- Pakistan bag their fourth T20I series win over Australia and first since 2018
Lahore, 31 January 2026: Pakistan romped to a 2-0 series win over Australia with one match game to go on Sunday, as they beat the visitors by 90 runs in the second T20I after posting 198-5 on Saturday evening here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Following half-centuries from Salman Ali Agha and Usman Khan, Pakistan spinners Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Usman Tariq, Mohammad Nawaz and Saim Ayub took all 10 wickets to dismiss Australia for 108 in 15.4 overs. This was also Pakistan’s largest winning margin over Australia in T20Is.
Pakistan have also now won back-to-back three bilateral and one T20I tri-series at home since May 2025.
At the start of Australia's chase, Abrar drew first blood for Pakistan, pinning Mitchell Marsh leg-before on the last ball of the third over, while Saim struck on the next ball to remove Travis Head for the second successive time in the series.
Australia slipped to 54-5 in 7.3 overs and then 76-6 in 10.5 overs as Abrar, Nawaz and Shadab removed Josh Inglis, Matt Renshaw and Cooper Connolly, respectively in a space of three overs to break Australia’s back.
Cameron Green top-scored with 35 off 20 balls hitting one four and two sixes before he fell to Usman. Matthew Short’s 23-ball 27 was the fourth double-digit score in Australia’s innings as they lost four for 10 in 11 balls towards the end leaving 26 balls unused.
For Pakistan, Abrar followed up his first T20I heroics of 2-10 with 3-14 in this game, while Shadab returned figures of 4-0-26-3. Usman picked up two wickets in his 2.4 overs giving away 16 runs. Nawaz and Saim had one wicket each to their name.
Earlier, Pakistan opted to bat first and posted their highest T20I total against Australia as skipper Salman (76, 40b, 8x4s, 4x6s) posted his highest T20I score and Usman struck a 36-ball 53.
Saim (23, 11b, 4x4s) and Salman continued their partnership from where it ended in the first T20I as the duo added 55 runs for the second wicket off just 25 balls.
Following, Sahibzada’s departure in the second over, Saim and Sahibzada together hit seven fours and three sixes to help Pakistan gather 72 runs at the end of Powerplay – their joint third-highest score in T20Is in this phase.
Australia struck back with the wickets of Saim and Babar Azam in a space of nine balls between 5.4 to 7.1 mark as the scorecard read 76-3. Salman brought up his sixth T20I half-century off 25 balls in the eighth over – the second fastest fifty by Pakistan’s T20I captain, besides Mohammad Hafeez’s 23-ball fifty in 2012.
Salman and Usman added 49 runs for the fourth wicket off 34 balls to keep the scorecard ticking for Pakistan before the former fell prey to Sean Abbott in the 13th over.
With Pakistan 125-4 in 13 overs, Shadab and Usman forged the highest partnership of the innings worth 63 off 39 balls to put Pakistan on the route to their second-highest T20I total at the Gaddafi Stadium.
Usman hit four fours and two sixes in his second T20I half-century, which he brought up off 35 balls in the last over. Shadab remained unbeaten for 28 off 20 balls hitting one fours and a pair of sixes.
Pakistan collected 14 runs off the last over to post 198-5 as Mohammad Nawaz (9 not out, 3b, 2x4s) hit two fours following Usman’s departure on the second ball.
For Australia, Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Matthew Kuhnemann and Xavier Bartlett picked up one wicket each.
Scores brief:
Match 2 of 3: Pakistan beat Australia by 90 runs at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Pakistan 198-5, 20 overs (Salman Ali Agha 76, Usman Khan 53, Shadab Khan 28 not out, Saim Ayub 23; Adam Zampa 1-27)
Australia 108 all out, 15.4 overs (Cameron Green 35, Matthew Short 27; Abrar Ahmed 3-14, Shadab Khan 3-26, Usman Tariq 2-16)
Player of the match – Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan)
Series schedule: (All matches at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore)
1st T20I – Pakistan won by 22 runs
2nd T20I – Pakistan won by 90 runs
3rd T20I – Sunday, 1 February – 4pm PKT
