Australia brush aside Pakistan in 3rd T20I, bag series 2-0

Australia defeated Pakistan by 10 wickets in the third and final T20I at Perth Stadium, and clinched the three-match series 2-0.

Australian captain Aaron Finch, after winning the toss, had said that he wanted to exploit the moisture in the pitch, and his bowlers couldn't have done it better.

The extra bounce in the wicket, deemed "rock hard" by Waqar Younis, was surely taken advantage of by the hosts who often struggled to even put bat to ball. In fact, towards the end of the innings, tail-enders Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Hasnain combined for an 8-ball sequence when they swung and missed, again and again.

Towards the start, new opener Imam-ul-Haq started confidently, and with him looking good and Babar Azam being in exquisite form of late, a solid foundation was expected.

However, Mitchell Starc removed Babar and Mohammad Rizwan on back-to-back balls in the 3rd over, after which Pakistan batsmen's trouble with bounce began. When that did not happen, they themselves planted catches in the hands of fielders. When they were a bit inaccurate with their offerings, the Aussies dived around and took some blinders.

In the second innings, it seemed that Australia were batting on an altogether different surface.

Aaron Finch and David Warner hardly broke a sweat in dealing with whatever Pakistan's bowling unit hurled at them, much of which was wayward.

Finch scored a 36-ball 52 while Warner contributed a 35-ball 48 as Australia triumphed by 10 wickets and clinched the series with ease.

Teenage pacers Musa and Hasnain were both expensive, with the former leaking 39 runs and the latter 32.

