Afridi Leads Pakistan to 2-0 Win

If Pakistan are a confidence team, their Twenty20 efforts over the past two days augur well for next week’s first Test. A day after Pakistan ended their 12-match losing stretch against Australia across all formats, Mohammad Aamer helped them begin their own winning streak with an 11-run victory that brought 2-0 series triumph. Tests are a different story, but their Twenty20 form has given the group a spark.

There was a distinct sense of déjà vu after Monday’s game; again there was a big crowd of Pakistan fans, again Pakistan scored around the 160 mark and again Australia’s batsmen were tied down and couldn’t lift their tempo for a successful chase. Aamer made important late runs and then removed Australia’s openers, but Pakistan had useful contributions from all their key men.