Australia go 1-0 up in the three game series, we’ll be back to bring you the second match on Saturday. Thanks for your company and for sticking with us through the storm. Goodbye!
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A word from each captain:
Josh Inglis:
A really nice win, the boys really applied themselves and it was great to get a win after the ODI series. The bowlers did a great job taking wickets early and they executed everything they tried.”
Mohammad Rizwan:
It was difficult to keep things normal in a seven-over game! We’ve got to give credit to Maxy - his style worked really well.”
Updated
Glenn Maxwell bags the Player of the Match award for his hugely entertaining 43 off 19 balls:
Had a lot of fun out there! We thought we had enough on the board. There was a little bit of tackiness in the wicket. The bowlers did a great job. There was a few of us who had packed our bags expecting the game to be called off so it was a mad rush to get ready. Credit to the guys (groundstaff).”
Australia win by 29 runs!
And breathe. That was a bonkers game but good they got out there, at one stage it looked like the whole thing was going to be kiboshed by storms lingering around Brisbane.
Pakistan’s innings was enough to send an OBO scribe scuttling for cover, frenetic is an understatement. Australia take the win and lead the series 1-0, though I’m not sure how much you can read into that severely shortened freewheelin’ thrash.
Could Pakistan have batted better? Sure. Was some of the shot selection poor? Absolutely. But in a 7 over game, chasing 14 an over, there will be high-risk strokes attempted. Gotta give a margin. Some days you're Glenn Maxwell and it works out. Some days it doesn't #AUSvPAK
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) November 14, 2024
Updated
WICKETS! Shaheen Shah Afridi AND Naseem Shah bowled by Zampa!
Two in two balls, stumps all over the shop. You know what that means…
6th over: Pakistan 53-7 (Abbas Afridi 19, Shaheen 1) Abbas Afridi strikes a four down the ground but it ain’t enough. Pakistan need 40 off the final over. Adam Zampa is summoned to close it out/bowl the worst over of his life.
WICKET! Haseebullah Khan c Short b Ellis 12 (Pakistan 47-7)
Suckered with the slower ball, Khan holes out to the man on the deep midwicket fence.
5th over: Pakistan 47-6 (Khan 12, Abbas Afridi 15) Abbas Afridi slog sweeps Spencer Johnson over deep square leg for SIX! What a shot! The batter then follows up with a nonchalant scoop down to fine leg for four. A single brings Haseebullah Khan on strike and he pings a SIX down the ground that Tim David tries to claw back in but can only parry over the sponge. EIGHTEEN runs off the over and NO WICKETS. Pakistan need 47 off 12 balls. They couldn’t, could they?
May as well post this for the second time during this blog:
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
— best of al pacino (@bestofpacino) March 25, 2024
The Godfather: Part III (1990) dir. Francis Ford Coppola pic.twitter.com/qW3qGKOdii
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4th over: Pakistan 29-6 (Khan 5, Abbas Afridi 4) Abbas Afridi and Haseebullah Khan join forces with Pakistan needing an awful lot off not very many with hardly any left. Apart from that…
WICKET! Salman Agha c Inglis b Bartlett 4 (Pakistan 24-6)
Another swish across the line sees a top edge loop to Inglis behind the stumps. This is a nuts innings.
3rd over: Pakistan 20-5 (Khan 4, Agha) Haseebullah Khan slices over point for four. Keep up won’t you!
ANOTHER WICKET! Irfan Khan c Fraser-McGurk b Ellis 0 (Pakistan 16-5)
Crikey. Chalk it up.
Fraser-McGurk takes another good catch in the deep. Pakistan in the mire at the Gabba.
Updated
BIG WICKET! Babar Azam c Fraser-McGurk b Ellis 3 (Pakistan 16-4)
Goodnight Viennetta?
Babar watched the wickets tumble last over and holes out off Nathan Ellis’ first ball of the next. The slower delivery did for him, didn’t time it and the ball fell to the man positioned inside the sponge.
