Australia won by 88 runs
PLAYER OF THE MATCH : Travis Head
Batter
Bowler
That's all we have for you tonight. It's a quick turnaround, and until we see you on Thursday, with Pakistan hopefully not looking as clueless, ta ta!!
Aaron Finch | Winning skipper: We felt we needed something around the 300-mark. It was made easier by Travis who got off to a flier. We felt like we needed a spinner based on how dry the square was. We have come here with an open mind to be flexible and select the side. The guys were struggling at the back end to hold the ball. It is easy for the set batters, but it is tough for the new ones coming in. That's something we need to look at when we chase, to cash in when set.
Babar Azam | Losing skipper: We wanted to restrict them to under 300. But we didn't start well in the first ten overs, but we restricted them well in the end. I thought we lost the grip when I got out. It wasn't easy for the new batsmen, but unfortunately I got out and they got the momentum. When your main players aren't available, you have to back the young players. The debutants did well though. We will discuss the mistakes we made and look to not repeat it in the next game.
Travis Head | MoM: Nice to get a look at the top, and to take the opportunity. We thought it would be tough to bowl in the end with the dew and that's why we wanted to get as much as we wanted. It was a different wicket and there were quite a bit of unknowns. Nice win. We needed it.
22:36 Local Time, 17:36 GMT, 23:06 IST: This wasn't much of a contest, and apart from that Babar-Imam stand, this massive 88-run thrashing doesn't come as a surprise. Pakistan really needed at least a couple of big partnerships with another couple of cameos to chase down this score of 314. But Imam was doing it all alone. Babar got in, but couldn't quite step it up and convert. It's the Aussie spinners who've done it for them, with Zampa, Head and Swepson drying out the runs in the middle-overs, and using the dew on offer to good effect to get the ball skidding through. None of the batsmen could get in, and with the asking rate constantly climbing, had no option but to come out swinging. They did, and they perished. Here come the presentations ..
Swepson to Haris Rauf, out Caught by Green!! Charges out, takes it on the full, swings, miscues with the ball flying off the splice, gets it down long-on's throat, and Australia make it 1-0. Haris Rauf c Green b Swepson 7(17) [4s-1]
Swepson to Haris Rauf, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Swepson to Haris Rauf, no run, big heave-ho, sitting, slogging, but the ball goes under
Mitchell Swepson [8.0-0-53-1] is back into the attack
END OF OVER 45
6 Runs
PAK: 225 - 9
0 4 N 0 1 0 0
Zahid Mahmood
0 (3)
Haris Rauf
7 (15)
Nathan Ellis
8-0-36-1
Nathan Ellis to Zahid Mahmood, no run, tight, good length, on middle. Defended again
Nathan Ellis to Zahid Mahmood, no run, back of a length, angling in, defended
Nathan Ellis to Haris Rauf, 1 run, length, around off, skewed slice, to sweeper cover
Nathan Ellis to Haris Rauf, no run, spliced pull, lobbing up tamely in front of mid-on
Nathan Ellis to Haris Rauf, no ball, dangerous beamer this. Ellis's yorker goes wrong, with the ball slipping out of his hand and ending up at shoulder-height, down leg
Nathan Ellis to Haris Rauf, FOUR, belted back down the ground. Rauf reads the slower off-cutter this time, and flat-bats it powerfully back past the bowler
Nathan Ellis to Haris Rauf, no run, good length, on off, solid shuffling defence
END OF OVER 44
2 Runs
PAK: 219 - 9
0 W 0 0 1 Wd 0
Zahid Mahmood
0 (1)
Haris Rauf
2 (10)
Adam Zampa
10-0-38-4
Zampa to Zahid Mahmood, no run, yorker, jammed out, and Zampa's done for the night. 4/38
Zampa to Zahid Mahmood, wide, flat, down leg, well down in fact
Clearly the umpires have forgotten about the new strike changing rule.
Zampa to Haris Rauf, 1 run, a full, wide delivery, squeezed down to long-off