- By Namrata Vijay
- Thu, 14 Nov 2024 06:14 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
AUS vs PAK, 1st T20I: Australia, under the captaincy of Josh Inglis defeated Pakistan in a rain-induced 1st T20I match at the Gabba on Thursday. As the match was reduced to seven overs per side, Australia's brilliant batting performance, especially that of Glenn Maxwell helped them post a mammoth target and eventually won the match by 29 runs and are currently leading the three-match series by 1-0.
They did suffer a batting collapse as both openers Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk failed to convert their starts but Glenn Maxwell batting at No.3 and putting up a brilliant performance helped them bounce back. Maxwell began his innings with great intent and then went all-guns-blazing against Pakistan's bowling lineup, which includes bowlers like Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. His match-winning knock of 43 runs off 19 balls along with a gritty knock of 21 runs off seven balls by Marcus Stoinis helped the hosts post a respectable target of 93 runs in seven overs.
On the other hand, the Pakistan batters were seen struggling while chasing a big target as their plans of going guns-blazing from the start fell short. None of the batters were able to stitch any useful partnership. Australian bowlers Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis took advantage of this and piled the pressure on the visitors with their brilliant performances. Bartlett registered figures of 3/13, whereas Ellis bowled economically on 3/9. Pakistan's star batters like Mohammed Rizwan, who got out on a duck, and Babar Azam, who couldn't score big, played a huge role in their batting collapse as they were skittled out for 64/9 after seven overs.
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With overs getting reduced, Pakistan succumbed under immense pressure as they failed to adapt to these conditions and couldn't build partnerships. They will have to work on their batting performances before they head to the second T20I, which will be held in Sydney on November 16, where they will aim to bounce back and level the series. They will try to put their best foot forward and win the 2nd T20I to stay alive in this series.
