LAHORE: Pakistan delivered a dominant all-round performance to crush Australia by 90 runs in the second Twenty20 International and seal the series with a match to spare on Thursday.
Australia, despite fielding a stronger side, were no match for a near-flawless Pakistan team, suffering their heaviest T20I defeat since 2005 and second-largest overall. It was also Pakistan’s biggest victory over Australia in the format.
Salman Agha led the charge with a resurgent knock of 76 from 40 balls, the best T20I innings of his career, while Usman Khan struck his highest score in the format with a brisk 53 off 36 deliveries as Pakistan piled up 198.
Agha and Saim Ayub set the tone during the powerplay, adding 55 runs in 25 balls as Pakistan raced to 72 in the first six overs, their third-highest powerplay total in T20Is. Adam Zampa briefly slowed the momentum and removed Babar Azam cheaply for the second match in a row, but Australia struggled to contain the scoring.
Xavier Bartlett endured a difficult outing, conceding 52 runs from his four overs, including 14 in the final over, as Pakistan closed in on the 200 mark.
