Australia has secured a 2-0 lead in the T20 series against Pakistan courtesy of Spencer Johnson’s career-best performance in front of a sellout crowd at the SCG on Saturday evening.
The hosts successfully defended a modest 148-run target after Johnson ripped through Pakistan’s top-order in a blistering spell off 5-26 from four overs, the best bowling figures by an Australian pace bowler in men’s T20Is.
There were some nervous faces in the Australian camp when Usman Khan cracked 52 from 38 deliveries, his highest score in T20Is, to set the scene for a nailbiting finish. However, Johnson returned in the 16th over to end Khan’s counterattack and pocket his maiden five-wicket haul in T20s.
Australia received little support from a 31,563-strong crowd that was dominated by Pakistan supporters, with the picturesque Sydney venue blanketed by a sea of green.
Australia posted 9-147 after captain Josh Inglis won the toss and chose to bat first, with openers Matt Short (32 off 17 balls) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (20 off nine balls) getting the contest off to a rollicking start by cracking 48 runs from the first three overs, including three sixes.
However, an electrifying burst from speedster Haris Rauf, who finished with 4-22 from four overs, halted Australia’s charge and swung momentum back in Pakistan’s favour.
Australia’s middle order struggled on the two-paced deck, only managing three boundaries between the third and 14th overs. Pakistan spinner Sufiyan Muqeem tightened the screws during a probing spell of 2-21 from four overs, including the crucial dismissals of Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.
However, all-rounder Aaron Hardie steered the Australians towards a respectable total, notching 29 (23) at the death. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s bowlers were left fuming after their teammates put down four regulation catches alongside some sloppy ground fielding throughout the innings.
The run chase got off to a sluggish start, with Pakistan crawling towards 4-44 in the tenth after an early collapse. Seamer Xavier Bartlett removed superstar Babar Azam in the second over for 3, caught at deep square leg, before Johnson dismissed rival captain Muhammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha in consecutive deliveries.
Khan flipped the script by combining with Mohammad Irfan Khan for a rapid 58-run partnership for the fifth wicket, threatening to steal an unlikely victory and keep the series alive. Short aided Pakistan’s cause by dropped a regulation catch in the outfield to hand Khan a massive reprieve on 41.
However, the tourists lost 4-5 in the deliveries to ruin any chance of a miracle comeback, with Johnson and leg-spinner Adam Zampa snaring two wickets each.
Khan (37 not out from 28 balls) refused to back down, clobbering a trio of boundaries against seamer Nathan Ellis in the 18th over to give Pakistan’s fans glimmer of hope, but two late run-outs sealed Pakistan’s fate.
The third T20 between Australia and Pakistan, a dead rubber, gets underway at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval on Monday at 7pm AEDT.
(Source: Fox Sports)
Bd-Pratidin English/ Afsar Munna
