The Green Shirts suffered a humiliating whitewash in the three-match series, mainly courtesy of the team’s below-par batting performance.

Farhan made his return to the team during the series, having last played in the T20I series against New Zealand earlier this year, however, he failed to impress particularly struggling against short-pitched deliveries.

In a dismal display of batting, he scored just 22 runs across three innings at a strike rate of 104.76, with his highest score being a mere nine.

However, what made his shortcomings even more remarkable was the identical nature of his dismissals in all three matches.

He consistently attempted to execute a pull shot against the short-pitched deliveries from Spencer Johnson, only to find himself caught by Xavier Bartlett at mid-wicket each time.

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Salman Butt, in a video on his YouTube channel, after the third T20I, expressed his concerns about Farhan’s struggles against pace and bounce.

“He was late on the ball. After getting out once or twice, a batter realizes that he’s late on a particular shot, especially here [in Australia], where there is steep bounce and the new ball is coming at pace,” said Butt.

The former captain pointed out that Sahibzada Farhan failed to adjust his technique and kept getting out in a similar way, which highlights his limitations.

“You either avoid such deliveries or if you can’t avoid them, you take a single towards third man on such short-pitched balls. But if you keep getting out playing the same shot in the same way, it means your shot selection is limited,” he added.

Salman Butt further emphasized that Farhan’s struggles serve as a poignant reminder that not all players who excel in domestic cricket are ready for international cricket.

“This shows that not everyone who scores runs in domestic cricket is necessarily an international material,” he concluded.

READ: Imam-ul-Haq comes out in support of Babar Azam

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He reached the milestone during the third T20I of the three-match series against Australia in Hobart.

Babar played a 41-run knock from 28 balls, which featured four boundaries to set up Pakistan’s total of 117, which Australia successfully chased in 11.2 overs.

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The star batter has accumulated a total of 4,192 runs in the format, placing him tantalizingly just 39 runs short of the former Indian captain Rohit Sharma.

Sharma currently holds the top position on the all-time list with an outstanding tally of 4,231 runs.

Most runs in men’s T20Is

• Rohit Sharma (India) — 4231
• Babar Azam (Pakistan) — 4192
• Virat Kohli (India) — 4188
• Paul Stirling (Ireland) — 3655
• Martin Guptill (New Zealand) — 3531 runs

Moreover, Mohammad Rizwan, the captain of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team, is the only other batter from the country among the Top 10 run-scorers in the format. Currently, Rizwan ranks seventh with an impressive total of 3,329 runs to his name.

Pakistan’s next T20I series will be against Zimbabwe, however, Babar and Rizwan are not part of the squad. The Green Shirts will play three T20I matches from 1-5 December under the captaincy of Salman Ali Agha.

Pakistan T20I Squad for Zimbabwe Tour: Salman Ali Agha (c), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan

READ: Aaqib Javed appointed as interim white-ball head coach of Pakistan

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Chasing a modest target of 118, Stoinis powered Australia to chase the total in 11.2 overs at the loss of three wickets.

Stoinis came out to bat after Jake Fraser-McGurk’s dismissal with the scoreboard reading 30-2 in 3.3 overs and turned the match on its head with his belligerent hitting.

Australian captain Josh Inglis scored a meagre 17 runs during the 55-run partnership with Stoinis for the third wicket. Abbas Afridi broke the stand with the wicket of Inglis, who scored 27 off 24.

Stoinis continued his onslaught and smashed five sixes and as many fours on his way to his 27-ball knock of 61 runs to steer his team to a dominant victory.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Jahandad Khan and Abbas took one wicket each.

Earlier, Pakistan opted to bat first after winning the toss and made two changes in their Playing XI, resting captain Mohammad Rizwan and pace bowler Naseem Shah.

However, the decision to bat first did not bore fruits as Spencer Johnson, who took a five-wicket haul in the second T20I, removed Sahibzada Farhan (9) in the second over.

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Babar Azam and Haseebullah Khan (24) knitted a 44-run stand for the second wicket in 31 balls before the latter fell prey to a googly by Adam Zampa.

Aaron Hardie further dented Pakistan as he dismissed Usman Khan (3) and captain Salman Ali Agha (1) to leave the visitors reeling at 70-4.

Babar played a 41-run knock from 28 balls with the help of four boundaries before Zampa ended his stay at the crease.

Pakistan struggled to regain their footing and fell apart spectacularly, losing five wickets for a mere 26 runs, ultimately bundling for a paltry total of 117 runs.

For Australia, Hardie led the attack with the figures of 3-21, while Zampa and Johnson took two wickets each. Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis also contributed with one wicket each.

For the unversed, the hosts are leading the three-match T20I series 2-0. They defeated Pakistan in the shortened first match by 29 runs after setting a target of 94 in seven overs.

