Maxwell’s Power Hitting, Pace Trio Lead Australia to Victory in Rain-Shortened T20I

Glenn Maxwell’s explosive 43 and a strong performance from Australia’s pace attack secured a 29-run win over Pakistan in the opening T20I at the Gabba. The rain-shortened match, reduced to seven overs per side, saw Australia set a formidable target of 93/4, which Pakistan struggled to match, finishing at 64/9.

Australia started aggressively after being put to bat, with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short finding early boundaries off Shaheen Afridi. Maxwell then took charge, using inventive reverse scoops to hammer four boundaries off Naseem Shah. Despite a disciplined over from Haris Rauf, Maxwell continued his assault, hitting sixes off both Shaheen and Rauf before falling to Abbas Afridi. Marcus Stoinis finished the innings in style with a six and four in the final over, pushing Australia past 90.

In Pakistan’s chase, Spencer Johnson dismissed Sahibzada Farhan after two quick boundaries, while Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis dismantled the middle order. Ellis’s slower deliveries proved lethal, taking three wickets, including Babar Azam for a duck. Despite some late hits from Abbas Afridi, Pakistan fell well short, giving Australia a 1-0 series lead.

Here’s a summary of the match: