Brisbane: Veteran batter Glenn Maxwell returned to form before quicks Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis claimed three wickets apiece as Australia downed Pakistan by 29 runs in a truncated T20I series-opener in Brisbane on Thursday.
The match was reduced to a contest with seven overs per side after a delayed start due to heavy rain and lightning.
After Maxwell’s blistering 43 off 19 balls powered a shorthanded Australia to an imposing 93-4, Pakistan’s batting-order crumbled under lights to finish well short on 64-9.
Ellis and Bartlett, who both enjoyed successful comebacks to the side after recent injuries, led an aggressive attack.
It was a resounding performance from an Australia side missing several top players, who are preparing for the upcoming Test series against India.
“We almost had our bags packed because we thought we wouldn’t get a game in,” Maxwell said. “We certainly had a lot of fun out there.”
The series shifts to the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday before the finale in Hobart on Monday.
“It’s difficult to keep things normal in this type of match because it went very fast,” Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said.
Under the revised playing conditions, bowlers were not allowed to bowl more than two overs each in a match that started more than two hours after schedule due to thunderstorms that have lashed Brisbane in recent days.
Pakistan had been buoyed after a surprising recent 2-1 ODI series victory ended a 22-year drought against the Australians in Australia. Agencies
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