Spinners end Pakistan’s eight-year T20 drought against Australia with victory in series opener

Pakistan beat Australia in a Twenty20 for the first time in eight years on Thursday.

The comfortable 22-run win to open the three-match series pitted a full-strength Pakistan against an under-strength Australia just over a week out from the T20 World Cup.

The spin quartet of Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz - all selected for the T20 World Cup -- shared six wickets to restrict Australia to 146-8 in reply to Pakistan’s 168-8.

Ahmed led with 2-10 off four overs and Ayub’s two wickets included Australia stand-in captain Travis Head for a 13-ball 23.

“It was a great game,” captain Salman Ali Agha said.

“I felt 170 was enough on this pitch because our spin bowling is outstanding.”

In the absence of five World Cup players, Australia also benched captain Mitchell Marsh and handed debuts to Matt Renshaw, Jack Edwards and Mahli Beardman on a slow Gaddafi Stadium pitch.

Head holed out to long-off off Ayub’s fuller delivery but Australia recovered to 51-2 at the end of the power play with Renshaw and Cameron Green set.

But in the eighth over, Renshaw was run out while attempting a needless single and Cooper Connolly was clean-bowled by Ahmed.

Green top-scored with 36 and Xavier Bartlett, 34 not out, narrowed the margin of defeat by hitting three fours and two sixes.

“It was disappointing, but that’s how batting goes sometimes,” Head said. “We felt like we dragged it back well after the first 10 overs ... but the conditions made it difficult.”

Earlier, Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa (4-24) put the brakes on Pakistan’s strong start after Ayub (40) and Agha (39) shared a 74-run second-wicket stand off 43 balls.

Agha smashed four sixes and a boundary while left-handed Ayub’s 22-ball knock featured his trademark no-look boundaries over fine leg against pace. Zampa removed both set batters in his first two overs.

Babar Azam, who made a scratchy 20 off 24 balls in his 100th T20, struggled to keep the momentum going. Zampa pinned him in his return spell when Babar went for a reverse sweep.

Zampa missed a difficult return catch which could have dismissed Usman Khan on the next ball but ended up with brilliant figures when Khan holed out to long-on.

Lahore will also host the final two games on Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has tipped Glenn Maxwell to overcome his lean run and deliver on the big stage at next month’s T20 World Cup, despite a poor Big Bash League (BBL) campaign.

Maxwell, who managed just 76 runs at an average of 15.20 and picked two wickets for Melbourne Stars, apart from dropping a lot of catches in the BBL.

He has been rested from the three-match T20I series against Pakistan but will rejoin the squad in Sri Lanka ahead of their T20 World Cup opener against Ireland on February 11.

“He can because he always has. I’ve coached him a lot and he’s a really hard player to read what’s going to happen because he can have a week of the best training you’ve ever seen and then come out and it does not happen.

“And he could have the world’s worst week leading into a game and come out and do something crazy,” Ponting was quoted as saying by The West Australian.

He also cautioned that age may be a factor but believes the T20 World Cup stage could reignite Maxwell.

“If the edge starts to come off, it’s hard to find it and replace it. But if anything’s going to bring it out of him, a World Cup will. He’s had some pretty amazing moments in World Cups in the past and hopefully for Australia’s sake he can have a few more over the next few weeks.”

Ponting expects Maxwell to be selected for the opener against Ireland, with Australia to also face Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Oman in Group B.

Agencies