LAHORE: Pakistan men’s cricket team won the second T20I of the three-match domestic series against Australia by 90 runs against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.
Opting to bat first, the team posted 198 for 5 in 20 overs thanks to half-centuries from captain Salman Ali Agha and wicketkeeper-batsman Usman Khan.
Agha top-scored with 76 off 40 balls with 8 fours and 4 sixes, while Usman scored 53 off 36 balls with 6 fours including 2 sixes.
It helped Pakistan record their highest score in T20Is against Australia, beating their previous best of 194/7 achieved during the league-level match of the tri-series hosted by Zimbabwe in 2018.
Chasing a tough 199-run target, the 2021 champions’ batting unit was decimated by the Pakistan spinners, who shared all 10 wickets for the first time in the shorter format, and only the second time during a T20I between two full-member nations.
Defending champions India will become the first team to achieve this feat in the fifth T20I against the West Indies in 2022.
However, it was the 10th time in the entire T20I that the spinners took all 10 wickets.
Pakistan’s leading spinners Abrar Ahmed and Shatab Khan claimed three wickets each, Usman Tariq two wickets and Saim Ayub and Mohammad Nawaz one each as Australia were bowled out for 108 in 15.4 overs.
Pakistan’s 90-run win over Australia in the recently concluded tournament is now the biggest ever in T20Is against Australia, beating the 66-run win in the first T20I of the 2018 series played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2018.