Australia Fight Back to Level Series, Leave Pakistan With Questions

With the ball: Nathan Ellis 4/33 and Matt Short 3/20 shared 7 wickets to bowl Pakistan out cheaply after Pakistan won the toss and batted first. With the bat: Josh Inglis led the chase, guiding Australia home with 7 wickets in hand and plenty to spare.

Josh Inglis and Cameron Green put in the hard yards during the first half of the innings - it was especially hard work for Green, who battled for rhythm, but there was satisfaction in his gritty fifty which he acknowledged with a somewhat relieved punch of the air - and their innings allowed Matt Renshaw and latterly 19-year-old Oli Peake to play with a little more freedom.

After taking a 1-0 lead, Pakistan failed to capitalize. Their batting collapsed against Ellis and Short’s disciplined bowling. It raised concerns about Pakistan’s ability to finish series against top sides, especially after recent inconsistency in T20s.

Australia's initial thoughts on this series may have been to give most players an outing, but their balance for the second match served them well so Liam Scott will likely have to wait for his debut. Labuschagne has missed out twice in the series - extending a lean time in ODIs - and is under increasing pressure but may cling onto his place for now. There could be consideration given to elevating Renshaw given his fine form.

With the ball, Nathan Ellis was ideal for the slow, grippy surface and produced a career-best performance. The spinners all played their role, with Matt Short's three wickets fitting into the bonus category; his delivery to slide past Salman Agha's outside edge was an excellent piece of bowling.

Unless Pakistan change tack, it's likely to be another game dominated by the spinners on a slow surface, which means more hard work for the batters. There is a small chance of some rain playing a part on what will be another hot day.

Bottom line: Nathan Ellis [4/33] and Matt Short [3/20] powered Australia’s fightback, bowling out Pakistan and setting up an easy 7-wicket chase. The win leveled the series 1-1 and left Pakistan facing questions over their batting depth heading into the decider.