AUSw vs PAKw, 1st T20I: Australia 119 for 2 (Perry 57*) beat Pakistan 118 (Schutt 5-15) by eight wickets

Australia won the first T20I against Pakistan by eight wickets to begin the final build-up to their T20 World Cup victory in South Africa last month. Megan Schutt’s career-best T20I figures and Ellyse Perry’s crisp half-century opening the batting led to the victory.

Schutt was Australia’s third bowler to score five wickets in a T20I match, trailing only Molly Strano (5 for 10) and current teammate Jess Jonasssen (5 for 12). He became the fourth Australia bowler to do so.

Australia easily made it home with 38 balls to spare, as a target of 119 was never going to challenge them

Perry, who had already gone 2 for 3 in two overs, started with captain Meg Lanning and Beth Mooney, who had what was called a “niggle” but was able to stay through Pakistan’s innings.

Perry, dropped on 3 after Iqbal missed a difficult return catch, followed her rapid scoring in India and prolific WNCL form with a confident 57 off 40 balls, including a six pulled over wide mid-on against a free hit from Fatima Sana. Lanning was defeated by an excellent arm ball from Sadia Iqbal. Schutt took his first wicket when Mooney took a fantastic catch down the leg side to bowl out Bismah Maroof. However, Australia needed DRS to verify that it had touched the glove. After a promising start, Sadaf Shamas spooned to midfield three balls later, and Pakistan lost their way.

Schutt got her first five wickets when she came back at the end, getting Sana caught at cover, then top scorer Omaima Sohail and Tuba Hassan with slower deliveries. This was her maiden five-wicket haul.

However, Alana King’s remarkable return catch from a fiercely hit drive by Nida Dar was the only standout moment of Australia’s fielding performance. King, who had barely time to react, extended her right hand and even seemed surprised that she was still holding on.

Despite King’s vengeance, Ayesha Naseem launched her third six of an impressive counterattack in her final over, causing only a slight dent in King’s figures.

The highlight of Pakistan’s performance was Naseem’s 20-ball innings, when she displayed a boldness that is rarely seen. She fiercely pulled Darcie Brown onto the grass bank at midwicket and launched Tahlia McGrath into the fig tree over long-on.

Brown had a bad day that included consecutive no-balls in her first over. Her 34 was the most for a T20 career that is still in its infancy.

Perry, a player on the opposite end of the experience spectrum, took the first wicket for Australia with a fantastic yorker to bowl out Muneeba Ali and end their 27-run first stand in 4.2 overs.

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Perry added Javeria Khan with a bottom edge in her next over, resulting in Pakistan losing 4 for 5, but she was not asked to bowl again by Lanning, who used seven options, leaving Annabel Sutherland unneeded.