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Saim Ayub Stars as Pakistan Defeat Australia in First T20I After Seven Years
Saim Ayub’s all-round brilliance guides Pakistan to a 22-run win over Australia in Lahore! A 40-run knock & 2 wickets secure Pakistan’s first T20I victory vs Australia in 7+ years.
ND
by News Desk
2026-01-29
Saim Ayub Stars as Pakistan Defeat Australia in First T20I After Seven Years

Pakistan broke a seven-year T20I drought against Australia with a thrilling 22-run victory in the first Twenty20 International at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, powered by an outstanding all-round performance from Saim Ayub.

Batting first, Pakistan posted a competitive 168/8 in 20 overs. Despite an early dismissal of Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub and skipper Salman Ali Agha anchored the innings with a 74-run partnership, providing stability to the Pakistan innings. Returning from a challenging Big Bash League season, Babar Azam could manage only 24 runs before falling to Australian spinner Adam Zampa, who ended with four wickets.

Saim Ayub then turned the match with the ball, taking the wickets of Travis Head and Matthew Short, while Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Shadab Khan supported the spin attack, collectively dismantling the Australian batting lineup. Australia was eventually restricted to 146/8 in 20 overs, with Cameron Green and Xavier Bartlett scoring 36 and 34, respectively.

“This was a challenging pitch, but our plan was to dominate with the new ball and maintain consistent lengths,” said Saim, who earned the Player of the Match award for his all-round contribution.

Skipper Salman Ali Agha praised Pakistan’s bowling unit for its “outstanding” performance while acknowledging batting challenges. He highlighted the effectiveness of spin bowling on the Lahore wicket, noting that 170 runs were a defendable target given the conditions.

Australian captain Travis Head acknowledged the difficulty of the pitch in the latter overs and praised the performance of bowlers Mahli Beardman and Xavier Bartlett. He noted areas for improvement ahead of the T20 World Cup, which both teams are preparing for during the tri-series in Lahore.

The second and third T20I matches of the tri-series will also be held at Gaddafi Stadium on January 31 and February 1, giving both teams additional opportunities to fine-tune their line-ups before heading into major ICC tournaments.

Pakistan Team: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed

Australia Team: Travis Head, Matthew Short, Cameron Green, Matthew Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Jack Edwards, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman
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