Australia cruise to victory in T20 series opener

Megan Schutt produced a career-best display with the ball as Australia cruised to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan in the opening T20I at North Sydney Oval.

Schutt picked up 5-15, the first five-wicket haul of her international career and the third-best T20I figures by an Australian woman, as Pakistan were bowled out for 118 after opting to bat first.

Ellyse Perry (57no off 40) was promoted to the top of the order alongside skipper Meg Lanning with regular opener-wicketkeeper Beth Mooney suffering from soreness after the first innings, and the veteran allrounder seized her chance, hitting her third T20I fifty in her last four innings as Australia reached their target in 13.4 overs.

Lanning, playing her first T20 since the Commonwealth Games, found the boundary three times before she was bowled by Sadia Iqbal for 14 off eight, and Tahlia McGrath suffered a similar fate when her stumps were rattled by Nida Dar.

But there were no further hiccups as Perry thrived at her favourite ground, hitting seven fours and a six to finish unbeaten on 57 from 40 balls.

At the other end Ashleigh Gardner was equally aggressive, stroking 30 not out off 19.

Earlier, openers Muneeba Ali and Javeria Khan made a bright start, putting on 27 from the first four overs before Perry intervened with a superb yorker that bowled Muneeba for eight.

Schutt’s first came via a canny review, with UltraEdge revealing a delivery down leg had brushed the glove of Pakistan skipper Bismah Maroof (1) before being pouched by Beth Mooney behind the stumps.

The 30-year-old had a second the same over when Sadaf Shamas spooned a simple catch to Perry at mid-on.

Alana King took one of the catches of the summer, leaping to her left and hanging onto a sharp one-handed return catch, removing the dangerous Dar for eight.

Ayesha Naseem injected some much-needed impetus to the Pakistan innings, smacking maximums off King, Brown and McGrath, before King got the last laugh when she bowled the aggressive 18-year-old for 24 off 20.

Schutt’s return in the 17th over brought about the wicket of Fatima Sana (5), before she had Omaima Sohail (30) and Tuba Hussan (0) both caught by Grace Harris in the penultimate over to seal her career-best haul.

Australia sprung no surprises in their first T20I XI since December’s tour of India, with Lanning filling injured opener Alyssa Healy’s role at the top of the order.

There were three changes in total from that dead rubber final T20I in Mumbai, with Lanning returning having missed that trip during her cricket hiatus, Jess Jonassen back from the hamstring injury that cut short her subcontinent trip and Megan Schutt, who was rested for that game, replacing Phoebe Litchfield, Heather Graham and Kim Garth.

The action now moves to Hobart, where the second T20I will be played at Blundstone Arena on Thursday evening.

The three-game series is a chance for both teams to fine tune their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup in South Africa, where Australia will be vying for a third consecutive title.

CommBank T20I Series

Tuesday Jan 24: North Sydney Oval, 1:45pm

Thursday Jan 26: Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 7:05pm

Sunday Jan 29: Manuka Oval, Canberra, 1:45pm

Buy #AUSvPAK T20 tickets here

Australia T20I squad: Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

Pakistan T20I squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Tuba Hassan