Credit to the guys. The two opening batsmen did a great job. From there the batters came out there with the intent to clear the ropes.
It was a shortened game at the Gabba, and Australia made short work of it. After persistent rain and lightning delayed the start by nearly three hours and reduced the game to a seven-over shootout, Australia inflicted a crushing 29-run defeat upon Pakistan. Glenn Maxwell, who struggled in the preceding ODI series, blasted his way through the innings with 43 off 19, before Pakistan slumped to 24 for six in the first four overs before finishing with 64 for nine.
Glenn Maxwell’s blitz and a combined effort from Australia’s pace trio gave the home side a 1-0 lead in the T20I series at the Gabba. In a game reduced to seven overs per side after a prolonged period of frustration due to rain and lightning, Australia posted an imposing total of 93/4. That total proved to be too much for a Pakistan side that was just not in the chase at any point.
Australia win the first T20I by 29 runs – a very healthy margin in a 7-over contest. It all happened so quickly, right from the rain stopping to umpires immediately announcing a 7-over match, and then to Australia coming out all guns blazing after being put in to bat.
Glenn Maxwell and Stoinis connected a few, taking them to a formidable total of 94, and Pakistan never looked like getting those runs as they lost a heap of wickets in going for the big shots. Australian bowlers, Bartlett and Ellis in particular, were pretty good with some of the slower balls they executed, and when they went for pace-on deliveries, Pakistan found the pace and bounce at the Gabba too hard to deal with as well.
Australian players are signing autographs for the fans who turned up today despite the weather. As Inglis and Maxwell said, it didn’t look like there would be a game possible. It only stopped raining around 40 minutes before the cut-off time. But once it did, the umpires were quickly out there to assess conditions and immediately announced that the game is on. Superb drainage here at the Gabba as well to make that possible.
Despite the shortened format, which added pressure to the chasing side, Pakistan’s inability to adapt and build steady partnerships was evident. They will need to address their batting shortcomings as they head to the second T20I in Sydney on November 16, where they will look to level the series and redeem themselves. With improvements needed, Pakistan will aim to bring their best game and adapt quickly to maintain competitiveness in the ongoing series.