AUS vs PAK, 1st T20I: Rain Plays Spoilsport, Series Opener Washed Out At SCG

After Pakistan were put into bat by Australian skipper Aaron Finch, the visitors posted 107/5 in 15 overs before rains played spoilsport.

The series opener between Australia and Pakistan in the three-match T20I rubber ended without any conclusive result as continuous rains disrupted the play at the Sydney Cricket Ground and washed out the tie. After Pakistan were put into bat by Australian skipper Aaron Finch, the visitors posted 107/5 in 15 overs before rains played spoilsport. Skipper Babar Azam led the batting efforts by top scoring ((59 off 38)) for the visitors, while stumper Mohammad Rizwan made a handy contributed to the team total with 31 runs. For the hosts, Mitchell Starc and Kane Richardson were the pick of the bowlers, scalping two wickets each. Starc dealt an early blow to remove Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman for a duck off the very first ball of the match. Richardson struck in quick succession to get rid of Harris Sohail and Asif Ali. Starc came back strongly to dismiss Imad Wasim for a duck before spinner Ashton Agar sent the well settled Mohammad Rizwan back to the pavilion for a well compiled 31. Chasing 106 runs to win, Australia was handed a revised target of 119 runs in 15 overs. The hosts got off to a flying start with skipper Aaron Finch firing on all cylinders (37 off 16 deliveries) and looking good  to chase down the imposing target. However, just when the hosts looked comfortable after a great start with their scorecard reading 41/0 in 3.1 overs, rains forced the umpires to abandon the match. The teams  will now face-off in the second contest at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Tuesday.