In the second T20I, Pakistan bowlers, led by Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul, restricted Australia to 147 for 9. However, the visitors were dismissed for a mere 134 runs, losing by a narrow margin of 13 runs.

Playing XIs

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, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Agha (c), Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan

READ: Mohammad Rizwan donates his gloves, shirt to SCG Museum

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Rizwan took over the captaincy of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team after Babar Azam stepped down from the position last month.

In his first assignment as captain, Rizwan successfully guided his team to a historic victory, breaking a 22-year drought by securing an ODI series win in Australia.

However, during the subsequent three-match T20I series, Pakistan failed to continue their winning run and faced defeats in the first two games.

Rizwan came under fire for his batting performance as he bagged a duck in the first T20I and scored 166 off 26 in the second match.

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After the loss in the second T20I, Mohammad Amir, in a video on his YouTube channel, praised Rizwan’s captaincy but expressed concerns over his batting in the T20I format.

“Even though Mohammad Rizwan is so brave and captaining like a warrior, in batting he does seem stuck,” said Amir.

“Because he does not usually bat in such a hesitant manner as he has seemed to in the last two matches like he is stuck and batting cautiously.

“He should play freely, he is the captain, he should play with a fresh mind and perform.”

Notably, Rizwan and pace bowler Naseem Shah have been rested for the third T20I against Australia, with Haseebullah Khan and Jahandad Khan coming in as replacements.

READ: Mohammad Rizwan donates his gloves, shirt to SCG Museum

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The wicket-keeper donated his gloves and shirt after the second T20I between Pakistan and Australia on Saturday, which the visitors lost by 13 runs.

The management team at the SCG expressed their sincere appreciation for Rizwan’s generous gesture, recognizing the significance of these prized possessions in enriching the museum’s collection and celebrating the sport’s history.

“Thank you, Mohammad Rizwan,” they posted on Facebook. “Following Saturday’s T20 International against Australia, Pakistan Captain Mohammad Rizwan donated a pair of his keeping gloves and a playing shirt to the Sydney Cricket Ground museum.”

Kamil Khan, a Pakistani-born Multicultural Ambassador for Cricket Australia (CA), graced the occasion with his presence.

He conveyed his heartfelt appreciation to the SCG for the honour bestowed upon Rizwan, who was celebrated with a prominent place in the prestigious museum.

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“A heartfelt thank you to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for acknowledging our captain, Mohammad Rizwan, and for preserving this special moment in the SCG museum,” Khan stated.

“It’s truly an honor to see Pakistan’s cricketing spirit celebrated on such an iconic stage. Grateful for this recognition of our team and captain.”

READ: Mohammad Rizwan rested as Pakistan unveil Playing XI for third Australia T20I

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HOBART: Pakistan have won the toss and elected to bat first in the third T20I against Australia at the Bellerive Oval here on Monday.

Notably, Pakistan made two changes in their Playing XI, resting captain Mohammad Rizwan and pace bowler Naseem Shah. Vice-captain Salman Ali Agha will stand in as captain in Rizwan’s absence.

Young wicket-keeper Haseebullah Khan has replaced Rizwan, meanwhile, Jahandad Khan came into the side for Naseem.

The rest of the side is unchanged with Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Khan making the top-order. Haseebullah, Salman and Irfan Khan, who played a blistering knock in the second T20I, will form the middle order.

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Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf will lead the pace attack with support from Abbas Afridi and Jahandad, whereas Sufyan Muqeem is the only specialist spinner in the line-up.

Meanwhile, Australia has opted to field an unchanged team. For the unversed, the hosts are leading the three-match T20I series 2-0. They defeated Pakistan in the shortened first match by 29 runs after setting a target of 94 in seven overs.

In the second T20I, Pakistan bowlers, led by Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul, restricted Australia to 147 for 9. However, the visitors were dismissed for a mere 134 runs, losing by a narrow margin of 13 runs.

Playing XIs

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, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Agha (c), Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan

READ: Champions Trophy: BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla reiterates India’s stance on visiting Pakistan

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Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled the Playing XI, which will be led by vice-captain Salman Ali Agha.

Young wicket-keeper Haseebullah Khan has replaced Mohammad Rizwan, meanwhile, Jahandad Khan came into the side for Naseem Shah.

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The rest of the side is unchanged with Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Khan making the top-order. Haseebullah, Salman and Irfan Khan, who played a blistering knock in the second T20I, will form the middle order.

Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf will lead the pace attack with support from Abbas Afridi and Jahandad, whereas Sufyan Muqeem is the only specialist spinner in the line-up.

For the unversed, Australia are leading the three-match T20I series 2-0. The defeated Pakistan in the shortened first match by 29 runs after setting a target of 94 in seven overs.

