Australia completed a 3-0 T20 series victory over Pakistan with a convincing seven-wicket win in Hobart on Monday. Marcus Stoinis was the star of the show, smashing an unbeaten 61 off just 27 balls to guide Australia to victory.
Pakistan had won the preceding ODI series 2-1, but were outclassed in the shortest format. The visitors were bowled out for just 117 in 19 overs, with Babar Azam top-scoring with 41.
Aaron Hardie was the pick of the Australian bowlers, taking 3-21. In reply, Australia chased down the target with ease in the 12th over.
“It’s really nice to get another win and go 3-0 up,” said Australia skipper Josh Inglis.
Stoinis was in devastating form, hitting five sixes and five fours in his innings. He shared a crucial 55-run partnership with Inglis (27) to put Australia in control.
“When he’s going like that, it’s really hard to stop,” he added of Stoinis. “One of those sixes was probably the biggest I’ve seen.”
The victory capped off a dominant series for Australia, who won the first two matches in Brisbane and Sydney by comfortable margins.
The match was effectively over as a contest after Pakistan were reduced to 72-4 at the halfway stage. Shaheen Shah Afridi hit the only six of the innings for Pakistan, but it was a rare highlight in a disappointing batting display.
“There’s lots of positives, the way some of the players batted and bowled, these youngsters will come good,” said Salman Agha, Pakistan’s skipper for the night with Mohammad Rizwan rested.
Pakistan opted to bat first after winning the toss, but their innings never got going. They lost wickets regularly, and were unable to build any substantial partnerships.
“It’s a big achievement for us to win a one-day series here after 22 years, we could have done better in the T20 series but we’ll come back stronger.”
Sahibzada Farhan opened the batting with Azam in the absence of regular opener Mohammad Rizwan. Farhan lasted just seven balls before top-edging a short ball from Spencer Johnson to Xavier Bartlett.
Azam and Haseebullah Khan (24) then added 44 runs for the second wicket, but Khan’s dismissal sparked a collapse. Usman Khan (3) and Agha (1) both fell cheaply to Hardie, leaving Pakistan in trouble at 62-4.
Azam continued to fight on, but he eventually fell for 41, caught by Short off the bowling of Zampa. Khan was then run out for 10, leaving Pakistan reeling at 82-7.
The tailenders offered little resistance, and Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 117 in the 19th over. Afridi hit a six in the final over, but it was too little, too late for Pakistan.
Australia’s chase was a mere formality. Fraser-McGurk and Short opened the batting, and they got off to a flying start. Fraser-McGurk hit consecutive boundaries off Afridi in the first over, but Short fell for two in the second over, caught by Irfan Khan off the bowling of Afridi.
Fraser-McGurk’s innings came to an end in the third over, as he was bowled by Jahandad Khan for 18. Inglis came in at number four, and he immediately looked to be positive.
He shared a 55-run partnership with Stoinis, which effectively ended the match as a contest. Stoinis was the aggressor in the partnership, hitting four sixes and four fours.
Inglis was eventually dismissed for 27 in the ninth over, caught by Rauf off the bowling of Abbas Afridi. David came in to join Stoinis, and he watched on as the Victorian batsman finished the match in style.
Stoinis hit his fifth six of the innings to bring up his half-century, and then hit the winning runs with another boundary. His innings were a joy to behold, and they underlined his status as one of the most destructive batsmen in the world.
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