Series Level: Ellis, Short’s Seven-Wicket Haul Drags Australia Back

Match & Series Context Australia beat Pakistan by 7 wickets to level the 3-match T20I series 1-1.Australia had lost the 2nd T20I, so this was a must-win to stay alive in the series. Australia fared much better on the spin-conducive pitch of Lahore than they had done in Rawalpindi, as they lasted the entire 50 overs and set Pakistan 232. The target was always going to challenge the hosts as this surface had much more turn and variable bounce in it than the one for the first ODI. The pitch was expected to favour spin because of the scorching temperatures and the head curator of the Gaddafi Stadium was encouraged to allow it to tilt that way as Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi revealed at the toss. But how slow it would actually turn out to be was evident from the very first ball of the match as Alex Carey dragged on a wide delivery because of the lack of pace. The slowness of the pitch made Afridi install fielders at short cover from the third over and bring on spin from the fifth over with the introduction of Arafat Minhas, the Player of the Match in the first ODI. Nathan Ellis: 4/33 in 4 overs – career-best T20I figures at the time. Took key middle-order wickets to break Pakistan’s momentum. Matt Short: 3/20 in 4 overs – off-spin, cleaned up the tail and kept Pakistan in check. Combined: 7/53 from 8 overs as Australia bowled Pakistan out cheaply after they won the toss and batted. Lahore was baking hot on Tuesday and Pakistan's young keeper Ghazi Ghori felt it the most, as he had to spend seven overs in the dressing room because of the heat-induced stress. Rohail Nazir covered for him. It was a tough day for Ghori with gloves as the ball went past or through him on multiple occasions for boundaries. Ellis had just graduated to a senior role post-2025 World Cup, and this was one of his most impactful spells in national colors. Short’s off-spin provided control and breakthroughs on a surface assisting spin, showing Australia’s adaptability in subcontinental-like conditions. Nothing underscored the impact of Shadab's innings better than his partnership with Rauf in which he scored all 21 runs. However, when Ellis knocked over Rauf's stumps, Pakistan's hopes of pulling off the chase vanished completely. It ended when the man who had given them the most hope, Shadab, was stumped off a wide down the leg side. Bottom line: Nathan Ellis [4/33] and Matt Short [3/20] combined for 7 wickets to restrict Pakistan, allowing Australia to chase down the target with 7 wickets in hand and level the 3-match T20I series 1-1.