WICKET! Usman Khan c Short b Bartlett 4 (Pakistan 16-3)
Usman Khan comes to the crease and can’t lay a bat on Bartlett. Three dots. That’s better – a lovely lofted drive for four from Khan. Pakistan can’t afford to take their foot off the gas BUT THE WHEELS ARE COMING OFF as Khan shovels a catch to deep third! Bartlett has two wickets in the over.
2nd over: Pakistan 16-3 (Babar 3)
Updated
WICKET! Rizwan c Fraser-McGurk b Bartlett 0 (Pakistan 12-2)
Uh-oh. Rizwan gets a leading edge off a flick and it loops to backward point. Xavier Bartlett strikes with his first ball!
1st over: Pakistan 12-1 (Rizwan 0, Babar 3) Babar Azam joins Rizwan and swats his first ball away for three runs.
WICKET! Farhan c Bartlett b Johnson 8 (Pakistan 8-1)
Better to burn out than to fade away…
Farhan gets a short ball too high on the bat and is easily caught. That was fun.
Sahibzada Farhan serves up the one two punch to get Pakistan off to a flier! Spencer Johnson is launched over mid-off for four first ball and the pulled away over midwicket for more of the same!
Here we go, Rizwan and Farhan stride out and look like the mean business. Chase incoming!
This was his first ball btw
'This is why people pay a lot of money to watch this guy bat' #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/Zwab5Pnw3j
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 14, 2024
Phew. That was thrashtastic. Back soon for Pakistan’s response!
Pakistan are set a target of 94 in seven overs 🎯#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/ulNkUi7zRa
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 14, 2024
Updated
Australia set Pakistan 94 to win (in seven overs)
Marcus Stoinis opens up those Serengeti wide shoulders to plunder TWENTY runs off Naseem Shah’s final over. A lofted on drive for SIX the highlight, a flurry of twos and two boundaries cut away through the off side. Advantage Australia!
7th over: Australia 93-4-(Stoinis 21, Inglis 0)
6th over: Australia 73-4-(Stoinis 1, Inglis) Captain Inglis joins Stoinis in the middle, we’ve got one over left and Naseem Shah looks like he is going to bowl it. Australia look to be setting a commanding total at the Gabba.
WICKET! David c Sahibzada Farhan b Abbas Afridi 9 (Australia 73-4)
Tim David shows off his long levers by shovelling a short ball for SIX but then has to go off the next as Farhan takes a good catch at mid on with a player converging in his eyeline.
WICKET! Maxwell c Usman Khan b Abbas Afridi 43 (Australia 66-2)
A slice over cover from Maxwell brings him and Australia two but The Big Show comes to an end the next ball as Abbas digs in a short ball that Maxwell slaps straight to Usman Khan on the deep square boundary. It was lots of fun while it lasted.
5th over: Australia 64-2 (Maxwell 41, David 4) Maxwell winds up a big moose over the leg side and is lucky to get a thick outside edge that flies away over Rizwan behind the stumps for four. SIX! Maxwell connects this time and deposits over cow corner for a biggie. Rauf goes full but Maxwell reads him, opens up his body and swats him over mid off for SIX more! Rauf goes short with pace off, Maxwell can’t get it away but scampers the single to keep strike.
4th over: Australia 45-2 (Maxwell 24, David 3) Maxwell drops to his knees and nails a reverse lap/sweep off Shaheen Shah Afridi flat for SIX! What a shot that is. Maxwell at his Box Office best. Shaheen goes from short to full and manages to get out of the over for the cost of only a couple more runs.
3rd over: Australia 36-1 (Maxwell 17, David 1) Tim David arrives in the middle and drives to cover to get off the mark. Australia have their heavy artillery out in the middle. A wicket and and just three runs of Rauf’s first over.
WICKET! Short c Babar Azam b Haris Rauf 7 (Australia 35-2)
Pakistan punch back through Haris Rauf. The bowler spears a couple in at Maxwell - who he pocketed three times in nine balls in the ODI series – before Short holes out to Babar at deep midwicket.
