Pakistan defeated Australia by 11 runs in the second T20I in Dubai on Friday (October 26) to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. By virtue of this victory, the Men in Green also clinched their 10th consecutive series and also strengthened their position as a numero uno T20I side in ICC rankings.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan rode on Babar Azam (45) and Mohammad Hafeez’s (40) decent knocks to put 147/6 on the board. In reply, the Australian batting line-up once again failed to combat the might of Pakistani spinners. Shadab Khan (2/30) and Imad Wasim (1/8) bowled superbly to reduce the visitors to 61/4 in 11.4 overs.

Amidst the superb bowling performance, the ground fielding from the Pakistan players was also top-notch. In the 14th over, Fakhar Zaman produced one of the great run-outs to get rid of Ben McDermott. Such was the athleticism of Fakhar that his skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed went on to compare him with the legendary Jonty Rhodes.

“The way Fakhar Zaman did that run-out, even Jonty Rhodes would not have done a run-out like that,” Sarfaraz said while speaking at the post-match press conference.

Despite a 37-ball 52 from Glenn Maxwell, Australia ended up with 134/8 in their stipulated 20 overs. For Pakistan, the 18-year-old pacer Shaheen Afridi also claimed 2/35 in his 4 overs.

The third and final T20I will be played in Dubai on Sunday (October 28).