Richardson, Starc and Abbott blow Pakistan away on rapid Perth pitch
Pakistan never recovered from the loss of three wickets inside their Powerplay
Pakistan never recovered from the loss of three wickets inside their Powerplay
Scorer: M Venkat Raghav | Commentator: Danyal Rasool
Finch comes up, shares a big, friendly handshake with Babar on the way. "Really proud of my boys. The way we've applied ourselves over the last couple of weeks has been really impressive. We're improving as a team, and that's the most important thing. The way Ashton bowled in these two series was amazing. He was outstanding, alongside Adam Zampa, and they were bowling against quality players of spin. The quicks in the Powerplay were outstanding, too. Starc in general and Abbott today.
"It's pleasing one of our top three batted really deep throughout the two series, and we can only kick on from here."
So Australia finish 2019 unbeaten in the shortest format, and within 12 months, have propelled themselves to among the hottest favourites for the World T20 next year. For now, they celebrate with the trophy, and it's time for us to sign off here. From Danyal and Alex, goodbye, and many thanks for joining us.
Babar is up there now. "I am very disappointed, but we lost to a very good team. We've learnt a lot and we want to make sure we don't make the same mistakes again. As captain, I learnt a lot personally too, but there's along way to go. Musa and Hasnain were bowling well, but Finch and Warner were just in a different class. We wanted to blood them through, however, and I'm sure the experience will be good for them in future. Our focus moves to the Test series and the four-day games now, and we're excited for it."
Right, so here come the presentations. The player of the match is Sean Abbott. Fantastic on his return to international cricket; first game for Australia in 5 years.
"It's been a privilege to be part of this side," he says. "A lot of hard work has gone into it, but there's a lot of talent in this country. It's awesome to be back out here tonight. The guys have been playing really well and they've welcomed me back in the group. Very pleased."
The player of the series is Steve Smith; I suppose the innings in the second T20I was good enough to merit it.
"It was nice to contribute, but i'm a little but surprised to be up here for this award." He pays rich tribute to the bowlers, too. "You always want to try and do well for the team and get better and it was nice to contribute to the team. My role is to fix it when the top two don't come off."
We're with you for the presentations, hopefully, and we'll bring you what the captains had to say after an exceptionally one-sided game here in Perth
Australia keep their unbeaten T20 streak in 2019 intact. Pakistan never looked like threatening that, in reality. The 2-0 scoreline actually flatters Pakistan; Australia would have romped home in the first T20, surely. Many thought Pakistan would be a sterner test for Australia than Sri Lanka, but if anything, Babar Azam's men have rolled over even more easily. The pacers were ineffective; Australia lost three wickets in the whole series. The batsmen were abject, relying on Babar and Iftikhar to put runs on the board, when more contributions were needed.
junaid: "Phenomenal stuff from Aussies. Only lost 3 wickets in a T20 series. Take a bow" No question
Pakistan never recovered from the loss of three wickets inside their Powerplay
The hosts will not be able to overtake Pakistan to be the No. 1 T20I team even with a win in Perth, but the series is still on the line