AUS vs PAK | Aaron Hardie’s three-fer and Marcus Stoinis’ run carnage demolish Pakistan as Australia clean sweep the series

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

Today at 4:44 PM

Australia defeated Pakistan by seven wickets to complete a 3-0 series clean sweep at Hobart. Babar Azam top-scored for Pakistan with 41 off 28, but Aaron Hardie's three-wicket haul restricted them to just 117 runs while Marcus Stoinis’ 61 off 27 guided Australia to a series win.

‌An overcast evening in Hobart hosted the dead rubber third and final T20I between Australia and Pakistan. With Mohammed Rizwan rested, Salman Agha captained Pakistan and won the toss, opting to bat first. Babar Azam and Sahibzada Farhan opened the innings, but Farhan was dismissed early by Spencer Johnson. Despite the setback, Babar and Haseebullah Khan scored 58/1 at the end of the powerplay, before Khan fell to Adam Zampa in the seventh over. Usman Khan continued his poor form, dismissed by Aaron Hardie, and skipper Salman made just one run before departing. Zampa ended Babar's promising knock of 41, and the wickets continued to fall, with Irfan Khan run out in the 14th over and Abbas Afridi dismissed by Hardie. Shaheen Afridi and Jahandad Khan added a brief 24-run stand, but Pakistan was ultimately all out for 117, as the Australian bowlers dominated with precision.

In response, Australia got off to a strong start, with openers Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short taking the score to 16/0 in two overs. However, Shaheen Afridi struck in the third over, dismissing Short, and debutant Jahandad Khan followed up by removing Fraser-McGurk, leaving Australia at 31/2 after four overs. Marcus Stoinis and Josh Inglis then launched a counterattack, racing the score to 79/2 at the end of the ninth over, with just 33 needed off 61 balls. Thereafter, Abbas broke the 55-run partnership by dismissing Stoinis in the 10th over, but Stoinis had already played a crucial knock of 61 off 27 balls, and he saw Australia home with the winning runs, leading them to a seven-wicket victory.

Hope

Let's hope this is the end of Shaheen’s T20 spell for Pakistan...this isn't his format anymore... Keep playing PSL or whatever league he wants to play but make way for some young player FFS
— Lost Duck ( in her sad era) (@duck_tutoo56)

Big loss

Pakistan Lost series to Australia 😭
— @Ruud_786 (@Ruud_786)

Whitewashed

Pakistan lost and whitewashed in the T20 series against Australia. What a poor performance in the T20 series.
— Honey Bunny (@hooneybunnny)

Exposed

Pakistan T20 team totally exposed..

Shameful, embarrassing, humiliated for this team of T20 Series lost.
— Abdullah Mangat (@chabdullah_2000)

One more

ONE MORE CLEAN SWEEP FOR PAKISTAN TEAM

First Bangladesh 2-0

Second Australia Z 3-0

Where is captain? They lost his looser captain in 3rd T20i
— Speed Sports (@speed_sports_IN)

Shoutout

Shoutout to Pakistan and Stoinis. Shortened the march by over an hour so people don't have to waste too much of their monday.
— 🏏 (@2sinto3s)

Yup

Marcus Stoinis 64 on 27 balls. Iss pr Aus mein koi edits banye ga kia? 🫠
— Noshe 🇵🇰 (@aquariansoul110)

Noice

Babar scored three 4s against stoinis

Stoinis scored 6,,4,6 6 against our paar kata ,dum chhila langra pacers.

Retirement lely cheeni
— Lost Duck ( in her sad era) (@duck_tutoo56)

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