Pakistan on Saturday opted to bat first after winning the toss against Australia as the two teams play their second match of a T20I series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

“Pakistan elect to bat first against Australia in the 2nd T20I at Gaddafi Stadium,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on X.

On Thursday, in the opening match of the series, the Green Shirts achieved their first T20I victory against Australia in more than seven years.

Winning the toss and batting first, Pakistan scored 168 runs at the loss of eight wickets in the allotted overs.

Saim Ayub gave an outstanding all-round performance, taking two wickets after a blistering 40-run knock.

While Saim and skipper Salman Ali Agha managed to anchor Pakistan’s innings with a 74-run partnership, Babar Azam could score only 24 runs before losing his wicket to Adam Zampa.

All three matches are taking place at the Gaddafi Stadium, with the final game set for February 1 (Sunday).

Addressing a press conference in Lahore on Wednesday, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh praised the Green Shirts and said his team was excited about the challenge of playing them on home soil in preparation for the T20 World Cup.

In his remarks, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said that an effort had been made to prepare the same kind of pitches that would be expected in Sri Lanka.

The two teams played a three-match Test and an ODI series in March-April 2022, followed by a solitary T20I where they bagged a close three-wicket win at Gaddafi Stadium.

Australia also played three of their 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan.

Teams

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Usman Tariq and Abrar Ahmed.

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Travis Head, Matt Short, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, Matthew Kuhnemann and Adam Zampa.

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