PAK vs AUS | Pakistan vs Australia T20I 2022
In a one-off Twenty20 international match in Lahore, AUS defeated PAK by three wickets, making history. Read this article to find out how AUS made history against PAK and who is the top bowler for both sides.
We’ll also talk about the injuries to watch for in PAK vs AUS. And, if the weather conditions aren’t right, we’ll find out how to watch PAK vs AUS live on Fox Sports.
Australia beats Pakistan by three wickets in a one-off Twenty20 international match in Lahore
In a one-off Twenty20 international match played in Lahore, PAK were beaten by AUS by three wickets. Aaron Finch, who hit six boundaries, top-scored with fifty, while Travis Head and Josh Inglis added a stand of 44.
Usman Qadir and Mohammad Wasim claimed three wickets apiece for PAK, but Marcus Stoinis made a half-century in Lahore before falling to a wicket-taking delivery from Qadir.
AUS bowlers also included Andrew McDermott, who made a nine-ball 23 before being bowled by Shahid Azam.
Aaron Finch scored a half-century, while Shaheen Shah Afridi took two wickets. Mohammad Wasim and Saeed Ajmal took one wicket each.
Haris Rauf and Ben McDermott added 22 each. Aaron Finch, who has struggled with white ball form in recent months, said the win was exciting for the team.
AUS won the toss and sent PAK in to bat. Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan put on 56 in the powerplay, but Cameron Green removed them both in consecutive overs.
Babar Azam compiled his half-century in just 33 balls. However, he missed a chance to make a century off Adam Zampa’s eighth over.
After a disappointing start in their series, the visitors were able to mount a challenging 163 target in the last eight overs.
However, Aaron Finch returned with a crucial half-century, scoring 45 from just 46 deliveries. Despite a poor ODI run chase, the AUS side took a comprehensive 163 in the final T20I match in Lahore.
While AUS openers dominated the game, PAKs bowlers took the wickets at a crucial point.
Despite their best efforts, AUS were limited to 129-5 after 13 overs, but Aaron Finch’s excellent batting performance was pivotal in helping AUS reach their target. With Ben McDermott and Marnus Labuschagne, AUS managed to get to 163-7 in 19.1 overs.
The final T20I in Lahore will be played at 7 PM, when Ramadan breaks in the Asian sub-continent.
PAK is also missing Imam-ul-Haq, but the side still has enough firepower to win. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will be the most likely to score runs.
Australia made history against Pakistan
It has been 24 years since Australia played in PAK. But the tour to Rawalpindi, PAK, will mark the return of the Australian team after a long absence.
The series starts on March 4, with the first Test to be played on the country’s sweltering surface. AUS won the last Test series in Asia, beating Sri Lanka 1-0 in 2011, a remarkable achievement for Australia.
Mark ‘Tubby’ Taylor captained AUS in that series and was named player of the series.
PAK vs AUS had not won a Test match in over four decades. During their previous tour, they won two Tests and one ODI.
Their victory in Lahore was the first series win in the country in almost 40 years. In addition, PAK has hosted multiple Test series between the sides, including two in the UAE and one in England. In both of those series, AUS won the first game.
While it was a tough series to win, AUS has since proved that they are capable of winning a test series in PAK.
PAK dominated the AUS bowlers in the first innings, but AUS won the second Test.
AUS bowling attack was impressive and bowler Rod Marsh claimed 10 wickets for 51 runs. With this wicket-taking display, Australia was on their way to the first Test series win.
Earlier, AUS lost the first Test due to rain. However, this year, the Australians made history and beat PAK for the first time since 2000.
While AUS had lost their maiden Test against Pakistan, the result of their tour to PAK in 1988 was important.
It helped change PAK cricket. Ayub Khan, the newly installed martial law ruler, was amused by Waugh during the fourth day of play in Karachi.
He subsequently ordered all first-class grounds in PAK to play on turf. It was a great moment for the Australian team and it is important to remember it as one of AUS best.
The 1998 series was another landmark in the history of AUS and PAK cricket. AUS won the opening Test in Rawalpindi by an innings margin. In the second Test, PAK managed to scrape a draw in Karachi.
But, the match-winning century in Lahore from Saleem Malik ensured that PAK ended the series 1-0. The AUS also bowed to their past unlucky wicket-taking in Rawalpindi.
Aaron Finch top bowler for Pakistan
Aaron Finch was named the top bowler for PAK vs AUS, while Allan Border was the most impressive batsman.
The AUS skipper was praised for his bowling ability against off-spin bowlers, while Aaron Finch opened the innings against leg-spin.
Although he is not a pacer, he is an excellent leader and is likely to play the remainder of the series and in the home T20 series.
On Saturday, AUS pace attack was able to restrict the PAK batsmen. Captain Aaron Finch hit a half-century, while Nathan Ellis took four wickets for the hosts.
Australia reached their target with five balls to spare, thanks to the efforts of Nathan Ellis. Babar Azam top-scored for PAK with 66, but they were unable to reach the target.
Aaron Finch scored a crucial half-century in the final Twenty20 international in Lahore, helping AUS win by three wickets.
Finch had struggled to score in the previous two one-day internationals, failing to make a hundred, but returned to form in Lahore, where he hit a 55-ball half-century. With five balls to spare, AUS passed PAK 8-162 target and ended the historic tour on a high note.
The 35-year-old Australian has been the talk of the white ball circuit for the past year. His average in ODIs is 40, while he has smashed 17 centuries.
Three of his last five innings have resulted in half-centuries and centuries. Aaron Finch is Australia’s best bowler in ODIs, and he is likely to lead the side to victory in the ICC T20 World Cup.
After batting with Rizwan and Azam, AUS restricted PAK to 162/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Aaron Finch’s bowling was particularly effective, removing Mohammad Rizwan and Fakar Zaman for relatively little runs. Aaron Finch was also an effective opener, batting on the opposite side to Babar Azam.
With the wickets falling at an average of over four runs per over, AUS won the match comfortably.
Injury concerns for pak vs aus
AUS Andrew McDonald has expressed confidence that they will have an injury-free squad for the third Test against PAK, which begins on March 21 in Lahore.
He says the long gap between Tests has helped the bowlers recover well. However, the skipper has made a few minor injury concerns, including Aaron-Finch.
Hopefully, he’ll have an entirely injury-free squad for the final match.