Pakistan and Australia meet again for the second T20I of the three-match series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, January 31. Pakistan head into the game with confidence after taking a 1–0 lead in the series.

In the first T20I, Pakistan showed a balanced performance to defeat Australia by 22 runs. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Pakistan scored total of 168/8 despite losing an early wicket. Saim Ayub and Salman Agha stabilized the innings with good knocks. Usman Khan and Mohammad Nawaz scored late runs to take the total to a fighting score. Adam Zampa was the best bowler for Australia with four wickets.

Australia began their innings strongly but lost their rhythm once the ball became softer. Pakistan’s spinners dominated the middle order, with Abrar Ahmed bowling an economical spell and taking crucial wickets. Australia could not recover and were restricted to 146/8, losing the match. Australia will try to bounce back and keep the series alive, while Pakistan will try to provide another impressive spin bowling performance to take an unassailable lead.

PAK vs AUS: Head-to-Head Record (T20Is)

• Matches Played: 29
• Pakistan Won: 14
• Australia Won: 14
• No Result: 1

PAK vs AUS: Pitch Report

The pitch in Lahore offered good help to spinners in the first T20I. Once the ball got older, scoring became tough and timing the shots was not easy. Batters may need to play patiently, while spinners are expected to stay in the game again. Winning the toss and reading the conditions early could be crucial.

See Also: IND vs NZ, 5th T20I: Head-to-head, pitch report & predicted playing XIs

PAK vs AUS: Predicted Playing XIs

Pakistan (PAK):

Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (WK), Salman Agha (C), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed

Australia (AUS):

Travis Head (C), Matthew Short, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (WK), Jack Edwards, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman