DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Top-ranked Pakistan put in another clinical performance to beat Australia by 33 runs in the third and final Twenty20 match and completed a 3-0 series sweep on Sunday.
Australia finished its disappointing tour without a win as it also lost the test series 1-0 after narrowly escaping with a draw in the first test.
Babar Azam (50) notched his second half century of the series off 40 balls as Pakistan scored 150-5 after captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and opted to bat.
The Australian chase fell off for the third successive time and was bowled out for 117 in 19.1 overs with leg-spinner Shadab Khan grabbing 3-19 and Shoaib Malik taking three smart catches in the deep.
“Boys have worked hard and the result is just the reward,” said Ahmed, who won his 10th consecutive T20 series.
Shadab could have finished with at least two more wickets had he not dropped D’Arcy Short off his own bowling and Faheem Ashraf dropped a sitter from Andrew Tye.
Azam and Sahibzaba Farhan (39), who was given his first game of the series, gave Pakistan a solid start of 93 before both fell in successive overs.
Farhan struck three sixes and two fours before he holed out in the deep while Azam got a big inside edge to Tye after hitting five fours and a six.
Australia came back through wrist spinner Adam Zampa (1-25) and a tidy spell of 0-27 by Short before Mohammad Hafeez (32 not out off 20 balls) and Malik (18 off 12) lifted the total.
Alex Carey gave Australia a whirlwind start of 20 when he smashed left-arm spinner Imad Wasim for two sixes and two boundaries in the first over.
But Australia’s top order faltered for the third time in a row through some reckless shot selection.
Carey tried to turn around Hafeez’s first delivery and got a leading edge; Chris Lynn swept Shadab’s first ball and was caught at midwicket; and Glenn Maxwell played a needless big shot to give Malik one of his three catches.
Ben McDermott (21) was run out for the third time in the series and Mitchell Marsh, who also scored 21, gave an easy catch at long on.
Pakistan sweeps Australia 3-0 in Twenty20 series
Pakistan sweeps Australia 3-0 in Twenty20 series
Al-Attiyah claims victory at 2026 Hail Baja international rally
HAIL: The Hail Baja Toyota International Rally 2026 ended on Saturday with Nasser Al-Attiyah claiming overall victory, completing the event in a total time of 4 hours, 6 minutes, 23 seconds. Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished second with 4:07:05, while Dania Akeel secured third place with 4:20:47.
The event was organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport, the Hail Region Emirate and the Hail Region Development Authority, with Jameel Motorsport as official partner alongside the Saudi Motorsport Marshals Club.
The winners were crowned by Mansour Al-Mokbel, CEO of Saudi Motorsport Company, in the presence of Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, chairman of the Hail Region Development Authority board.
The ceremony followed the second and final stage of the rally, which was hosted in Baqaa and covered a total distance of 323 km, including 151 km of the timed special stage.
The event brought together 152 drivers and navigators from 26 nationalities, including 72 Saudis, with 93 vehicles competing across six categories.
Overall classification — Hail Baja Toyota International Rally 2026
FIA Ultimate Category
Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar)
Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Saudi Arabia)
Dania Akeel (Saudi Arabia)
FIA Challenger Category
Yasir Bin Saiedan (Saudi Arabia)
Hamad Al-Wuhaibi (Oman)
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (Qatar)
FIA SSV Category
Fernando Alvarez (Argentina)
Mansour Al-Helai (UAE)
Erik van Loon (Netherlands)
FIA Stock Category
Majed Al-Thunayan (Saudi Arabia)
Abdullah Al-Shegawi (Saudi Arabia)
Al-Mashna Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
FIM Motorcycles Category
Alex McInnes (Great Britain)
Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE)
Sultan Al-Balooshi (UAE)
FIM Quad Bikes Category
Hani Al-Noumesi (Saudi Arabia)
Abdulaziz Al-Atwi (Saudi Arabia)
Ahmed Al-Jaber (Saudi Arabia)
Saudi Toyota Baja Championship
Ultimate Cars Category
Faris Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
Motab Al-Qnon (Saudi Arabia)
Khalaf Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
SSV Category
Prince Sultan bin Turki bin Sultan (Saudi Arabia)
Mashael Al-Huwaish (Saudi Arabia)
Abdulmoeen Al-Shawaf (Saudi Arabia)
Stock Category
Mohammed Al-Asiri (Saudi Arabia)
Salem Al-Quraini (Saudi Arabia)
Hatem Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
The Hail Baja international rally is considered one of the region’s premier motorsport events. It has been a key fixture on the desert rally calendar for more than two decades, offering high standards and an exciting sporting experience for both competitors and spectators. The rally also holds an important position on the calendars of several regional and international championships, reinforcing its status as one of the standout cross-country rallies in the region and reflecting Saudi Arabia’s growing reputation as a global motorsport destination.
