A hamstring injury to Glenn Maxwell cast a shadow over an otherwise triumphant evening as Marcus Stoinis propelled Australia to a resounding seven-wicket victory against Pakistan, securing a clean sweep in their three-game Twenty20 series. Maxwell, the versatile all-rounder, hobbled off the field during Monday night's match in Hobart, suffering from a suspected low-grade injury sustained while fielding. He was spared the need to bat and will have nearly a month to recuperate before the Melbourne Stars' Big Bash League season opener against Perth on December 15.
After losing the toss, Australia swiftly dismantled Pakistan's batting lineup, restricting them to 117 runs before the penultimate over. The chase was comfortably completed with more than eight overs to spare. Stoinis initially struggled to find his rhythm but eventually unleashed a barrage of five fours and five sixes, one of which soared to the roof of the members stand at Ninja Stadium, culminating in an unbeaten 61 off just 27 balls. This marked Australia's first-ever clean sweep in a T20 series against Pakistan.
Earlier in the match, Aaron Hardie delivered the best white ball figures of his career, taking three for 21, while Adam Zampa's economical two for 11 decimated Pakistan's middle order. The tourists, who had opted to rest captain and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan along with fast bowler Naseem Shah, made a promising start, reaching 61 for one in the seventh over. However, a catastrophic collapse in the middle overs swiftly followed.
Babar Azam's 41 from 28 balls was the highest individual score, but he faltered in the 13th over, bowled by Zampa while attempting a risky shot. This came after a tumultuous 24 hours for Pakistan, during which they had to refute reports of the dismissal of their red-ball coach and interim white ball coach, Jason Gillespie.
Australia's chase began poorly with the loss of openers Matthew Short (two) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (18) within the first four overs. However, captain Josh Inglis's steady 27 helped stabilize the innings. Spencer Johnson, who had earlier claimed the best T20I figures by an Australian quick at the SCG on Saturday, finished with two for 24, sealing Pakistan's fate by bowling Sufiyan Muqeem. Johnson's eight wickets across the series were the most by any player.
Long queues formed outside the stadium due to a Ticketek website issue, causing delays in ticket sales even after the match had commenced. Attention now shifts to Australia's upcoming first Test of the summer against India, set to begin on Friday.
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