Pakistan and Australia players exchange jerseys, pleasantries after one-off T20I in Lahore

Australia beat Pakistan by three wickets in the one-off T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on April 5. By the virtue of this win in a final over thriller, not only did the Aussies end this bilateral tour on a high but also handed the Men In Green a second straight defeat in the shortest format in less than five months after they had beaten them in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 semifinal.

While both teams showed a competitive spirit on the field, the players were seen having a ball after the game ended. However, what really stood out here was them sharing pleasantries which went viral in no time as curtains came down on the successful one-month-long bilateral series.

Pakistan, Australia players win hearts after the conclusion of the bilateral series

In a video posted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on their official social media handles, the players of both sides were seen shaking hands with each other after Australia’s win in the one-off contest. Skipper Babar Azam was seen having a discussion with his opposite number Aaron Finch before taking his leave.

The camera then focused on the Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi handing over the team jersey to Finch after which they posed for a photograph. Leggie Shadab Khan and left-handed batter Matt Renshaw were then seen swapping their respective jerseys. The video ended with Babar Azam giving his bat to Aussie opener Travis Head.

At the end of a hard-fought T20I, Pakistan and Australia players exchanged shirts, caps and bats, a memorable end to a truly historic tour.#BoysReadyHain l #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/Y2kxFqjgKJ

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) April 6, 2022

Coming back to the contest, captain Babar was the lone half-centurion for the hosts. He was involved in a 67-run opening stand with wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. Once Rizwan was dismissed, the batting superstar had to take charge of the batting order on his own as he ran out of partners at the other end. His 66 runs from 46 deliveries propelled Pakistan to 162/8 from their 20 overs.

In reply, his Australian counterpart Aaron Finch played a great innings under pressure just when it appeared as if the hosts would make inroads picking up quick wickets. His 45-ball 55 gave much-needed momentum to the visitors and Ben McDermott finished off the proceedings in the final over as he remained unbeaten on 22 runs off 19 balls.