Pak earn biggest T20 win vs Oz
ABUDHABI: Australia’s sensational powerplay batting collapse was like “watching a car crash in slow motion” according to captain Aaron Finch after his side were dismissed for their third-lowest score in T20 cricket on Wednesday. Finch’s side was bundled out for 89 in the first Twenty20 International against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi with Sarfraz Ahmed’s side reducing them to 22 for six in the sixth over.
Pakistan won the game by 66 runs after they earlier posted 155 for eight, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
“That powerplay was horrific. It was carnage. It was like a car crash in slow motion,” Finch told reporters after his side crumbled at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. “Any time you lose five or six wickets in the power play it’s not ideal.”
The tourists’ run chase was only resurrected by bowlers Ashton Agar (19) and Nathan CoulterNile, who scored 34, with the pair helping them avoid their lowest score in T20 International cricket of 79 against England in 2005.
The only other player to get into double figures was the returning Chris Lynn, who scored 14, and opener Finch, who was bowled for a three-ball duck by left-arm spinner Imad Wasim said he accepted a lot of responsibility for the collapse himself.
“I had the responsibility to get us off to a good start and set up the chase,” Finch said. “When you get out in the first over and don’t get the start needed, that’s not good enough.”
Finch said the team would need to consider making some serious changes to their batting technique before the second game of the series in Dubai on Friday. His batting lineup, without the suspended Steve Smith and David Warner, was arguably their strongest available with Finch, D’Arcy Short, Glenn Maxwell and Lynn providing some power hitting at the top of the order. All four were bowled on what turned out to be a particularly benign batting surface. Pakistan 155/8 (B Azam 68*, M Hafeez 39, B Stanlake 3/21, A Tye 3/24) beat Australia 89 in 16.5 overs (N CoulterNile 34, I Wasim 3/20, F Ashraf 2/10)