Australia vs Pakistan Scorecard for 2nd T20I: AUS win 2nd T20I by 13 runs to seal series

This is now the joint third lowest target successfully defended by Australia:

#1: 128 vs PAK, Melbourne, 2010

#2: 142 vs BAN, Bridgetown, 2010

#3: 148 vs ENG, Melbourne, 2011

#3: 148 vs PAK, Sydney, 2024

So Spencer Johnson has five wickets off his quota of overs with just 26 runs conceded! 

His victims today include Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Usman Khan and Abbas Afridi.

A run out on the 4th ball off the final over as Irfan and Rauf try to go for a second run. It was never on and there's a run out.

Australia have won the second T20I by 13 runs. AUSTRALIA SEAL THE THREE-MATCH T20I SERIES 2-0.

Pakistan need 16 off final over with 1 wicket in hand. Irfan is the man in the middle who has to take Pakistan home.  Ellis has the ball. 

Run out!! Oh dear! What terrible timing to lose your 9th wicket that too to a run out when there was no run. 

The ball went to fine leg where the fielder grabbed it on one bounce and threw a perfect return right over stumps. The keeper has to make minimal effort to whip off the bails. What was Sufiyan thinking there. He started running when the fielder already had the ball in control and was shaping up to throw it back! 

Sufiyan Muqeem run out (Short/†Inglis) 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0

Nathan Ellis comes in to bowl with Pakistan needing 41 runs off 18 balls. Pakistan are down to 8 wickets. 

The next three balls of Ellis' over see Pakistan scoring 16 runs: WIDE | WIDE | FOUR | FOUR | SIX

What a blitz from Irfan Khan and what a moment too to start batting out of his skin. He was on 15 runs from 15 balls. Then got to 29 off 18! Those three balls later, Pakistan need just 25 runs off 15 balls. 

But Ellis manages to haul back the freeflow of runs. And there is just one more run in the final three balls of that over. 

Australia have another wicket as they start to turn on the screws. Pakistan are 107/7. Zampa lures Shaheen Afridi to try and hit the ball out the park. He takes the bait and misses the ball completely because of its pace, which is slightly faster. The bails fly, and Shaheen has to walk back.  

Shaheen Shah Afridi b Zampa 0 (4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0

Spencer Johnson has a five-wicket haul! This is his first five-wicket haul in the T20 format at ANY LEVEL! 

He gets his second wicket of the over after getting the in-form Usman Khan's wicket. Abbas Afridi departs as well. Can just score four runs in the two balls he faced.

And Pakistan are 106/6. Still 42 runs off 26 balls. 

Australia have the big breakthrough! Right after Usman Khan got to his 50 and Pakistan got to the 100-run mark, Usman loses his wicket! Spencer Johnson has another wicket, as he manages to get the batter to slice the ball into the hands of Xavier Bartlett at short fine leg. 

Pakistan are 102/5 | Usman Khan c Bartlett b Johnson 52 (38b 4x4 1x6) SR: 136.84

What an innings from Usman Khan, who gets to his 50-run milestone off 35 balls. He came in with Pakistan in dire straits and then managed to make this into a competitive game. 

Pakistan need 47 runs off the final five overs. 

Usman Khan gets a life. He tried to hook the ball and did not make contact with the middle of the bat. The ball flies into the air and Matthew Short gets to the ball, but he's completely misjudged the ball. The balls hits both his palms and sneaks out from the gap in his palms to go to the boundary ropes.

NINE RUNS COMING OFF 14TH OVER!!! 

Pakistan need 59 off the final six overs. Just under 10 runs needed per over. 

The ball is hit straight at Zampa by Irfan Khan and he cannot hang on. The Pakistan batters take a run. And on the next ball, Usman Khan, coems down the track to hit an inside out shot that goes over cover boundary for a maximum.

Pakistan manage to get 12 runs in that over. They need 68 from 42 balls.

Usman Khan is now starting to take on the Australian bowling. He's the only batter in the Pakistan innings so far to have their strike rate over 100 today. He's batting on 33 off 26 balls and right after he slaps two balls to the boundary in the first three balls, he picks up a blow to his finger. Minimal medical attention needed for that. 

A rare good over for Pakistan. 13 runs coming off it.  

After 12 overs, Pakistan are 68/4 | PAK need 80 runs from 48 balls

Spencer Johnson is on a hat-trick!! Two wickets in two balls.

