Australia vs Pakistan 1st T20I, Highlights: AUS beat PAK by 29 runs to take 1-0 lead in Brisbane

The game is done here and the result is pretty much there for everyone to see. It is not like Australia has bombasted them it is just Pakistan batters have fallen right into the trap of Australian seam bowlers.

More than anything Pakistan needed someone with power in their line up who can score a 10-ball 30-35 runs. And seems like they don't have one and neither did Babar and Rizwan tried to be smart with their shot selection like Maxwell in the first innings who adapted perfectly to conditions.

Another one down it was Agha Salman trying to play a shot on the leg-side gets caught by the keeper. It now seems like Pakistan might even get bowled out in the remainder of the overs here. 

Pakistan trying to hit everything into orbit has now lost half their side. It has been poor shot selection and there doesn't seem to be any plan on how they are looking to go about these runs here. Three overs into the innings it already seems like the result has been decided.

Usman Khan trying to up the ante too departed. Bartlett floated one up there which Usman tried to carve through off-side and gets caught at third-man. As we update Babar Azam tried to whack one gets caught on the leg-side and lose fourth wicket now.

Spencer Johnson dug a short one and Farahan pulled one and got the top edge caught at mid-wicket. This is the start Australia needed.  As we update Bartlett picks up Mohammad Rizwan. Pakistan lose two wickets in quick succession.

Both the Pakistan openers in the middle it is not going to be easy for Pakistan players but it is not something they cannot chase. Spencer Johnson with the new ball for Australia.

That's the end of the innings. Australia got to 93 in the end. A good innings from Maxwell and a decent cameo from Marcus Stoinins. If not for Abbas Afridi's over in the middle which broke the momentum of sorts Australia have gone past the 100-run mark.

That is a terrific over from Abbas Afridi. He came up with a plan to bowl slow and into the wicket and has reaped rewards. First it was Glenn Maxwell and then David tried to get hold of one as well but was holed out at long on fielder.

This is turning into a carnage from Maxwell. However, as we update the Big Show departs. Once again it is the short ball which does the trick. A good short one from Abbas which Maxwell pulled and hoped however, was caught at deep square leg. Entertaining innings come to end.

This has been a lovely little cameo from Glenn Maxwell. He is mainly playing behind the wicket making use of the bounce in the surface. Pakistan needs to come up with a solution here. They might try to slip in a few yorkers to counter that.

Short one from Haris Rauf which Short tried to pull and was caught at square-leg. Another one down for Australia. Tim David has walked into the middle. Though it might be a shortened game there will be plenty of action in it. 

Glenn Maxwell has walked into the middle and he has made his intentions clear already. He smacked Naseem Shah for boundaries all around the dial. Tremendous wrist work from the Australian number three. 

We are done with the first over and Australia has got 16 runs of it. Shaheen Shah Afridi tried to pitch the ball initially however, when realised there was not much of a swing pulled his length back which McGurk and Short enjoyed. As we update McGurk departs.

Pakistan cricket team

We have some good news the game is about to start and it is going to be seven overs per side.

Australia suffered a humiliating defeat against Pakistan in the third ODI, losing by a wide margin. This series loss marked Pakistan's first ODI series win in Australia in 22 years. A notable aspect of the series was the failure of Australian batters, none of whom managed to score a half-century. Former Australian cricketer Michael Hussey attributed this poor performance to the modern-day trend of aggressive batting, which can lead to failures against quality bowling attacks. He emphasized the importance of building innings gradually and converting starts into substantial scores in the 50-over format. (Read more)

Pakistan, under the captaincy of Mohammad Rizwan, achieved a historic ODI series win in Australia, breaking a 22-year drought. The decisive third ODI saw a dominant performance from Pakistan's bowlers, who restricted Australia to a low total. The Pakistani batsmen then comfortably chased down the target. Rizwan, while acknowledging the significance of the win, emphasized his role as a captain, stating that he primarily focuses on the ceremonial aspects and relies on the team's collective decision-making on the field. (Read more)

George Bailey, the Australian chief selector, has defended the selection of Nathan McSweeney for the opening Test against India, despite concerns raised by former players like Ed Cowan. Bailey acknowledges that McSweeney's experience as an opener is limited, but he believes in the player's ability to succeed at the Test level. He emphasizes that selecting a cricket team involves more than just looking at statistics and that the selectors have considered various factors in making their decision. (Read more)

Nathan Lyon, the Australian off-spinner, achieved his 300th Test wicket during the infamous ball-tampering scandal in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, six years ago. This milestone was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the Australian team's unethical behavior (Read more)

Former Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Hafeez criticized India's decision to not tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025, citing security concerns. He questioned the validity of these concerns, highlighting Pakistan's successful hosting of other international cricket teams. Hafeez expressed disappointment and called for a strong response from the Pakistani government and cricket board. (Read more)

The Indian cricket board, BCCI, has refused to tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. They have requested that India's matches be shifted to a neutral venue like Dubai. However, the Pakistan government has instructed their cricket board to not agree to this demand. This has created a tense situation for the International Cricket Council (ICC), who are responsible for organizing the tournament. (Read more)

Mark Waugh, a former Australian cricketer, believes that One-Day International (ODI) cricket is on the decline. He predicts that the format will eventually be phased out, except for major tournaments like the World Cup and Champions Trophy. The reason behind this prediction is the increasing popularity of T20 cricket and the packed international cricket calendar. (Read more)

Phillip Hughes, a promising Australian cricketer, was tragically killed in 2014 after being hit by a bouncer. It has recently been revealed that he was about to be recalled to the Australian Test team before the fatal incident. This news adds a layer of sadness to the already tragic story, highlighting the cruel nature of fate. (Read more)

“KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav are all welcome. All the players who will come, we will welcome them. This is not our decision, this is PCB’s decision,” “Whatever decision will take place, hopefully, they will all discuss and take the right call. But we are hopeful that if the Indian players will come, we will welcome them,” 

Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Jahandad Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis (c and wicketkeeper), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis

Toss has been delayed due to rain in Brisbane. But do stay with us for further updates meanwhile do read lovely articles from our writers

Australia Squad: Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis(w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Josh Philippe, Spencer Johnson

Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Babar Azam, Arafat Minhas, Omair Yousuf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Usman Khan, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Sahibzada Farhan, Abbas Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem

Hello and welcome to our live blog of Australia taking on Pakistan in the first T20I. Pakistan will be high on confidence after their win in the ODI series however, the T20I is a different kettle of fish altogether and something with which Pakistan has been struggling in recent times. But whatever may be the case it is going to be a cracking contest do stay with us for all the action.