NEW DELHI: Seasoned batter Glenn Maxwell‘s return to form and stellar bowling from Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis guided Australia to a 29-run victory over Pakistan in a rain-affected T20I series opener in Brisbane on Thursday.
The match was shortened to seven overs per side due to inclement weather conditions, including heavy rain and lightning.
Australia posted a formidable 93-4, anchored by Maxwell’s explosive 43 from 19 deliveries. Pakistan’s batting response faltered under pressure, managing only 64-9.
The Australian bowling attack, spearheaded by Ellis and Bartlett who were making their comebacks from injuries, proved highly effective despite missing several key players who were preparing for the upcoming Test series against India.
“We almost had our bags packed because we thought we wouldn’t get a game in,” Maxwell said. “We certainly had a lot of fun out there.”
The series continues at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday before concluding in Hobart on Monday.
“It’s difficult to keep things normal in this type of match because it went very fast,” Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said.
The match commenced over two hours late due to thunderstorms, with modified rules limiting bowlers to maximum two overs each. Despite Pakistan’s recent ODI series triumph, their first in Australia in 22 years, they struggled in this format.
After Rizwan chose to field, Australia’s aggressive batting approach saw openers Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short score 16 runs in the opening over. Maxwell then dominated with four boundaries in his first six balls, including a massive six off Haris Rauf.
Marcus Stoinis contributed an unbeaten 21 from seven deliveries to conclude Australia’s innings strongly.
Pakistan’s chase began promisingly with Sahibzada Farhan hitting consecutive boundaries, but their innings quickly unravelled.
Early dismissals of key batsmen, including Rizwan for a duck and Babar Azam for three, left them at 16-4. Despite Abbas’s unbeaten 20 off 10 balls, Pakistan fell well short of the target.
