Australia slumped to a 3-0 T20I series defeat against Pakistan as Mohammad Nawaz spun the hosts to another convincing 111-run victory on Sunday (February 1).
With the T20 World Cup on the horizon later
in February, Australia have been offered a rude awakening in Pakistan, where Salman Agha's side have posted imposing totals three times when batting first.
Saim Ayub smashed a 37-ball 56 from the top of the order before an unbeaten half-century from Babar Azam steadied the ship after losing Fakhar Zaman for 10 and Agha on just five.
Shadab Khan then hammered the Australia bowling attack around Lahore for a blistering 46 from just 19 balls, helping Pakistan finish on a commanding 207-6.
Shaheen Shah Afridi soon accounted for Mitchell Marsh and Matt Renshaw, both scoring only one in the chase, while spin came to the forefront once more from the other end.
Nawaz had Matthew Short (two) caught by Babar at mid-off before the Pakistan spinner ended resistance from Marcus Stoinis (23) and Cameron Green (22) by bowling the pair.
Josh Philippe's hoist towards square leg was then snatched in the deep, allowing Nawaz to complete his five-wicket haul with the stumping of Cooper Connolly for a two-ball duck.
Mitchell Owen was pinned in front by Abrar Ahmed on eight before Matthew Kuhnemann was caught off Naseem Shah's bowling, wrapping up a thumping win with Adam Zampa unavailable to bat at 11.
- vs Afghanistan | Sharjah, 2025
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 1, 2026
- vs Australia | Lahore, 2026
Special five-star performances from @mnawaz94 in the space of a few months #PAKvAUS | #MateWeAreReady | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/W96zs25luR
Data Debrief: No luck against Nawaz
Australia have struggled against Pakistan's wealth of spin options in this series, and the final match proved no different as Nawaz ended with figures of 5-18 from his four-over allocation.
This marked just a second five-wicket haul in T20 internationals for the Pakistan spinner, and his first since taking 5-19 against Afghanistan in Sharjah last September.
Australia, meanwhile, have some serious thinking to do before the T20 World Cup, having seen only three batters make double figures in another one-sided contest.