Australia innings 

Musa to Finch, 4 runs

Musa to Warner, 1 run

Musa to Finch, 1 run

Musa to Finch, 0 run

Musa to Finch, 2 runs

Musa to Finch, 1 wide

Aus 100-0 after 11 overs

Hasnain to Finch, 1 run

Hasnain to Warner, 1 run

Hasnain to Finch, 1 run

Hasnain to Warner, 1 run

Hasnain to Warner, 1 wide

Hasnain to Warner, 0 run

Hasnain to Finch, 1 run

Aus 94-0 after 10 overs

Musa to Finch, 1 run

Musa to Warner, 1 run

Musa to Warner, 4 runs

Musa to Warner, 2 runs

Musa to Warner, 0 run

Musa to Finch, 1 run

Aus 85-0 after 9 overs

Hasnain to Finch, 0 run

Hasnain to Finch, 1 run

Hasnain to Finch, 0 run

Hasnain to Finch, 0 run

Hasnain to Finch, 6 runs

Hasnain to Warner, 1 run

Hasnain to Finch, 2 wides

Aus 75-0 after 8 overs 

Wasim to Warner, no run

Wasim to Warner, 2 runs

Wasim to Warner, 6 runs

Wasim to Finch, 2 run

Wasim to Finch, 1 run

Wasim to Warner, 1 run

Aus 63-0 after 7 overs 

Hasnain to Finch, no run

Hasnain to Warner, 1 leg bye

Hasnain to Warner, 2 runs

Hasnain to Warner, 2 runs

Hasnain to Warner, 1 wide

Hasnain to Warner, no run

Hasnain to Finch, 1 run

Aus 56-0 after 6 overs 

Amir to Warner, 4 runs

Amir to Warner, 1 wide

Amir to Warner, 4 runs

Amir to Finch, 1 run,

Amir to Finch, no run

Amir to Warner, 1 run

Aus 45-0 after 5 overs 

Hasnain to Warner, 1 run

Hasnain to Finch, 1 run

Hasnain to Finch, 6 runs

Hasnain to Finch, 2 runs

Hasnain to Finch, no run

Hasnain to Finch, no run

Aus 35-0 after 4 overs 

Musa to Finch, 1 run

 Musa to Finch, 4 runs

Musa to Finch, 6 runs

Musa to Warner, 1 run

Musa to Finch, 1 run

Musa to Finch, no run

Aus 22-0 after 3 overs 

 Amir to Warner, no run

Amir to Warner, no run

Amir to Finch, 1 run

Amir to Finch, 1 wide

Amir to Finch, no run

Amir to Finch, 1 wide

Amir to Warner, 1 run

Amir to Warner, 4 runs

Aus 14-0 after 2 over s

Finch, 4 runs

 Musa to Finch, no run

 Musa to Finch, no run

Musa to Finch, 4 runs

Musa to Finch, no run

Musa to Finch, no run

Aus 6-0 after 1 over 

Amir to Warner, no run

Amir to Warner, no run

 Amir to Warner, no run

Amir to Warner, 6 runs

Amir to Warner, no run

Amir to Warner, no run

Pakistan's woeful innings

Australian captain Aaron Finch chose to field after winning the toss  citing that he wanted to exploit the moisture in the pitch, and his bowlers couldn't have done it better.

The extra bounce in the wicket, deemed "rock hard" by Waqar Younis, was surely taken advantage of by the hosts who often struggled to even put bat to ball. In fact, towards the end of the innings, tail-enders Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Hasnain combined for an 8-ball sequence when they swung and missed, again and again.

Towards the start, new opener Imam-ul-Haq started confidently, and with him looking good and Babar Azam being in exquisite form of late, a solid foundation was expected.

However, Mitchell Starc removed Babar and Mohammad Rizwan on back-to-back balls in the 3rd over, after which Pakistan batsmen's trouble with bounce began. When that did not happen, they themselves planted catches in the hands of fielders. When they were a bit inaccurate with their offerings, the Aussies dived around and took some blinders.

Only Iftikhar Ahmed (37-ball 45) and Imam (14 off 15 balls) reached double figures as Pakistani finished with 106-8.

Pakistan innings 

Pak 106-8 after 20 overs

Abbott to Hasnain, no run

Abbott to Hasnain, no run

Abbott to Amir, 1 run

Abbott to Amir, no run

Abbott to Amir, no run

Abbott to Amir, no run

Pak 105-8 after 19 overs

Richardson to Hasnain, 0 run

Richardson to Hasnain, 0 run

Richardson to Hasnain, 0 run

Richardson to Hasnain, 0 run

Richardson to Hasnain, 0 run

Richardson to Amir, 1 run

Pak 105-8 after 18 overs

Starc to Hasnain, no run

Starc to Hasnain, no run

Starc to Amir, 1 run

Starc to Amir, no run

Starc to Amir, 6 runs

Starc to Amir, no run

Starc to Amir, 1 wide

Pak 96-8 after 17 overs

Richardson to Hasnain, 4 runs

Richardson to Shadab, caught

Richardson to Shadab, no run

Richardson to Shadab, no run

Richardson to Shadab, no run

Richardson to Iftikhar, caught

Pak 92-6 after 16 overs

Stanlake to Shadab, no run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 1 run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, no run,

Stanlake to Shadab, 1 run

Stanlake to Shadab, no run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 1 run,

Pak 89-6 after 15 overs

Abbott to Shadab, no run

Abbott to Iftikhar, 1 run

Abbott to Iftikhar, no run

Abbott to Imad, OUT

Abbott to Iftikhar, 1 run

Abbott to Imad, 1 run

Pak 86-5 after 14 overs

Agar to Imad, 1 run

Agar to Iftikhar, 1 run

Agar to Imad, 1 run

Agar to Imad, 2 runs

Agar to Iftikhar, 1 run

Agar to Imad, 1 run

Pak 79-5 after 13 overs

Richardson to Iftikhar, 4 runs

Richardson to Iftikhar, no run

Richardson to Iftikhar, 2 runs

Richardson to Iftikhar, no run

Richardson to Iftikhar, 4 runs

Richardson to Khushdil, OUT

Pak 69-4 after 12 overs

Agar to Khushdil Shah, 1 run

Agar to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 run

Agar to Khushdil Shah, 1 run

Agar to Khushdil Shah, 2 runs

Agar to Khushdil Shah, no run

Agar to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 run

Pak 63-4 after 11 overs

Stanlake to Khushdil, no run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 1 run