2nd over: Australia 33-1 (Short 7, Maxwell 16) Glenn Maxwell is the new batter and he reverse laps his first ball from Naseem Shah for four. What a shot to play first up, didn’t nail it but got enough of it and the audacity was off the scale. FREE HIT! Naseem over steps by a country mile and Maxwell reverse laps the freebie over the keeper for four. Slap! Maxwell steps to leg and crunches over the off side for four more. Shah goes full in search of the yorker but Maxwell is on it in a flash, cracking his wrists and lofting down the ground for four. SEVENTEEN RUNS off the over. Australia are ticking. Five overs to go. Frenetic stuff, steam coming off my keyboard.
WICKET! Fraser-McGurk c Babar Azam b Naseem Shah 9 (Australia 16-1)
Slapped straight to cover! Australia lose their first wicket and Fraser-McGurk has to drag himself from the middle.
1st over: Australia 16-0 (Short 7, Fraser-McGurk 9) Shaheen starts with a full bunger to Short who clips into the ring to get off the mark first ball. JFM on strike… and he works a full ball through midwicket for four! Lovely shot and top work from the groundstaff, the ball pinged away across the turf to the boundary and the wicket looks lovely… to bat on.
Four more! JFM drives down the ground staight as an arrow. Proper cricket shot. The next ball sees him have a wild hack and connect with nothing but fresh air. Next up is a step away and a bunt down the ground for a single. SIX! Short top edges over fine leg and the ball soars high over the rope and into the stands. SIXTEEN runs off the first over. Gulp.
Right then, here come the players. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short to open up for Australia. They stride out to the middle through some dry-ice and smoke. Shaheen Shah Afridi is going to start with the new ball. I imagine this will all be quite high octane. Buckle up knuckleheads!
Here are the teams:
Australia: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short, Josh Inglis (c/wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haseebullah Khan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
Pakistan win the toss and choose to bowl
Rizwan calls the coin correctly and fancies a bowl under lights in damp and brooding conditions. The updated regs are that two bowlers can bowl two overs each and three can bowl one over each. Oh and theres a two over PowerPlay. Got it?
Updated
It looks like we'll get a game in after all!
The toss is imminent and play is due to start at 8.20pm. It will be a seven over match. You didn’t expect that did you?
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
— best of al pacino (@bestofpacino) March 25, 2024
The Godfather: Part III (1990) dir. Francis Ford Coppola pic.twitter.com/qW3qGKOdii
Updated
Update: It has stopped raining in Brisbane and there’s a sniff of a chance that we might get a five over game in if the weather stays clear and the ground team can get cleaned up in time for an 8.30pm start time. Stand by your beds!
Umpires out for a look, brollies down... #AusvPak
— Innocent Bystander (@InnoBystander) November 14, 2024
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No news is probably bad news in Brisbane. Need those dark clouds to get a wiggle on. A bit like this:
Get your body moving with Hasan Ali! #AUSvPAK
— Saiyan Goku (@saiyangoku007) November 14, 2024
pic.twitter.com/02ZPwerkNX
Scary skies in Brisbane tonight #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/XWpNbADEtu
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 14, 2024
“Hi from Brisbane’s West End, a few kilometres from The Gabba.”
Hello to you Phil Kerr.
“One hour past the scheduled first ball, the sky is full of sound and fury, signifying not very much. Riffing on your Bob Dylan reference: tonight Brisbane has the Rolling Thunder Revue.”
Let’s hope we don’t find ourselves on the Desolation Row of a washout, Phil.
Hopefully the worst of the storms are passing to the north of the ground. We may be able to get a shortened game in, I’ll bring you any official news as soon as we get it.
The latest we can start is is 8:30 PM (AEDT) Time) and that’ll be for a 5-over Slogapalooza.
Updated
Lightning has started to strike around the ground. No chance of them getting out there any time soon I’m afraid.
In the meantime, why not take a look at some of the cricket pieces we’ve published in the last few days.
First up – the Don of the sporting interview Don McRae sat down with a reflective and revealing chat with Jimmy Anderson:
He pauses when I ask what would have happened to him without cricket. “It’s a great question,” Anderson says. “I’ve no idea. I did sixth form and thought of going to uni if I didn’t get a contract. I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do if cricket didn’t happen. It’s frightening because I’m sure there’re many people in that same position and they don’t have that something I loved with a passion. I feel so fortunate I had cricket.”
