Maxwell’s power-hitting and Australian pace flatten Pakistan in a rain-shortened T20

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) – Glenn Maxwell’s robust 43 off 19 balls helped Australia thump Pakistan by 29 runs in a rain-shortened first Twenty20 on Thursday.

After a delay of nearly three hours due to lightning and rain, the match was shortened to seven overs per side.

Maxwell powered Australia to 93-4 and Pakistan reached just 64-9 after slumping to 16-5 inside the first 15 balls.

Nathan Ellis (3-9) and Xavier Bartlett (3-13) ran through the top order before no. 8-batsman Abbas Afridi’s unbeaten 20.

“Definitely had a lot of fun out there,” Maxwell said. “We thought we had enough on the board … the bowlers did a fantastic job. There were a few of us who had packed our bags expecting the game to be called off so it was a mad rush to get ready. “

Maxwell followed scores of 0, 16, 0 in the previous one-day international, which was won by Pakistan 2–1 by hitting three sixes and five boundaries. He played some extravagant innings at third man 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) to backward square leg, 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 the top six Pakistani batsmen reached double figures.

Sahibzada Farhan hit Spencer Johnson for two consecutive boundaries from the first two balls he faced before mistimed a pull shot from the fourth ball and struck out at midwicket.

Mohammad Rizwan, in his first match as Pakistan captain, fell to the first ball when he edged Bartlett to point. Usman Khan was caught at 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 snapped his third catch as Irfan Khan also offered a tame catch at deep mid-wicket.

Pakistan were 24-6 in the fourth over when Salman Ali Agha scored just 4 in his debut T20, leading a crisp short Bartlett delivery to Australia’s first-time captain Josh Inglis at run-out.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa bowled Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah off consecutive balls in the last over to complete the run.

“It was difficult to keep things normal in a seven over game,” said Rizwan. “I have to give credit to Maxy, his style worked really well.”

The second T20 is in Sydney on Saturday and the last in Hobart on Monday.

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