Pakistan defeat Australia by 22 runs in T20I series opener

Lahore [Pakistan], January 29 (ANI): Pakistan defeated Australia by 22 runs in the first T20I of the three-match series at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. Saim Ayub shone with both bat and ball for the hosts, while captain Salman Agha and Abrar Ahmed also contributed to the team's win in the series opener.
With the win, the Salman Agha-led team take the 1-0 lead.
Batting first, Pakistan scored 168/8 in 20 overs with the help of Ayub's 40-run innings and Agha's 39.
Chasing 169, Australia started the proceedings with an aggressive intent but quickly unravelled against Pakistan's disciplined spin attack. While Travis Head provided a brisk start with 23 off 13 balls, he fell to the spin of Saim Ayub (2/29 in 3 overs), who proved to be a surprise weapon by picking up two early wickets. Cameron Green (36 runs off 31 balls) tried to anchor one end while wickets tumbled around him and the required run rate continued to climb.
The Australian middle order, missing several veteran stars like Tim David and Glenn Maxwell, struggled to cope with Pakistan's spin attack. Abrar Ahmed (2/10 in 4 overs) was the standout performer with the ball, claiming two wickets (Cooper Connolly and Josh Philippe), effectively breaking the back of the Australian chase.
Mohammad Nawaz provided the decisive blow by dismissing Green, leaving the visitors in deep trouble at 96/6 in 12.2 overs. While the Australian tail, led by Xavier Bartlett (34* off 25), tried defiantly, Australia ultimately finished their 20 overs at 146/8, handing Pakistan a comfortable 22-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Earlier, after winning the toss and electing to bat, Pakistan suffered an immediate setback when Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed for a golden duck on the very first ball of the match, giving a simple return catch to Xavier Bartlett (2/26 in 4 overs).
However, Saim Ayub (40 off 22) and captain Salman Ali Agha (39 off 27) quickly seized the momentum, launching a counter-attack that propelled Pakistan to a commanding position in the powerplay. Their 74-run partnership looked set to take the game away from Australia until Adam Zampa (4/24 in 4 overs) turned the tide.
Zampa proved to be the architect of Pakistan's middle-order collapse, removing both set batters and later trapping Babar Azam (24 off 20) lbw to stall the scoring rate.
Despite the early aggression, Pakistan struggled to maintain their rhythm as wickets fell at regular intervals. Fakhar Zaman (10 off 16 balls) and Usman Khan (18 off 14 balls) chipped in with small contributions, but Bartlett and the debutant Mahli Beardman (2/33 in 4 overs) kept the death overs tight.
However, a late cameo from Mohammad Nawaz (15* off 14 balls) eventually pushed the hosts to a total of 168/8, leaving Australia with a target of 169 on a pitch showing signs of turn. (ANI)