Glenn Maxwell went berserk with the bat, then Xavier Bartlett ripped apart Pakistan’s top order as Australia dominated a seven-over Gabba Twenty20 slog to win by 29 runs.
Lightning and heavy rain reduced Thursday’s series opener in Brisbane to a seven-overs-a-side contest and it was one-way traffic as soon as Maxwell strode to the crease to crash 43 off 19 balls.
His brazen innings featured boundaries to all corners, before Marcus Stoinis chimed in with 21 off seven balls, including 10 off the final two deliveries of the innings as Australia finished on 3-93.
The visitors could only muster 9-64 in their reply as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
“If the batsman bats like that, it’s difficult for you,” Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said.
“Really fast-paced, you can’t predict anything (in a 14-over game) … this kind of situation suits Maxwell.”
Pakistan had bossed the hosts in their last two 50-over contests, losing just three wickets combined on their way to an impressive series win.
But their batsmen came unstuck on Thursday, Queensland opener Bartlett (3-13) taking two wickets in a four-run second over to set the tone.
He got Rizwan with his first delivery, the captain’s ambitious slog sweep backfiring to put Pakistan on the back foot.
Nathan Ellis (3-9) was just as effective, taking 2-4 in the next over as the visitors slumped to 5-16.
Barlett’s third wicket was the icing on the cake, the 25-year-old now boasting nine wickets in five T20 internationals.
Adam Zampa then got in on the action, taking two wickets in the final over that began with Pakistan needing 41 for victory.
Ellis, like Bartlett, was back from injury that kept him out of the recent tour of England.
“For us now … it’s cool to see that combination and patterns we can put together,” Ellis said of the partnership.
“He’s got so much talent and is such a good bloke.”
Maxwell entered the match with scores of 0, 16 and 0 in Australia’s 50-over series loss.
After sitting in the changeroom for nearly three hours, he reverse paddled his first delivery for four, one of four boundaries in his first six deliveries.
The Victorian flushed another reverse paddle that went over the head of the man on the rope and narrowly missed an unsuspecting spectator in the third row.
The mercurial dasher then heaved a six over mid-wicket and another over mid-off from Haris Rauf’s second over, racing to 40 off 15.
A frenetic innings was halted by a well-aimed Abbas Afridi bouncer, Maxwell hurried as he found the man on the rope.
“We blinked and the boys were out there batting … for Maxy to go out and do what he did first ball,” Ellis said.
“He’s a freak but that’s pretty well documented … pretty good signs for us.”
Earlier, the lean run of opening pair Matt Short (seven) and Jake Fraser McGurk (nine) at international level continued.
McGurk, who clipped his first two balls to the boundary, threw his head back in disgust after drilling a catch to point.
Game two is in Sydney on Saturday, with Hobart to host the final fixture on Monday.
