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SYDNEY: A remarkable five-wicket haul by Spencer Johnson propelled Australia to a thrilling 14-run victory over Pakistan, clinching the series in the second T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday.
Chasing a target of 148, Pakistan could only manage 134 runs before being dismissed in the last over.
The visitors struggled early in their innings, losing star player Babar Azam (three) and Sahibzada Farhan (five) within the first three overs as they struggled to reach 17 runs.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan then partnered with Usman Khan to stabilize the innings.
However, their partnership could only yield 27 runs before Spencer Johnson dismissed Rizwan in the tenth over, which also saw the end of Salman Ali Agha (0). Rizwan scored a laborious 16 runs off 26 balls.
Choosing to bat first, Australian openers Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short started aggressively, amassing 48 runs in the first three overs against the Pakistani bowlers.
After a poor start from the bowlers, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan’s decision to bring in Haris Rauf proved effective as the quick struck twice in his opening over, getting rid of Fraser-McGurk and skipper Josh Inglis (0).
Fraser-McGurk scored 20 off just nine balls, hitting three fours and a six.
His opening partner Short, however, fell soon after as Abbas Afridi reduced Australia to 56/3 after five overs.
Short ended up being Australia’s top scorer with a quick 32 runs off 17 balls, including two fours and two sixes.
After the early loss of wickets, all-rounders Marcus Stoinis (14) and Glenn Maxwell (21) tried to stabilize the innings with a 30-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but Sufiyan Muqeem dismissed both players in consecutive overs.
Haris continued to trouble the Australian batting lineup, claiming two more wickets—Tim David (18) and Xavier Bartlett (five)—and finishing with outstanding match figures of 4/22 over four overs.
Young pacer Abbas bowled an excellent final over, conceding only six runs while capturing two wickets, further diminishing Australia’s chances of setting a strong total.
Abbas recorded impressive figures of 3/17 in his four overs, while Sufiyan picked up two wickets.
