Glenn Maxwell’s robust 19-ball 43 helped Australia beat Pakistan by 29 runs in a rain-shortened first Twenty20 on Thursday.
After a delay of almost three hours due to lightning and rain, the match was reduced to seven overs a side.
Maxwell powered Australia to 93-4 and Pakistan reached just 64-9 after falling to 16-5 inside the first 15 balls.
Nathan Ellis (3-9) and Xavier Bartlett (3-13) took first place before No. 8 batsman Abbas Afridi’s unbeaten 20.
“I certainly had a lot of fun,” Maxwell said. ‘We thought we had enough on the board…the players did a great job. Some of us had packed our bags expecting the game to be cancelled, so we were in a big rush to get ready.
Australia’s Glenn Maxwell bats during the T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Marcus Stoinis bats during the T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Australia’s Xavier Bartlett, right, is congratulated by teammate Marcus Stoinis, left, after dismissing Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan during the T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, on Thursday, November 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Maxwell followed up scores of 0, 16, 0 in the previous one-day international series won by Pakistan 2-1 by hitting three sixes and five boundaries. He played some quirky third-man return shots against the pace of Haris Rauf (1-21) and Naseem Shah (1-37).
Maxwell fell in the penultimate over when he hooked Abbas Afridi (2-9) at backward square, but Marcus Stoinis provided a final flourish with an unbeaten 21 off seven balls. Stoinis smashed 20 runs in Shah’s last over with two fours and a six.
None of Pakistan’s top six batsmen reached double figures.
Sahibzada Farhan hit Spencer Johnson for two successive boundaries off the first two balls he faced before misjudging a shot off the fourth ball and holing out at mid-wicket.
Mohammad Rizwan, in his first match as Pakistan captain, fell to the first ball as he beat Bartlett to score. Usman Khan was caught by third man in the same over.
Ellis struck twice in his first over as Babar Azam was caught in the deep and Jake Fraser-McGurk took his third catch as Irfan Khan also offered a tame catch at deep mid-on.
Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Usman Khan, left, celebrate the dismissal of Australia’s Matt Short during the T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo /Tertius Pickard)
Glenn Maxwell of Australia bats during the T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Pakistan’s Abbas Afridi celebrates with teammate Mohammad Rizwan, right, after dismissing Australia’s Glenn Maxwell during the T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, November 14, 2024 (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Pakistan’s Usman Khan bats during the T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Australia’s Adam Zampa, right, celebrates with his teammates after defeating Pakistan during the T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (Photo AP/Tertius Pickard)
Pakistan were 24-6 in the fourth over when Salman Ali Agha scored just 4 on his T20 debut, guiding a short, sharp delivery from Bartlett to Australia’s rookie captain Josh Inglis into the run.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa cleanly bowled Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah with successive balls in the last over to complete the rout.
“It was difficult to keep things normal in a seven-over game,” Rizwan said. “I have to give credit to Maxy, his style worked very well.”
The second T20 is in Sydney on Saturday and the final one in Hobart on Monday.