Pakistan vs Australia, 1st T20I, Australia tour of Pakistan, 2026 - Commentary

Pakistan have won a T20I against Australia after over seven years. Had lost 7 matches in a row against them during this period. Impressive performance on a pitch that helped their spinners a good deal. All three matches in the series are to be played here in Lahore, we'll see if the nature of the pitch changes and how Australia adapt. Join us again on Saturday. Until then, it's goodbye!

Salman Agha | Pakistan captain: We started well while batting. Couldn't finish the way we wanted but it was challenging. After 10 overs, the ball wasn't coming on. I'll be batting at number 3. We'll be facing a lot of spin and I feel I can dominate spin in the powerplay. I felt 170 was enough. Could've scored 10-15 more from where we were. Abrar has been outstanding since his debut to be honest. Our spinners have been doing really well for us.

Travis Head | Australia captain: Disappointing but that's how it works out. Felt like we dragged it back well after the first 10 overs. As the ball got softer, it was tough to score. Bartlett had a good game, Zamps did his thing, some positives and some things to work on.

Saim Ayub | Player of the Match: Conditions were a little bit challenging. Plan was to dominate against the new ball. Knew that if we bowl the good length ball consistently, it's not easy to hit.

19:21 Local Time, 14:21 GMT, 19:51 IST: The chase unravelled quickly after the powerplay once Abrar was brought on. Australia found him hard to pick, the runs dried up and his first three overs produced just 5 runs while also picking up two wickets. Wasn't just Abrar, all four spinners combined well on a pitch where the ball was holding and gripping. Pakistan had earlier found out against Zampa how difficult it was to keep the tempo going once the ball got older. From 123/3 in the 14th over, they lost their way to 160/8 (finishing with 168), but it was more than enough thanks to the variety of spin in their ranks.