Salman Agha, Pakistan vice captain, joins the Pakistan captain Rizwan into the hut off two successive balls. He's edges the ball, which is taken easily by Inglis behind the stumps.

Pakistan are 44/4 

Pakistan captain departs! The asking rate was climbing rapidly and he needed to accelerate. He hit a boundary off the first ball of Spencer Johnson's comeback over. And then tried to hit another boundary! But he only manages to scoop the ball in to the hands of Tim David, who runs in and takes a catch. 

Mohammad Rizwan c David b Johnson 16 (26b 1x4 0x6) SR: 61.53

PAKISTAN are 44/3

And just like Zampa before him, Nathan Ellis gives away just three runs in his first over. Very economical. The asking rate is now officially over nine runs per over. 

Rizwan has batted for 22 balls for his 11 runs. Pakistan need one of the batters to take on the bowling or this gets more and more difficult. 

After 8 overs, Pakistan are 36/2 | PAK need 112 runs from 72 balls

Adam Zampa, sporting a new haircut, is into hte attack and he goes through that one with blistering pace. Just three runs! 

After 7 overs, Pakistan are 33/2 | PAK need 115 runs from 78 balls

Rizwan tried to slap a rising ball into his body and missed the trajectory completely. The ball sucker punches him in the gut and it seems to have stung. 

Xavier Bartlett started the attack for Australia today with a wayward wide which flew to the boundary. But now he's managed to rein in the waywardness and he's given away just three runs in that over. 

At the end of the powerplay, Pakistan are 30/2 | PAK need 118 runs from 84 balls

Mohammad Rizwan 9 (17 balls) | Usman Khan 6 (6 balls)

Australia introduce Stoinis into the attack and he delivers another frugal over. Just six runs off it. And the Australians have managed to do really well in the Power Play so far.

After 5 overs, Pakistan are 27/2 | PAK need 121 runs from 90 balls

Mohammad Rizwan 8 (13b) | Usman Khan 4 (4b)

What an excellent over from Xavier Bartlett. Just the one run off the final ball. And he managed to induce an edge off Rizwan, but the ball just fell short of the fielder on first slip! 

After four overs, Pakistan are 21/2 | PAK need 127 runs from 96 balls

Mohammad Rizwan 4 (10b) | Usman Khan 2 (1b)

Spencer Johnson gets his first wicket as Sahibzada Farhan slaps the ball straight at the midwicket fielder. Farhan departs for five runs! 

And Pakistan are down two wickets!

Pakistan slump to 17/2

Sahibzada Farhan c Bartlett b Johnson 5 (10b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50

What a breakthrough for Australia! Off the first ball of the second over! Pakistan talisman Babar Azam departs for three runs off three balls as Xavier Bartlett gives the team a wicket. 

The ball was on the pads, and Babar flicks the ball. The ball goes high but does not have the wings to fly over the ropes and Babar has to walk back to the hut.

Pakistan are 12/1

Wild swing on the first ball from Spencer Johnson as the ball goes past Josh Inglis to the boundary and Pakistan get off the mark with five runs off a wide ball. One good ball to Rizwan later, Spencer Johnson bowls another wide, this time on the other side of the bat. And it's so wide that the keeper misses it and it's only preveneted from heading to the boundary by the first-clip fielder, who catches it!

Some bite in the ball in the first over. But the Pakistan batters did not seem too bothered in that first over at least. 

After one over, Pakistan are 12/0. 

Mohammad Rizwan 3 (4b) | Babar Azam 3 (2b)

And it's Babar and Rizwan taking the crease for Pakistan while we have Johnson with the ball for Australia. 

After Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi's profligacy handed Australia a superb start, Haris Rauf's manic speeds and Abbas Afridi's subtle variations proved crucial in plugging the gaps. Australia went from 52 for no loss in 3.1 overs to 147 for 9 in 20 - a tremendous dip to help Pakistan make a comeback despite a horde of catches going down within the circle.

WICKET! A second for Abbas as he bumps out Hardie with a well-directed short ball. Easy take for Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps. Make it 2 in 2! Spencer Johnson falls for a golden duck and Abbas can mop up the innings with a hat-trick here. Zampa gets off with a bye as Australia finish on 147/9 after cruising at 52/0 in 3.1 at one point.

