Australia vs Pakistan live updates: the match is in the midst of Pakistan’s innings with Australia tightening the screws in the back half of the chase. At 15.2 overs, Cameron Green is dismissed for 68/4 as Arafat Minhas strikes again, leaving the visitors sliding further after earlier breakthroughs by the debutant.
Key takeaways
- At 15.2 overs, Arafat Minhas removes Cameron Green, finishing with Australia on 68/4.
- Earlier, Arafat Minhas picked up back-to-back wickets in the 13th over—first Josh Inglis (LBW) and then Marnus Labuschagne (LBW)—to move Australia from 62/1 to 62/3.
- Matthew Short steadied the innings with a key boundary at 14.2, helping Australia reach 66/3 before the late wicket.
- Powerplay ends at 10.1 overs with Australia still at 51/1, suggesting a relatively controlled start despite a slowish surface.
- Pakistan are allowed a maximum of four fielders outside the inner ring between overs 11 and 40 after the end of the powerplay.
How the innings unfolded over the middle overs
At 8.2 overs, Matthew Short plays out a delivery from Abrar Ahmed with the ball landing outside off, and Short taps it to short cover. Two balls later in the same phase, Abrar Ahmed bowls full again and Short sweeps along the ground through square leg for a single. At 8.4, Abrar pulls the length back slightly to just outside off, and Josh Inglis bunts it to cover. The over continues with Inglis flicking to mid-wicket at 8.5 and Arafat Minhas’ spell still not allowing a surge.
Abrar Ahmed then completes another sequence at 8.6, pitching the ball up on off and middle. Inglis flicks it to mid-wicket and the over yields only two runs. The same over also includes a wide at 8.6 when Abrar drifts down the leg side and Inglis misses his flick; the umpire signals the wide. At 9.1, Matthew Short finds width and cuts it fiercely for four, slicing it to the left of a diving point fielder.
After Short’s boundary, the scoreboard moves along with Inglis and Short rotating strike. At 9.2, Matthew Short pushes the ball toward short cover, and at 9.3, Arafat Minhas slows the pace and full-bowls around middle. Short tries to drive inside out, but thick outside edge sends the ball toward deep third where Maaz Sadaqat runs in and flicks it before it reaches the ropes for three.
At 9.5, Josh Inglis survives a near-miss: he goes after a full toss on the stumps at 87.4 kph, gets a massive top edge, but the ball drops out of Babar’s reach in time. Two runs are taken as Inglis escapes. A moment later at 9.6, Arafat Minhas angles in around the pads and Inglis flicks it to backward square leg for another single. The chase then heads into the powerplay’s conclusion.
At 10.1, Abrar Ahmed bowls a carrom-style delivery on a length, and Inglis punches it back to the bowler. That brings the powerplay to an end with Australia on 51/1. The innings has been relatively balanced on a slower pitch, and the hosts will be pleased to have lost just one wicket. With the powerplay done, Pakistan can use at most four fielders outside the inner ring from overs 11 to 40, and Abrar Ahmed is set to continue.
Middle-overs rhythm and the debutant’s breakthroughs
At 10.2, Abrar Ahmed turns the ball into off and Inglis drives it to wide mid off for a single. Short follows at 10.3, punching through cover-point for one, and at 10.4 Abrar holds the ball outside off where Short drives for a single. At 10.5, Inglis plays a slower delivery around off, easing it through wide mid off for one more. The pace changes again at 10.6 when Abrar bowls fuller at the stumps; Short fends it away to the right of the bowler.
At 11.1, Arafat Minhas bowls full on off and Inglis uses his feet to drill it to long off for a single. At 11.2, Short nudges a fuller ball around the leg stump to mid-on. At 11.3, Short eases a floated ball to cover with soft hands. At 11.4, Short goes for a reverse sweep but the ball clips the inner part of the bat and rolls to the slip fielder on the bounce. At 11.5, Short shimmies down the track and caresses it to wide long off for one, and at 11.6 Inglis pushes the ball to cover.
At 12.1, Short is rushed on the late cut and inside-edges past the stumps toward short fine leg for a single. At 12.2, Inglis nudges a pitched-up delivery around off and middle to deep mid-wicket for one. At 12.3, Short drives inside out through cover for a single, and at 12.4 Inglis blocks it out when the ball is short and at the stumps. At 12.5, Inglis punches to the right of Babar at cover; Babar dives to stop it and keeps the scoring to a single. The over ends at 12.6 with Short again hanging back to face outside off.
At 13.1, Arafat Minhas bowls short and on off; Inglis camps back and knocks it to deep point for a single. The next ball at 13.2 has Short facing a fuller delivery just outside off; he drives along the carpet to long off for one. Australia then continues to add runs steadily, but the debutant’s spell turns decisive.
At 13.3, Arafat Minhas strikes: Josh Inglis is out LBW. He is fed full and straight, fired hard into the stumps, and Inglis misses his reverse sweep attempt as the ball slides down with the arm. The impact is on the front pad, and the appeal is upheld. Inglis consults Short and goes upstairs for a review; UltraEdges shows nothing beside bat or glove, but Ball Tracking returns three reds with the ball projected to hit the leg stump. Inglis has to go, and Australia move to 62/2.
At 13.4, Arafat Minhas continues by pitching on middle; Marnus Labuschagne rocks back and opens the bat to guide it toward backward point, keeping the innings alive. The next breakthrough arrives immediately after, at 13.5: Labuschagne is again trapped LBW. The ball slides onto the pads from a length, and Labuschagne tries to punch through the covers, but the angle defeats him and he misses. He is struck on the front pad, the umpire raises the finger, and Australia slip from 62/1 to 62/3.
At 13.6, Arafat Minhas’ spell changes again—fuller and angling in on middle, with pace now. Cameron Green rocks back and fends it to cover, closing out a dramatic over where the debutant took two wickets and conceded only two runs.
At 14.1, Abrar Ahmed bowls a touch short around off, and Matthew Short drives off the back foot to cover. At 14.2, Short relieves pressure with a boundary: the ball is short around off and middle, and Short pulls it to deep mid-wicket for four. At 14.3, Short slices a spinning delivery to backward point off the front foot. At 14.4, Abrar Ahmed sends a tad fuller ball on middle; Short comes down the track and blocks it out. At 14.5, another fullish delivery is pushed to long off for a single. At 14.6, Cameron Green takes a fuller ball outside off, plants his front foot out, and taps it to the leg side.
Late wickets: from 68/3 to 68/4
At 15.1, Arafat Minhas bowls to Matthew Short. He drifts in on a shorter length and on off; Short is hurried on the back foot and cuts it to deep point for a single. That leaves Australia at 68/3 with one more ball in the over.
At 15.2, Arafat Minhas attacks again—shorter this time and angling into the middle stump. Cameron Green is squared up on the back foot as the ball grips and sharply turns away. Green pushes at it tentatively but misses the line, and the ball crashes into the top of off stump. Australia go from 62/1 earlier to 68/4 in quick fashion, with the debutant completing a third wicket as the visitors slide further down the scoreboard.