His wife, Daniella, was furious when England discarded him as a player. Is she still angry now that Anderson is back in the fold as the Test bowling coach? “I think so, yes. She’s been my biggest supporter from when we first met. I had injuries and she was the one who motivated me to get going again. She just felt it wasn’t the right way to have done things. She felt I should go on my own terms. But I think it’s easing now.”
Hello Sam MacAulay! That sausage looks like it could be useful in whacking away any lightning that comes your way. No further comments, your honour.
Go easy on the steins, we might still have a job to do here. We can squeeze in a five over game if get on the park before 8.30pm local time. (hic)
@Jimbo_Cricket no sonic booms mate. Not much in the way of rain so far. Locals holding fort at The Germans Club over the road and waiting for the good word! pic.twitter.com/WJYT7swk8E
— Sam MacAulay (@sam_macaulay) November 14, 2024
I’m not having this. As if things didn’t feel apocalyptic enough right now…
Ants stop play! 🐜
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) November 14, 2024
A swarm of flying ants stopped play between India and South Africa in Centurion. #BBCCricket #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/dfbhg388Ns
A Hard Raiiiiiiiin’s a Gonna Fall?
Bob Dylan was in London the other night, very much enjoyed this review.
An artist who pronounced himself freewheelin’ in 1963 seems no more inclined to keep to any script 61 years on. Best to stick close to the guy in charge and keep your eyes peeled for clues as to where he’s headed. As they hawkishly follow his unpredictable vocal phrasing and a piano style that’s simultaneously florid and ragged – Art Tatum by way of Les Dawson – he’s still capable of wrongfooting them: there are moments when you could swear the band start building to a climax or slowing to a conclusion, only to discover their leader has other ideas.
Reports of sonic boom level thunderclaps around the stadium. Are you in earshot, any OBOers local and got the skinny on the storms? Drop us a line in the usual way, links on the left flank of this page.
Some wet weather reading? Martin Pegan has got you covered as he digs into how time waits for no man, not even Australian cricketers:
Australian cricket has had several reminders that Father Time remains undefeated. The lingering effects of an end for every cricketer and every era have been hammered home in recent decades as fallow years have followed bumper crops of all-conquering Australians. Yet it remains to be seen whether the lessons of the past have truly been learned as the current men’s Test team starts another summer of cricket rolling towards a cliff edge.
Batten down the hatches Mr Binnacle!
Might be a case of dodge the storms in Brisbane tonight#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/qcvDlQnFAw
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) November 14, 2024
The toss has been delayed due to some lightning around the Gabba #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/7x2LSpJ7Lm
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 14, 2024
Updated
Toss delayed by threat of lightning
Gah, as the sky turns from inky black to gun metal grey here in south London it seems Brisbane is having a touch of English weather with storms in the area and pesky rain falling.
The Gabba covers are well and truly on at the minute but I’ll keep you updated, my sources tell me that we’ll get some cricket in and it won’t be a total washout.
For now, we wait.
Updated
Preamble
Hello, good evening/morning and welcome to the first T20 between Australia and Pakistan at the Gabba.
Australia are licking their wounds after a shock series defeat in the ODI series, Pakistan’s first white ball series win Down Under since 2002 was really well deserved, coming from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory with some searing pace and assured batting.
Some believe that the Aussie white ball wounds are somewhat self inflicted, with an understrength side on show and plenty of big names missing in action. Well, welcome to world cricket in 2024.
Mitch Marsh and Travis Head’s absence does allow others to come to the fore and make a name for themselves on the international scene, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short will open the batting together in the format for the first time and there is plenty of new blood in the Aussie bowling line up.
Josh Inglis and his side are looking to bounce back whilst Pakistan are on the hunt for the double, let’s find out who prospers!
Play begins in a little over 30 minutes and I’ll be back with the teams and the toss in just a tickle.