Aaron Hardie c †Mohammad Rizwan b Abbas Afridi 28 (23b 1x4 1x6); Spencer Johnson c Sahibzada Farhan b Abbas Afridi 0 (1b)

WICKET! Rauf has his fourth as Bartlett drags one back to the stumps. He's been nearly unplayable tonight at SCG. He bowls out with figures of 4-0-22-4!

Xavier Bartlett b Haris Rauf 5 (9b 1x4)

Another dropped catch! That's probably the fourth of this evening as Tim David drags Haris Rauf straight to Babar Azam at mid-wicket. A silly drop and that's "inexcusable" says David Warner on commentary. Rizwan and the bowler cannot believe it. Rauf stirs up another chance as David offers a leading-edge with a wild swipe. 

100 comes up for Australia in the 14th over. There's plenty of time left in this innings and the Aussies are left to play watchfully to see off the remaining overs. David and Hardie negotiate Sufiyan with a diet of singles. 

Big wicket for Sufiyan! Glenn Maxwell miscues the slog over mid-wicket and finds the man in the deep. Pakistan continue to surge with their tremendous recovery as Australia are five down now. Aaron Hardie walks in.

Glenn Maxwell c Sahibzada Farhan b Sufiyan Muqeem 21 (20b 2x4)

Sufiyan strikes! Stoinis nearly plays out the perfect reverse slog-sweep but ends up straight down deep cover's throat. An erratic innings comes to an end as Australia lose four wickets. 

Marcus Stoinis c Abbas Afridi b Sufiyan Muqeem 14 (15b 1x4)

Naseem Shah returns. 

He pitches the ball up and Maxwell leans into a sumptuous cover drive for FOUR. A string of singles to follow and Naseem pulls his length back. Stoinis drags the ball through square-leg and a sloppy effort from Rauf in the deep ends up conceding another FOUR.

Third dropped chance of the innings and Stoinis gets another lifeline. Sufiyan Muqeem rolls in a slower ball and Stoinis attempts a reverse-slap that falls off Shaheen's grasp at short-third. Sufiyan floats the ball up and Maxwell pumps it through cover for FOUR. 

AUS 71/3 in 8 overs

Abbas rolls in a slew of variations to keep Glenn Maxwell on his toes. He fails to pick up the slower deliveries as Abbas delivers a fine over. Only three runs from it.

AUS 64/3 in 7 overs

Haris Rauf sets up Stoinis with an angled-in delivery that rises sharply past the waist. The ball clips a gentle outside-edge and lobs to Salman Agha at first slip and he puts down a dolly! Nobody on the field can believe it as Salman shows a wry smile. Seething pace from Rauf as he squares up Stoinis for a leading-edge and follows up with another to the pads. Rauf is desperate to get a review from his captain who denies a call. Superb fast bowling there. 

Abbas Afridi sends a bumper onto the helmet and there's a delay in play as Short gets checked by the physios. Back and ready and OUT! Abbas skids the ball up front and runs it past Short's tepid swing to knock the stumps. Three dow now, Australia!

AUS 56/3 in 5 overs

Sharp bumper from Haris Rauf and Fraser-McGurk attempts a rash hack over the off-side but finds Salman Agha running backwards from cover taking a fine catch. Once again it's Rauf that makes a difference for Pakistan.

Successive wickets for Rauf as he removes captain Josh Inglis for a duck. Subtle change of pace again and Inglis offers a leading edge towards cover. Pakistan have struck right back.

Jake Fraser-McGurk c Agha Salman b Haris Rauf 20 (9b 3x4 1x6); Josh Inglis c Sufiyan Muqeem b Haris Rauf 0 (2b)

Australia record their fastest team 50 in T20Is in only 19 balls. Haris Rauf enters the attack and concedes two runs to Short off the first delivery to bring up the milestone. 

Shaheen lands in the slot and Short pumps it for SIX! Short ball and Short follows up with a handsome pull over mid-wicket for FOUR. Shaheen now comes around the stumps for a change of angle. Subtle variations in pace and Shaheen walks away with an 11-run over.

AUS 48/0 in 3 overs

Jake Fraser-McGurk is back and how! After Matt Short clips Shaheen Afridi for three runs off the first ball of the opening short, Fraser-McGurk creams him for 4, 4, 4, 6 in a 23-run over! Short follows up by clearing the longest fence off Naseem Shah for a six in a 14-run second over.

AUS 37/0 in 2 overs

Australia have won the toss and opted to bat first in the second T20I at the Gabba!