Australia win T20I series as they Beat Pakistan by 13 runs in T20I Match
Australia secured a 13-run victory over Pakistan in the second T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground, clinching the series with a 2-0 lead. Despite a dominant win at The Gabba, Australia faced challenges at the SCG, but Spencer Johnson’s five-wicket haul sealed the win. Pakistan now aim to avoid a whitewash in the third T20I in Hobart on November 18.
Opting to bat first, Australia started strong with Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk putting up a 52-run partnership in just 3.4 overs. However, Haris Rauf shifted momentum by dismissing Fraser-McGurk for 32 off 17 balls, followed by Josh Inglis for a duck. Abbas Afridi then removed Short, who was threatening with 32 off 17. Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Tim David added 21, 14, and 28 respectively, but none managed to accelerate. Aaron Hardie’s 28 helped push Australia to 147/9. Rauf was the standout bowler for Pakistan with figures of 4-0-22-4, tying as Pakistan’s joint-highest T20I wicket-taker. Afridi and debutant SufiyanMuqeem chipped in with three and two wickets, respectively.
Chasing 148, Pakistan struggled early, losing Babar Azam and Sahibzada Farhan to Xavier Bartlett and Spencer Johnson. Mohammad Rizwanlabored for 16 off 26 before Johnson dismissed him. After a collapse to 44/4, Irfan Khan and Usman Khan steadied Pakistan with a 58-run stand, but Johnson’s 5-wicket haul proved too much. Pakistan fell short, bowled out for 134, with Irfan’s valiant 37 off 28 in vain.