Five-star Johnson helps hosts Australia win T20 series with Pakistan – Sports

Australian seamer Spencer Johnson claimed a maiden five-wicket haul in international cricket as the hosts beat Pakistan by 13 runs in the second T20 International on Saturday to win the three-match series 2-0.

Chasing 148 to win, Pakistan got off to a sluggish start and trailed 44-4 at one stage after losing Mohammad Rizwan for 16 and Salman Agha for a first ball as Johnson tore through the top order with three wickets.

Usman Khan hit his maiden half-century after being dropped by Matthew Short but fell for a defiant 52 as Johnson struck again in his final spell.

Johnson then removed Abbas Afridi for four to finish with 5-26 before Irfan Khan launched another counter-attack with an unbeaten 37. However, he could not take the tourists over the line despite only 16 being required from the last over.

Pakistan were dismissed for 134 when Haris Rauf was run out.

Pakistan had recovered from an early onslaught from Australia’s opening batsmen to restrict the hosts to 147-9 despite several dropped catches as Rauf claimed 4-22 and Abbas Afridi 3-17.

Jake Fraser-McGurk and Short hit five boundaries and three sixes between them in the first 15 balls of the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground as Australia reached 50 runs in just 3.1 overs after electing to bat first.

Pakistan hit back through Rauf, who had Fraser-McGurk caught for 20 while attempting a cross and then got rid of skipper Josh Inglis for a duck two deliveries later thanks to a diving catch by Sufiyan Muqeem.

Short missed a slower one from Abbas Afridi to fall for 32 and Marcus Stoinis was dismissed by Muqeem for 14 after he had survived twice due to some sloppy catching by Salman Agha and Shaheen Afridi.

Glenn Maxwell shook off a top edge that rattled his helmet grill and appeared to accelerate, but he struck out to Muqeem for 21 to leave Australia in little trouble at 95-5.

Another dropped catch, this time by Babar Azam, gave the dangerous Tim David a lifeline and he drove Rauf for two fours in the 15th over before becoming the seamer’s third victim.

Rauf then bowled Xavier Bartlett for his 107th T20I wicket to join Shadab Khan at the top of Pakistan’s all-time list.

Opting to bat first in front of a large crowd, Australia scored 21 runs in the opener off Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Pakistan won the previous one-day international 2-1 before a 29-run defeat in the rain-shortened T20 series opener.

The third and final match takes place in Hobart on Monday.