In the second T20I, Pakistan bowlers, led by Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul, restricted Australia to 147 for 9. However, the visitors were dismissed for a mere 134 runs, losing by a narrow margin of 13 runs.

Pakistan Playing XI: Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Agha (c), Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan

READ: Champions Trophy: BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla reiterates India’s stance on visiting Pakistan

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The Green Shirts succumbed to a 13-run defeat as Australia attained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with one match remaining.

During the first innings, Haris earned his place in the record books by claiming four wickets for just 22 runs, helping his team restrict Australia to a total of 147-9.

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This impressive performance brought his total wickets to 107, equaling Shadab Khan as the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in T20I cricket. However, he took only 72 innings to take 107 wickets, whereas Shadab achieved it in 96 innings.

Moreover, Haris Rauf also recorded the best bowling figures by any visiting bowler in Australia, leaving behind Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara, who took 4-31 in 2017.

Most wickets for Pakistan bowlers in T20I cricket

• Haris Rauf — 107 wickets in 72 innings
• Shadab Khan — 107 wickets in 96 innings
• Shahid Afridi — 97 wickets in 96 innings
• Shaheen Shah Afridi — 96 wickets in 72 innings
• Umar Gul — 85 wickets in 60 innings

Best T20I bowling figures by visiting bowlers in Australia

• 4-22 – Haris Rauf (Pakistan) in Sydney, 2024
• 4-31 – Nuwan Kulasekara (Sri Lanka) in Geelong, 2017
• 4-36 – Krunal Pandya (India) in Sydney, 2018
• 3-4 – Chris Woakes (England) in Canberra, 2022
• 3-6 – Tim Southee (New Zealand) in Sydney, 2022

READ: Spencer Johnson’s five-fer steers Australia to series win against Pakistan

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SYDNEY: Spencer Johnson took five wickets to help Australia thump Pakistan in the second T20I and attain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday.

Pakistan, while chasing a target of 149, were bundled for a meagre 134 in the last over, with Irfan Khan, who waged a lone war, remaining unbeaten on 37.

The visitors found themselves struggling early on during the run-chase as they lost two wickets in 2.5 overs with 17 runs on the board.

Notably, they did not hit a single boundary off bat in the power play as the only boundary came off a wide on the first ball of the innings.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan played a scratchy knock of 16 runs from 26 balls with only one four before he fell victim to Johnson. Meanwhile, vice-captain Salman Ali Agha was dismissed on the next ball to leave Pakistan reeling at 44-4.

Usman Khan and Irfan Khan launched Pakistan’s recovery with a 58-run stand for the fifth wicket from 35 balls before Johnson struck again to remove the former. Usman top-scored for Pakistan with 52 runs from 38 balls with the help of four boundaries and one six.

Irfan then waged a lone war as wickets kept falling on the other end, scoring an unbeaten 37 off 28 which featured five boundaries, including one six.

Johnson topped the bowling charts with the figures of 5-26, while Adam Zampa claimed two wickets.

Earlier, Australia opted to bat first and fielded an unchanged side, that defeated Pakistan in the rain-effect first T20I in Brisbane. Meanwhile, Pakistan replaced Haseebullah Khan with left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem.

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Opening batters Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk came out all guns blazing, smashing Australia’s fastest fifty in T20I cricket in only 19 balls.

However, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan brought Haris Rauf into the attack, who provided the breakthrough with the wicket of Fraser-McGurk (20 off nine) in the fourth over with 52 runs on the board.

Australian captain Josh Inglis also fell prey to Haris in the same over without opening his account.

Abbas Afridi was brought in from the other end and he castled Matthew Short on the last over to leave Australia reeling to 56-3 in five overs. Short top-scored with 32 runs from 17 balls which featured four boundaries, including two sixes.

Glenn Maxwell (21) and Marcus Stoinis (14) then knitted a cautious 30-run stand from 29 balls for the fourth wicket before they both fell to Sufiyan Muqeem in consecutive overs.

Pakistan bowlers prevented Australia from making a comeback as the hosts struggled to score freely while losing wickets at regular intervals.

Aaron Hardie was the only notable contributor from lower-order with a 28-run knock from 23 innings with one boundary and one six. It’s worth noting that he was the only batter to hit a six after openers.

Abbas Afridi removed Hardie and Spencer Johnson on back-to-back deliveries in the last over but missed out on a hat-trick on the last ball of the innings.

Haris Rauf led the bowling attack with the figures of 4-22, while Abbas took 3-17. Sufiyan Muqeem grabbed two wickets and gave away 21 runs.

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Australia opted to go with an unchanged side, that defeated Pakistan in the rain-effect first T20I in Brisbane. Meanwhile, Pakistan have replaced Haseebullah Khan with left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem.

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Playing XIs

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, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

READ: ‘The King is back in his territory’: Ravi Shastri warns critics of Virat Kohli

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