Pakistan wins toss and bats in final T20 against Australia

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Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk shakes hands with Pakistan’s Irfan Khan, right, after Australia won the T20 international cricket match against Pakistan in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

HOBART, Australia (AP) — Paksitan won the toss and elected to bat in the third and final Twenty20 game against Australia on Monday.

The tourists rested captain Mohammad Rizwan with Salman Agha to lead in Rizwan’s absence.

Haseebullah Khan returned to the lineup, while Babar Azam opened the batting with Sahibzada Farhan.

Left-arm pace bowler Jahandad Khan made his debut, replacing Naseem Shah.

For the third successive game, Australia kept faith in the same playing XI.

The hosts had a 29-run win in a rain-shortened seven-overs-a-side match in the first T20 at Brisbane, before fast bowler Spencer Johnson grabbed a career-best 5-26 and propelled Australia to a 13-run win to clinch the three-match series with a game to spare on Saturday.

Pakistan won the preceding ODI series 2-1.

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Lineups:

Australia: Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (captain), Aaron Hardie, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa.

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah Khan, Usman Khan, Salman Agha (captain), Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket