Pakistan beat Cricket Australia XI by six wickets in T20

SYDNEY (92 News) – During the tour of Australia, Pakistan beat Cricket Australia XI in T20 practice match by six wickets in Sydney on Thursday. Cricket Australia XI, after electing to bat first, lost their first wicket without any runs on the board. However, skipper Chris Lynn and Jake Fraser-McGurk put on a 40-run partnership for the second wicket before the captain fell after scoring 24 off 16. McGurk was the next to depart and the hosts were struggling at 42-3 till Nathan McSweeney invoked some life into the innings with his 26-ball 30. The middle and lower order did not provide much resistance as Shadab Khan spun through the side and finished with 3-30 in his four overs to restrict the hosts to 134-6. Pakistan started the run chase well with skipper Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman putting on a 78-run opening partnership before the captain fell after scoring 34 off 29 balls. Haris Sohail then joined Fakhar out in the middle and the duo kept finding the boundary to keep the side ticking along. They helped the side past 100-run mark before the partnership was broken with Fakhar was dismissed for 43 with the score at 111-2. Ben Dwarshuis struck twice in the 17th over as he knocked over Haris (32 off 22) while Asif Ali did not trouble the scorers. However, Pakistan overcame the hiccups to finish the game with six wickets in hand and more than two overs to spare. Pakistan will take on Australia in the first game of their three-match T20I series in Sydney on Sunday.