Marcus Stoinis delivered a powerful performance, smashing an unbeaten 61 off just 27 balls, as Australia cruised past Pakistan by seven wickets in the third T20 International, wrapping up a clean 3-0 series win on Monday.
Stoinis’s aggressive knock included five sixes and five fours, helping Australia chase down the 118-run target with 8.4 overs to spare at the Bellerive Oval.
Pakistan, batting first, looked steady at 61-1 in the seventh over. However, their innings fell apart as they were bowled out for just 117 in 18.1 overs. Adam Zampa’s dismissal of Haseebullah Khan (24) in the seventh over triggered the collapse. Pakistan managed only 56 more runs as their last nine wickets tumbled quickly.
Zampa also took the crucial wicket of Babar Azam (41), who was bowled trying to step out against the leg-spinner. Alongside Zampa’s brilliance, Aaron Hardie (3-21) and Spencer Johnson, who grabbed two wickets and executed a stunning run-out, dismantled Pakistan’s batting lineup.
Australia’s chase started shakily, losing openers Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk early. But Stoinis came in and turned the game around with an explosive counter-attack. In one over from Haris Rauf, he smashed 22 runs, hitting two sixes and two fours, shutting down Pakistan’s hopes of a comeback.
Stoinis reached his half-century in just 23 balls, sealing the match with a series of powerful hits, including a massive six off Shaheen Afridi and another off Abbas Afridi. The winning run came on a no-ball from Abbas, ensuring Australia’s victory.
Josh Inglis, captaining a second-string Australia squad in Mitchell Marsh’s absence, praised the team’s performance and highlighted Stoinis’s game-changing knock.
“When he’s playing like that, he’s nearly impossible to stop,” said Inglis, who scored 27 runs himself. “That six over the roof was one of the biggest I’ve seen.”
Pakistan’s stand-in captain Agha Salman reflected on the loss, expressing disappointment after a strong start.
“We didn’t capitalize in the middle overs,” Salman admitted. “Winning the ODI series was a big achievement, but we could have done much better in the T20s.”
Despite the T20 setback, Pakistan had earlier claimed the ODI series 2-1.
