PAK vs AUS

Our live coverage ends here. We’ll take the opportunity to thank everyone for following this fixture on our Sporskeeda platform. The two sides will meet a couple of days later on January 31, so don’t forget to tune in then. This is Datrim Ray bidding goodbye on behalf of Sourabh Agrawal and everyone else at Sportskeeda. Cheers!

Travis Head (Australia captain): "(His thoughts on Pakistan's 168) Yeah, it was enough. Disappointing, but this is how it works out. (What did he feel at the halfway stage?) We backed ourselves to bat well in the first 10 overs. But as the ball got softer, it got tougher to score off. (His reflection on the debutants today) Yeah, guys played well. Beardman was expensive initially but finished off well. Bartlett, too, was also in fine form. (Closing thoughts on T20 WC preparations) We will have to wait and see how it plays out. We will try to play well. We have two more opportunities before we head to Sri Lanka. The results didn't go our way today, but we will try to come back strong." 

Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan captain): "It was a great game. Started well while batting, couldn't finish well but it was challenging. The ball was not coming on after 10 overs. With the ball we were outstanding. I will be batting at 3, we will be facing a lot of spin so I feel I can dominate that in the powerplay. I felt 170 was enough to be honest, with the spinners that we have got. Abrar has been outstanding for us since his debut. Our spinners have been doing really well, even in the Asia Cup. Winning games day in and day out, hope they keep doing so in the World Cup as well."

Saim Ayub is the Player of the Match for his 40 runs off 22 balls with the bat and 2/39(3) with the ball, here are his words: "Conditions were a little bit challenging. The plan was to dominate with the new ball as much as the possible, watch the ball and enjoy. (With the ball) We knew if we hit the good length with the ball, it was not easy to hit."

7:21 PM Local Time (7:51 PM IST): Pakistan win by 22 runs and take an early 1-0 lead.

Saim Ayub 40 (22) | Abrar Ahmed 2/10 (4)
Cameron Green 36 (31) | Adam Zampa 3/24 (4)

Brilliant response from the Pakistani spinners, and Australia find themselves wanting in the first T20! A satisfying win for Salman Agha & Co. as they thrash Australia by 22 runs! It was the skipper, Travid Head, who led the visitors from the front to take the attack to the Pakistani bowlers early on. He immediately settled into his stride, playing a flurry of shots to get things underway for Australia. But they were rocked quite early in the run chase as Short couldn’t get himself going and was cleaned up cheaply by Ayub. However, Head kept Pakistan on the edge during the powerplay overs before his luck ran out during the fourth over, when he tried to belt Ayub downtown. Renshaw and Green took their time to get their eye and steadied the ship for Australia after the early setback.

But that promising partnership didn’t last too long as Salman Agha’s brilliance in the field left Renshaw comfortably short of his ground, giving Pakistan a timely breakthrough before the halfway point. In that same over, Abrar tightened the screws over Australia even further by dismantling Connolly’s off pole for not. More trouble followed when Owen found himself short at the bowler’s end, with Nawaz barely managing to get fingertips in his follow-through to effect an unfortunate run out. 

Cameron Green kept Australia alive in this run chase, chipping in with a handy 36 (31). But his unfortunate demise in the 13th over shut the door for Australia completely. His departure from the crease washed away Australia’s hopes of pulling off a potential win. The visitors witnessed a downward spiral and kept losing wickets regularly, which tremendously disrupted their momentum. In the end, a fine all-round bowling effort from Pakistan restricted Australia to 146. Abrar was the game-changer for Pakistan with the ball. Not only did he take two wickets, but he was miserly with the ball, giving away just 10 runs in his four overs!

19.6 Salman Mirza to Xavier Bartlett, PAKISTAN BEAT AUSTRALIA IN A T20I AFTER A GAP OF 7 YEARS, 22 runs will be the final margin! Ends the contest with an attempted yorker, went as a low full toss which was drilled back aerially to Salman's left who could not hold it in but that does not matter. Pakistan walk away as the deserved winners, they take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series that is being played on the brink of a big T20 WC looming around the corner.

19.5 Salman Mirza to Xavier Bartlett, pace on yorker, outside off, Bartlett swings with all his might but can get it nowhere. Jammed into the turf and rolls back towards the bowler

19.3 Salman Mirza to Xavier Bartlett, goes for the yorker now, ends up as a low full toss around off, looks like it took Bartlett by surprise as he could only slice it towards deep point for one

19.1 Salman Mirza to Xavier Bartlett, BANG, Australia need 26 off 5 now. Anyone? Slower short ball, sat up in the surface, Bartlett went back and pulled it a long way, deep into the crowd at deep mid-wicket

So 32 needed off the final over. Australia almost mathematically out, but they will have to deal in sixes now. Mirza to close out proceedings.

18.6 Shaheen Afridi to Xavier Bartlett, follows him up with one angling back in around the pads, Bartlett makes room and drives down to long-on. Retains the strike for the final over with a single

Rajesh Manhas: "Hypothetically, If Virat Kohli chooses to reconsider his retirement from the T20Is, he can score at a much faster rate in the T20 World Cup"
But how will you slot him in? With at least three top-order Indian batters with a strike rate of close to 150, Virat might have a hard time breaking into India's T20 lineup.

18.5 Shaheen Afridi to Xavier Bartlett, PUMPED FOR SIX! Shaheen landed this off cutter right in the slot, Bartlett picked it off the hand, cleared his front leg and pumelled it deep over long-on. Too little too late for the Aussies

18.4 Shaheen Afridi to Adam Zampa, full and straight, might have been pace off, Zampa swings towards mid-wicket sans any timing. Just one again