Johnson five-for headlines nervy win as Australia take series

It looked like it would be a run fest, but then it evolved into a low-scoring thriller. In a shapeshifting T20I in Sydney, Australia adapted better than Pakistan, holding their nerve to defend a modest total of 147 and edging to a 13-run victory, which gave them the T20I series.

Spencer Johnson was the star of the show with 5 for 26, taking wickets at the top and the end and keeping Pakistan penned in, but he had plenty of support from his mates in a disciplined bowling effort. It was matched by a first innings where six batters reached double-figures, the clump of cameos ensuring the batters gave their bowlers enough to work with.

Pakistan looked like they were on track for a hammering when Australia reached 50 in 3.1 overs - the fastest they have ever got to the mark in a T20I. But Pakistan, led inevitably 

They will also rue their lack of intent early on with the bat. Pakistan limped along for the first half of the innings and left themselves too much to do at the back end. Usman Khan - who scored his first T20I half-century - and Irfan Khan made a fist of it to get within 13 runs of victory, but just couldn't do enough to undo the damage of the first part of the innings.

Australia made sure they did just enough things better than Pakistan, and on that count, ended up worthy winners.

Australia began the game as if they had drawn inspiration from India's batting show against South Africa on Friday. Shaheen Afridi was bowling into the arc as if feeding a slot machine, and Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk were only too happy to oblige. Naseem Shah similarly failed to keep it out of the arc, and 15 balls into the game, Australia had sped along to 48, having hit five fours and three sixes already.

When in doubt, give Rauf the ball, though. He was the only man who could arrest the slide, and it didn't take him long. A pacy bouncer that Fraser-McGurk couldn't get on top off and slogged to the cover fielder punctured Australia, before a leading edge sent Josh Inglis on his way.

Abbas Afridi - who bowled beautifully all innings - struck to dispatch Short, and suddenly, it turned into an even contest. After the first 15 balls of the powerplay had leaked 48 wicketless runs, the last 21 balls saw just 13 scored, with Australia's top three back.

Pakistan sloppy in the field, again
Pakistan tend to take one of their most famous characteristics each game, and turn the dial up to 11. Sometimes it's the unpredictability, at other times it's the fast bowling. Today, they went for the comic ineptitude in the field they have picked up a reputation for.

The warning signs were there when Naseem made a mess of a Fraser-McGurk top edge, and it only got worse from there.

Salman Agha put Marcus Stoinis down off Rauf, while Shaheen reprieved Glenn Maxwell off Sufiyan Muqeem. Rauf made a mess of an effort in the field off Naseem that went for four, while Babar Azam put Tim David down before the batter went on to get ten runs off the next three balls. Those were just the highlights and, in a low-scoring game, it all counted.

Pakistan's no-power play
Pakistan looked at the way Australia had been dragged back and perhaps thought "this won't happen to us". It didn't, because they never got going at the front end of the innings in the first place. Pakistan did lose Babar and Sahibzada Farhan to careless shots, but for much of the first nine overs, there were scarcely any attempts to hit a boundary.

Mohammad Rizwan struggled through an especially curious innings where he was either happy with dot balls or poked the ball away for singles. It wasn't until the tenth over that a boundary off the bat was finally struck when Rizwan cleared his front leg to pick up four.

But Rizwan attempted the same shot off the next ball, only to miscue it for David to take a superb catch diving forward. By this time, the asking rate was approaching ten, and Pakistan's top order had written cheques they unfairly expected their lower order to honour.