Aus vs Pak 2nd T20I: Spencer Johnson pushes case for full-time role with another SCG special
Spencer Johnson is making fond memories of the SCG. For the second consecutive appearance there, he walked away as player of the match as a career-best 5 for 26 sealed the T20I series against Pakistan.

 

They were the best figures by an Australian men’s quick in T20Is, surpassing James Faulkner’s 5 for 27 also against Pakistan in Mohali in 2016, and follows his title-winning performance in last season’s BBL final against Sydney Sixers, where he claimed 4 for 26. Add 3 for 28 also against the Sixers in early 2023, and he has 12 wickets at 6.66 inches. T20 on the ground.

 

“To be honest, that doesn’t really make any sense,” Johnson said of his numbers Saturday night. “It’s nice to be back at the SCG. My last time here was in the Big Bash final and the conditions were in the player’s favour.”

 

Like that BBL game, where he was hit for three boundaries off his four balls before turning things around, it was not an ideal start in front of a crowd of 31,563 as his first ball went five times down the leg side. and his The third was the first to slip.

 

But Johnson had confidence in himself and in his second over he removed Sahibzada Farhan. Then, when he returned in the 10th over, he took a hat-trick with the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha before delivering the decisive blow by removing Usman Khan for 52 as he threatened to turn the game in Pakistan’s favour.

 

“I’ve played enough T20 cricket to know that, match after match, you can have good matches and bad matches,” Johnson said. “A lot of times it’s not your fault. You can execute badly. But I knew tonight I had three overs to recover. I felt like the first over in that Big Bash final I was a little bit under pressure, and “I was thinking about that game and that I was still I had three overs to contribute to the team.”

 

Johnson is among a group of Australian fast bowlers fighting for their opportunities in white-ball cricket when the big three of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are absent as they are in this series. With that trio talking about Test cricket being a priority, there could be some chance of renewal in Australia’s first-choice T20 attack ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup following their exit from the Super Eight in this year’s tournament. , although Johnson does not expect a quick change. .

 

“I know the big three are going to be here for a long time,” Johnson said. “They’re not going anywhere, they’re just getting better. Being able to participate and be part of the team a lot more will only help me there. They’re incredibly durable and they’ve done it for so long. They’re definitely the benchmark.”

 

Johnson, who missed the white-ball tour of the UK in September with a side strain, admitted that going back game after game remained a challenge for him. He is expected to play the final T20I in Hobart on Monday, which would make it four games in a row, as he also featured in the deciding ODI in Perth and has his sights set on a Sheffield Shield exit for South Australia ahead of the BBL with Brisbane Heat.

 

“The durability question mark is there for me and hopefully the more I play, the more durable I will become.” said. “I feel like the body is getting there. It’s taken its time.”

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