With Australia defending 9-147 at the SCG on Saturday night, Johnson bagged 5-26 with the ball to have Pakistan all out for 134 and help the hosts to an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Johnson's haul made him only the sixth bowler in history to take five wickets in a match for Australia in T20s, and usurped James Faulkner's 5-27 from 2016 as the best by a quick.
Making the feat even more remarkable was that Johnson's first over went wicketless and for 12 runs, as he sprayed a ball to first slip and gave away five wides to the fine-leg boundary.
But from there, the left-armer delivered with his first ever white-ball five-wicket haul at domestic or international level.
A �� wicket haul now for Spencer Johnson 🔥— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) 📺Watch #AUSvPAK on ch.501 or on @kayosports https://t.co/sOOmnqnKOT�� BLOG https://t.co/U5qhEdaJkH🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/CponCy0smF pic.twitter.com/3ony39SR16November 16, 2024
He removed Muhammad Rizwan and Salman Agha with successive balls to leave Pakistan reeling at 4-44, before Usman Khan and Irfan Khan launched a comeback.
The pair put on 58 for the fifth wicket in quick time, with Usman hitting Adam Zampa (2-19) inside out over cover for six and four other boundaries.
Then it was up to Johnson to again deliver, getting Usman caught on the pull shot for 52 before also getting Abbas Afridi at cover in the same over.
Pakistan were able to get the equation down to 24 from the final two overs and 16 needed off six balls.
But Haris Rauf was run out attempting to come back for a second, with the tourists requiring 15 from four.
Earlier, Australia squandered a red-hot start from Matt Short (32 from 17) and Jake Fraser McGurk (20 from nine).
The pair blasted 47 runs off the first 15 deliveries before losing 9-100 from the next 105 balls of the innings.
Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short put on a blistering 52 for the opening wicket in Sydney. (AP PHOTO)
Australia hit as many boundaries in that first 2.3 overs as they did the rest of the innings, with the pair both pulling the ball over the legside rope.
But the game changed when McGurk was caught trying to jump and uppercut Rauf, and Josh Inglis was caught behind for a duck two balls later.
From there wickets fell regularly as Pakistan took the pace off the ball, and Rauf finished with figures of 4-22 to take his tally of wickets for the tour to 15.
And while his heroics were enough to deliver Pakistan to a 2-1 ODI series win, they will depart Australia after Monday's third T20 in Hobart without series success in the shortest format.
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