LAHORE: The result could not have been sweeter for Pakistan with just a week to go before the T20 World Cup starts.

Though the Australian side that faced Salman Ali Agha and company in the second Twenty20 International here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday night missed a number of star players who are not part of the touring side, the resounding 90-run victory, which gave the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, emerged as an extremely encouraging sign for the Green-shirts ahead of the global event.

Moreover, this is Pakistan’s first T20 series win over Australia since 2018.

Pakistan rested pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza and batter Fakhar Zaman to bring in all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, pacer Naseem Shah and off-spinner Usman Tariq.

While Australia brought in regular captain Mitchell Marsh, wicket-keeper/batter Josh Inglis, spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and Sean Abbott in place of Josh Phillippe, Jack Edwards, Mahli Beardman and Mitchell Owen.

The victory had all the ingredients — captain leading from the front, and both batting and bowling departments clicking when it mattered the most.

The five-pronged spin attack proved too much for Australia to handle on a predominantly spinning track after the home batters posted a huge 198-5 — their highest-ever T20 International total against the visitors — after winning the toss.

After losing three wickets inside five overs, the Australians were not able to make a comeback.

Opener Marsh (18 off 14 balls, two sixes and a four) was the first to go as the right-hander while trying to sweep was trapped by a low skidding Abrar Ahmed delivery in the third over to leave Australia at 22-1.

On the very next delivery of the innings, the visitors suffered another blow as fellow opener Travis Head (four) was castled by Saim Ayub as the ball did not bounce at all.

Abrar struck again in the fifth over when Inglis (five) was leg before wicket as the scoreline read 29-3.

Cameron Green (35), the top scorer of the innings, and Matthew Renshaw (two) steered their team to 48-3 in the powerplay.

But Mohammad Nawaz dented them in the seventh over when the left-arm orthodox spinner deceived Renshaw whose bat could not connect as the ball hit his pads. Leg-spinner Shadab Khan cleaned up Cooper Connolly (one) in the next over as the Aussies slid to 54-5.

Green and Matthew Short, batting at number seven, managed to make it 71-5 at the halfway stage as the required run-rate climbed to almost 13.

Off-spinner Usman grabbed the vital wicket of Green in the 11th over as the batter sliced the ball in the air giving Shadab a simple catch at point. Green smashed a brace of sixes and a four in his 20-ball cameo.

At 76-6 with all top six batters back in the hut, the game was almost over for Australia.

Short (27 off 23, three fours) tried but the effort was no match to the demand.

Australia were further fell to 98-8 in the 14th over bowled by Shadab. Xavier Bartlett (10) was caught at long-on while Abbott was bowled for nought.

After crawling to the 100 mark in the 15th over, the touring side lost Short, their last resistance, caught at long-off by Babar of the bowling of Abrar.

Matthew Paul Kuhnemann’s catch by Salman in the slip off Usman wrapped up the Australian innings in 15.4 overs giving the hosts a well-earned victory.

Abrar picked up three wickets for 14 in three overs, Shadab claimed three for 26, Usman took 2-16 off 2.4 overs while Saim and Nawaz chipped in with a wicket apiece. Interestingly, except for the first over of the innings delivered by Naseem, rest of the overs were bowled by the spinners.

Earlier, Pakistan’s decision to bat first under slightly foggy conditions proved the right call as man-of-the-match Salman and Usman Khan cracked quickfire half-centuries.

Salman, again batting at number three, registered his highest T20 International score plundering 76 off just 40 balls with the aid of eight fours and four sixes. Wicket-keeper/batter Usman notched a 36-ball 53 laced with four fours and a brace of sixes.

Salman said that a top-class all-round display gave the hosts the victory.

“It has to be a perfect game,” he said after the game. “We batted well and then were outstanding with the ball. Fielding was outstanding.”

On the final match of the series scheduled to be staged at the same venue on Sunday, the Pakistan skipper said, “We want to play in the same way, forget the 2-0 scoreline and come again with the same intensity and go to the World Cup with the same energy.”

Pakistan lost opener Sahibzada Far­han (five) was caught by Inglis while attempting a reverse sweep in the second over of the innings bowled by Kuhnemann.

Fellow opener Saim (23 off 11) and Salman then built a quick 55-run partnership before the former was trapped by Connolly, another slow left-arm orthodox spinner, in the sixth over as Pakistan ended the powerplay at 72-2.

Babar (two) again became an lbw victim of leg-spinner Adam Zampa in the eighth over as Pakistan were now 76-3.

Usman joined Salman and both added 49 runs for the fourth wicket — and in the process Pakistan cruised to 100 mark in 10.3 overs — before the former was caught by Inglis off Abbott in the 13th over.

Usman and Shadab (28 not out off 20, two sixes, one four) added 63 runs in their stand before the wicket-keeper/batter while playing a full-toss ball was caught by Short off Bartlett at deep mid-wicket in the final over.

Bartlett (1-52), Kuhnemann (1-40) and Abbott (1-33, three overs) proved expensive for Australia while Zampa (1-27) and Connolly (1-30) had better figures.

Marsh acknowledged Pakistan played better.

“Pakistan outplayed us,” said Marsh. “Hopefully, we can improve and come back tomorrow. They put us under great pressure in batting; it was probably a 160-170 wicket so they scored a big total.”

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:

Sahibzada Farhan c Inglis b Kuhnemann 5

Saim Ayub lbw Connolly 23

Salman Ali Agha c Inglis b Abbott 76

Babar Azam lbw Zampa 2

Usman Khan c Short b Bartlett 53

Shadab Khan not out 28

Mohammad Nawaz not out 9

EXTRAS (W-2) 2

TOTAL (for five wickets, 20 overs) 198

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-17 (Sahibzada), 2-72 (Saim), 3-76 (Babar), 4-125 (Salman), 5-188 (Usman)

DID NOT BAT: Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Usman Tariq

BOWLING: Bartlett 4-0-52-1 (1w); Kuhnemann

4-0-40-1; Connolly 4-0-30-1; Abbott 3-0-33-1 (1w); Zampa 4-0-27-1; Short 1-0-16-0

AUSTRALIA:

M. Marsh lbw Abrar 18

T. Head b Saim 4

C. Green c Shadab b Usman 35

J. Inglis lbw Abrar 5

M. Renshaw lbw Nawaz 2

C. Connolly b Shadab 1

M. Short c Babar b Abrar 27

X. Bartlett c Babar b Shadab 10

S. Abbott b Shadab 0

M. Kuhnemann c Salman b Usman 2

A. Zampa not out 3

EXTRAS (W-1) 1

TOTAL (all out, 15.4 overs) 108

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-22 (Marsh), 2-22 (Head), 3-29 (Inglis), 4-53 (Renshaw), 5-54 (Connolly), 6-76 (Green), 7-98 (Bartlett), 8-98 (Abbott), 9-104 (Short)

BOWLING: Naseem 1-0-9-0; Saim 3-0-32-1; Abrar 3-0-14-3; Nawaz 2-0-11-1; Shadab 4-0-26-3 (1w); Usman 2.4-0-16-2

RESULT: Pakistan won the match by 90 runs.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Salman Ali Agha

SERIES: Pakistan lead three-match series 2-0.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2026