Third T20I Series: Australia Defeats Pakistan By Seven Wickets.

Marcus Stoinis shines with his performance as his team seals a 3-0 victory in the T20I series

Marcus Stoinis hits a six during game three of the Men's T20 International match series between Australia and Pakistan at Bellerive Oval on November 18, 2024 / . Steve Bell/Getty Images.

By Caroline Chepkorir

Australia secured a 3-0 series win over Pakistan. At Bellerive Oval, Hobart Australia won the third and final match in T20I and secured a seven-wicket victory. Due to the weather, the game was cut short to seven overs each side, and Marcus Stoinis smashed undefeated 61 runs off 27 balls, which included five fours and five sixes.

Australia chased a target of 118 runs, and openers Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk 18 runs off 11 balls contributed 16 runs, and later in the powerplay, Matthews Short, who picked up 2 runs off four balls, was caught by Shaheen Afridi. Skipper Josh Inglis added 27 runs.

Aaron Hardie picked up a three-wicket haul, and he took a significant wicket of stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha, Abbas Afridi, and Usman Khan. Hardie’s side supported him, and Xavier Bartlett contributed 1-25, Spencer Johnson 2/24, and Nathan Ellis 1/20.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Babar Azam, who was the top scorer, knocked 41 runs off 28 balls, and Haseebullah Khan scored 24 runs off 19 balls and also partnered with Azam they added 44 runs off 31 balls. The partnership ended when Adam Zampa caught Haseebullah Khan. Following Shaheen Afridi's 16 runs off 12 balls and Iran Khan's 10 runs off 8 balls, Pakistan crossed the 100-mark after the middle and lower orders failed to contribute. Pakistan set a target of 117 in 18.1 overs, and they lost nine wickets for 56 runs in the process. Captain Mohammad Rizwan was rested early in the day, and Agha Salman was assigned the role.

Speaking after the match, Australian captain Josh Inglis praised his team’s all-round performance.

“It’s been a fantastic series for us. The way Marcus Stoinis batted today was exceptional, and our bowlers have been outstanding throughout,” he said.

“In the middle overs, we couldn’t build on the solid start, and that cost us. However, there are plenty of positives to take from this series. The way Usman batted and the way Jahandad bowled were really promising. These youngsters have a bright future ahead. Winning the ODI series was a significant achievement, but we know we could have performed much better in the T20Is,” said Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha in the post-match ceremony.

Marcus Stoinis was awarded the player of the match title.

“It felt great to get some runs on such a beautiful wicket, but full credit goes to our bowlers for restricting them to a low total. Actually, I joked with Rauf that this might be the first time any of us managed to get the better of him. He’s an outstanding bowler and performed brilliantly throughout the series,” said Marcus Stoinis in the post-match presentation.