Spencer Johnson has produced the greatest-ever figures by an Australian quick in Twenty20 internationals, with his five-wicket haul bowling his side to a 13-run win over Pakistan.
With Australia defending 9-147 at the SCG on Saturday night, Johnson bagged 5-26 to have Pakistan all out for 134 and help the hosts to an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Johnson became only the sixth bowler in history to take five wickets in a match for Australia in T20s, and usurped James Faulkner’s 5-27 from 2016 as the best by a fast bowler.
“That doesn’t really make any sense to be honest,” an incredulous Johnson beamed of his achievement.
“It’s nice to be back at the SCG.
“My last time here was the Big Bash final and the conditions were in the bowler’s favour,” he added, reflecting on the 4-26 he took for Brisbane that day.
Making the feat even more remarkable this time was that Johnson’s first over went wicketless and for 12 runs as he sprayed one ball to first slip and gave away five wides to the fine-leg boundary.
But from there, the left-armer delivered with his first-ever white-ball five-wicket haul at domestic or international level.
“I’ve played enough T20 cricket to know game to game you can have good games and bad games,” Johnson said.
“A lot of time it’s through no fault of your own. You can mis-execute. But I knew tonight I had three overs to bounce back.
“I felt like the first over in that Big Bash final was a bit under pressure, and I was thinking back to that game and that I still had three overs to contribute to the team.”
Johnson removed Muhammad Rizwan and Salman Agha with successive balls to leave Pakistan reeling at 4-44, before Usman Khan and Irfan Khan launched a comeback.
The pair put on 58 for the fifth wicket in quick time, with Usman hitting Adam Zampa (2-19) inside out over cover for six and four other boundaries.
Then it was up to Johnson to again deliver, getting Usman caught on the pull shot for 52 before also getting Abbas Afridi at cover in the same over.
Pakistan were able to get the equation down to 24 from the final two overs and 16 needed off six balls.
But Haris Rauf was run out while attempting to come back for a second, with the tourists requiring 15 from four.
Earlier, Australia squandered a red-hot start from Matt Short (32 from 17) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (20 from nine).
The pair blasted 47 off the first 15 deliveries before losing 9-100 from the next 105 balls of the innings.
Australia hit as many boundaries in that first 2.3 overs as they did the rest of the innings, with the pair both pulling the ball over the legside rope.
But the game changed when Fraser-McGurk was caught trying to jump and uppercut Rauf, and Josh Inglis was caught behind for a duck two balls later.
Wickets then fell regularly as Pakistan took the pace off the ball, and Rauf finished with 4-22 to take his tally of wickets for the tour to 15.
And while his heroics were enough to deliver Pakistan to a 2-1 ODI series win, they will depart Australia after Monday’s third T20 in Hobart without series success in the shortest format.
AAP
