LAHORE: Australia rounded off its first tour to Pakistan in 24 years with a three-wicket victory in the one-off Twenty20 on Tuesday.
Captain Aaron Finch smashed 55 and anchored Australia to 163-7 with five balls to spare as Ben McDermott flicked Haris Rauf to backward square leg for a boundary.
Nathan Ellis picked up 4-28 and pulled Pakistan back to 162-8 after Babar Azam continued his run of golden form and struck 66 off 46 balls when Finch won the toss and elected to field first.
Australia won the three-test series 1-0, its first in Pakistan since 1998, and lost the ODI series 2-1 after several of its players were rested from the white-ball series while Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith were ruled out due to injuries.
“Thought the way our bowlers attacked that game were fantastic,” said Finch, who came into the final game of the series after failing to score in the last two ODIs against Pakistan.
“Nathan Ellis had a tough start but showed real character. Everything we do is (with) one eye to the World Cup. There’s been a lot of great performances on this tour … to see so many young cricketers come on is super exciting.”
Travis Head, who scored a century in the first ODI, hit a brisk 26 off 14 balls and provided Australia a whirlwind start with Finch of 40 in 21 deliveries to set up a strong platform.
Josh Inglis, who missed out the ODI series after testing positive for COVID-19, also made a brisk 24 while Marcus Stoinis blasted five boundaries in his 9-ball 23 against some wayward Pakistan bowling — especially Hasan Ali, who conceded 30 runs off his three overs without taking a wicket.
Fast bowler Mohammad Wasim (2-30) clean bowled Stoinis and Cameron Green in successive overs but Australia made sure not to let the game slip away through some clinical hitting.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-21) had Finch caught on the edge of the boundary in his last over and also had Sean Abbott clean bowled before McDermott sealed the game in the final over.
Pakistan lost its way once Green, one of the three debutants for Australia, broke the half century opening stand by having Mohammad Rizwan (23) clean bowled with an off-cutter. Green was on a hat trick when Fakhar Zaman was snapped up by Finch at mid-on after the left-hander played a hard drive off a low full toss.
Adam Zampa put the brakes on Pakistan’s scoring rate when Babar, who hit six fours and two sixes in his 46-ball knock, was well caught at deep extra cover by Ellis in the 16th over.
Ellis then ran through the lower order by grabbing three wickets in his last two overs before Usman Qadir’s brisk 18 runs off debutant fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis’ (0-42) last over provided Pakistan a late flourish.
Australia beats Pakistan by 3 wickets in one-off Twenty20
https://arab.news/ppf6c
Australia beats Pakistan by 3 wickets in one-off Twenty20
- Pakistan lost its way once Green, debutant for Australia, broke half century opening stand
- Australia won three-test series 1-0, its first in Pakistan since 1998 and lost the ODI series 2-1
Riyadh 2026: The gateway to LIV’s most global season yet
- We are the world’s golf league, says LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil
- Riyadh will host the LIV Golf League season opener for the second consecutive season
RIYADH: Under the lights of Riyadh Golf Club, LIV Golf begins its campaign from February 4 to 7 in the Kingdom’s capital, opening what is the most international season to date. With 14 events scheduled across 10 countries and five continents, LIV has doubled down on its ambition to position itself as golf’s leading global circuit outside the United States.
For LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil, that identity is no longer about staging tournaments in different timezones, but also about aligning more closely with the sport’s tradition. One of the league’s headline shifts for 2026 has been the switch from 54-hole events to 72 holes.
“The move to 72 holes was much talked about,” O’Neil said at the pre-season press conference. “For us, that was relatively simple. We want to make sure that our players are best prepared for the majors, that it’s not as much of a sprint, that our teams have a chance to recover after a tough day one.”
He added that the decision was also driven by the league’s commercial and broadcast momentum across several markets.
“With the overwhelming support we have seen in several of our markets, quite frankly, more content is better. More fans come in, more broadcast content social hospitality checks check,” O’Neil said.
Launched in 2022 after a great deal of fanfare, LIV Golf had initially differentiated itself from other golf tours with a shorter, more entertainment-led event model. This includes team competition, alongside individual scoring, concert programming and fan-focused activations.
After four campaigns with 54-holes, the shift back to 72 signals an attempt to preserve the golf identity while answering longstanding questions about competitive comparability with golf’s established tours.
Riyadh will now host the LIV Golf League season opener for the second consecutive season, following its debut under the night lights in February 2025. As the individual fund rises from $20 million to $22 million, and the team purse increases from $5 million to $8 million, LIV Golf is not backing down on its bid to showcase confidence and continuity as it enters its fifth season.
For the Kingdom, the role goes beyond simply hosting the opening event. Positioned at the crossroads of continents, Riyadh has become LIV’s gateway city — the place where the league sets its tone before exporting it across various locations across the world.
“Players from 26 countries? Think about that being even possible 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago,” O’Neil said. “That there would be players from 26 countries good enough to play at an elite level globally, and there is no elite platform outside the U.S.”
The departure of Brooks Koepka from LIV and his return to the PGA Tour has inevitably raised questions around player movement and long-term sustainability. O’Neil, however, framed the decision as a matter of fit rather than fallout.
“If you are a global citizen and you believe in growing the game, that means getting on a plane and flying 20 hours,” he said. “That’s not for everybody. It isn’t.”
Despite the separation, O’Neil insisted there was no animosity.
“I love Brooks. I root for Brooks. I am hoping the best for him and his family,” he emphasised.
Attention now turns to the players who have reaffirmed their commitment to LIV Golf, including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith. Amid continued tensions with the DP World Tour and the sport’s traditional power centres, O’Neil insists the league’s focus remains inward.
“There is no holy war, at least from our side. We are about LIV Golf and growing the game globally,” he said.
From Riyadh to Adelaide, from Hong Kong to South Africa, LIV Golf’s 2026 calendar stretches further ever than before. As debate continues over the league’s place within the sport, LIV is preparing to show that its challenge to golf’s established order is not, as some doubters suggest, fading.
With the spotlight firmly on its fifth season, Riyadh will provide the first impression — the opening statement from which LIV Golf intends to show the world where it stands.