Stanlake to Khushdil, 1 run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 1 run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, no run

Stanlake to Khushdil, 1 leg bye

Pak 59-4 after 10 overs 

Agar to Khushdil, 1 run

Agar to Iftikhar , no run

Agar to Khushdil, 1 run

Agar to Iftikhar, 1 run

Agar to Khushdil, 1 run

Agar to Haris, OUT

Pak 54-3 after  9 overs 

Stanlake to Haris, 1 run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 1 run

Stanlake to Haris, 1 run

Stanlake to Haris, 1 wide

Stanlake to Haris, no run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 1 run

Stanlake to Haris, 1 run

Pak 48-3 after 8 overs

Agar to Iftikhar, no run

Agar to Haris, 1 run

Agar to Iftikhar, 1 run

Agar to Iftikhar, 2 runs

Agar to Haris, 1 run

Agar to Haris, 2 runs

Pak 41-3 after 7 overs

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 0 run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 0 run

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 4 runs

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 2 runs

Stanlake to Iftikhar, 0 run

Stanlake to Haris, 1 run

Pak 34-3 after 6 overs

Starc to Iftikhar, 4 runs

Starc to Iftikhar, 0 run

Starc to Iftikhar, 0 run

Starc to Iftikhar, 4 runs

Starc to Iftikhar, 4 runs

Starc to Iftikhar, 0 run

Pak 22-3 after 5 overs

Abbott to Haris, 0 run

Abbott to Haris, 0 run

Abbott to Haris, 0 run

Abbott to Imam,  caught

Abbott to Imam, 4 run

Abbott to Imam, 0 run

Pak 18-2 after 4 overs

Richardson to Haris, 0 run

Richardson to Imam, 1 run

Richardson to Imam, 0 run

Richardson to Imam, 2 run

Richardson to Imam, 0 run

Richardson to Imam, 0 run

Pak 15-2 after 3 overs

Starc to Haris, o run

Starc to Haris, o run

Starc to Haris, o run

Starc to Rizwan, OUT bowled

Starc to Babar, OUT lbw

Starc to Babar, 4 runs

Starc to Babar, 1w

Starc to Babar, 1w

Pak 9-0 after 2 overs

Abbott to Imam, 4 runs

Abbott to Imam, 0 run

Abbott to Imam, 0 run

Abbott to Babar, 1 run

Abbott to Babar, 0 run

Abbott to Imam, 1 run

Pak 3-0 after 1 over

Starc to Imam, 1 run

Starc to Imam, 0 run

Starc to Babar, 1 run

Starc to Babar, 0 run

Starc to Babar, 0 run

Starc to Imam, 1 run

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The Aussies currently lead the series with 1-0 , much credited to star batsman Steve Smith's  heroics where he smashed 79 runs  to seal victory on Tuesday. 

The opening match of the series saw heavy showers which washed out the match and possibly saved the tourists from going down for 1-0.

Captain comments: 

Babar says batting first would not have been his choice, had he won the toss.

If we'd won the toss we would have bowled first. We have two debutants. We want them to play and have a chance on this wicket and the wicket is good for bowling. — Babar Azam

Finch says his decision reflects the moisture in the pitch which he wants to exploit.

There's a little bit of moisture in the wicket so hopefully we can get the brand new ball to move around a bit and chase it down later on. There's some stats that support that as well. We've just gone with the one spinner on this wicket. We think the extra spinner will be valuable. — Aaron Finch

Playing XI:

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Musa

Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch(c), Steven Smith, Ben McDermott, Ashton Turner, Alex Carey(w), Ashton Agar, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake

With additional reporting by Sohail Imran