Pak vs Australia first T20 match halted as rain hits Sydney

Rain on Sunday has delayed the play between Pakistan and Australia in the first of three Twenty20s in Sydney.

By the time of the toss the clouds had started to build up and rain started to fall before the scheduled start with storms also forecast.

Pakistani T20 cricket players kept walking back to the pavilion one after the other by losing easy wickets to Australia.

At 12.4 overs, Pakistan were 88 for three wickets down.

Fakhar Zaman was out for no runs in the over of Mitchell Starc, followed by Haris Sohail, who could only get four runs of six balls with one boundary.

Wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan made comparatively better score of 31 runs of 33 balls with one four and one six.

Captain Babar Azam is playing handsomely with 43 runs of 29 balls only, including 4 fours and a six, taking him to a strike rate of 148.28.

Struggling Pakistan batsmen were 64 for two wickets at 10 overs.

Australia, who are in form and fresh from a 3-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka, won the toss and chose to bowl first.

In contrast, Pakistan were embarrassed recently by a second-string Sri Lanka at home across three matches last month.

That debacle cost Sarfaraz Ahmed his job as captain and a place in the squad, while experienced campaigners Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez were also axed in the shorter format.

The world’s number one ranked T20 batsman Babar Azam is captaining the team as he tries to re-build for the World Cup next year.

After Sydney, the series moves to Canberra on Tuesday before a final game in Perth before the sides face each other in two Tests.