There are some happy times for Australia’s white-ball team after winning the T20I series by 3-0. The flamboyant all-rounder Marcus Stoinis silenced all the critics by scoring a belligerent knock of 61 runs in 27 balls in which he struck 5 fours & 5 sixes. Marcus Stoinis was seen taking calculative risks in a below par run chase of 118 runs which the Aussies attained in 11.2 overs and won the match by 7 wickets.
Australian bowlers on a roll
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan didn’t play in this match and in his place Salman Agha was leading the team. Perhaps, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wanted to manage the workload of Rizwan ahead of a bumper white ball series assignments against Zimbabwe, and South Africa & then a Tri-series in Pakistan featuring South Africa & New Zealand.
The star batter Babar Azam was timing the ball exquisitely from the very first ball he had faced. Babar Azam & Hasebullah Khan were seen taking a lot of singles & most importantly converting the singles into doubles as the boundaries in Hobart aren’t that small. Pakistan had scored 58 runs in the first 6 overs for the loss of 1 wicket and both the batters were looking ominous.
Adam Zampa, the shrewd leg spinner broke the partnership in the 7th over and Hasebullah Khan was dismissed on 24 runs in 19 balls and smashed 3 fours. From 61-1 in 6.4 overs, there was a tragic collapse of Pakistan’s batting lineup as they were reduced 92-7 in 13.5 overs. Australia’s bowlers hunted in a pack.
Babar Azam was looking in sublime touch as he scored 41 runs in 28 balls (*smashed 4 fours) and it looked as if he rediscovered his mojo; but was undone by Adam Zampa when the batter stepped down the track and he missed the straight bowl and his stumps were crashed. Apart from Babar Azam, not a single batter scored 30 runs as Pakistan’s middle order once again was exposed.
Aaron Hardie was the pick of the bowlers who took a 3-wicket haul and astonishingly bowled a maiden over and conceded 21 runs in his 4-over spell. While fielding at mid-wicket, Glenn Maxwell pulled his hamstring and got out of the field immediately and also didn’t came to bat during the run chase. Glenn Maxwell isn’t a part of the Australian Test squad against India.
Marcus Stoinis’ fiery knock bamboozled Pakistan
Matthew Short & Jake Fraser-McGurk couldn’t assert their dominance and were dismissed cheaply. Australia though had a decent powerplay and scored 43 runs and lost 2 wickets. Pakistan’s bowlers weren’t able to contain the batters from the start of the run chase as they didn’t have ample runs on board.
In the 9th over, Marcus Stoinis smashed 20 runs on the bowling off Haris Rauf in 4 deliveries as all the variations of Haris Rauf were proving to be ineffective. Haris Rauf’s short ball barrage was proving to be quite predictable and Aussie batters pounced on the loose deliveries.
Skipper Josh Inglis anchored the innings and scored 27 runs in 24 balls. Marcus Stoinis gave a reminder to the World Cricket and to the IPL franchises as well ahead of Mega Auction slated on 24 & 25 November that he is not done yet, as his performance in the ODI series was not up to the mark. Shaheen Afridi had a forgettable outing as he gave away 43 runs in his 3-over spell and took 1 wicket. It won’t be wrong to say that Pakistan’s fast bowling unit is too much dependent on Haris Rauf
What Lies Ahead for Australia & Pakistan
The Australian bowling unit bowled exceptionally well throughout the T20I series. Perhaps, Australia have found a new trio for T20I format in the form of Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis & Xavier Bartlett as the veteran trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood & Pat Cummins are the red ball specialists and at the back end of their career. Australia is about to play a massive 5 Test series against India commencing from 22nd November.
Pakistan will have to go back to the drawing board and strengthen their batting line up. The likes of Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan & Iftikhar Ahmed aren’t considered for selection by PCB and they might have to reconsider their decision. The batting line up is too much centric on Babar Azam & Mohammad Rizwan and it has been for the last couple of years, a worrisome thing. Pakistan’s next white ball assignment is against Zimbabwe where they are slated to play 3 ODIs & 3 T20Is and it would serve as a stepping stone for ICC Champions Trophy 2025.