A fresh aesthetic Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 57 runs at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, thanks to a brilliant bowling showing and some late-game power hitting.
In the game’s third over, Richard Ngarava dismissed Omair Yousuf for 16 off 13. Pakistan started the powerplay cautiously, but before Wellington Masakadza dismissed Saim Ayub in his first over, they scored 21 runs in the fourth and fifth overs combined to reach 52.
Pakistan appeared destined to accept a below-par score after managing just 27 runs in overs 11–15.
In the 15th over, Irfan Khan was summoned to the crease, ending captain Salman Agha’s arduous 19-ball stint in the middle. From then on, Irfan and Tayyab Tahir worked together to advance the game. The tide shifted in favour of Pakistan after Ryan Burl gave up 12 runs in the 16th over. The pair’s blitz abruptly helped their team reach a manageable total, with the final three overs going for 10, 18, and 16.
Abrar Ahmed stopped Zimbabwe’s progress throughout the chase with a double-wicket over in powerplay. Tadiwanashe Marumani, on the other hand, stole the show with a maximum over deep fine leg and then a hat-trick of boundaries in the following over. Following the first six, Sikandar Raza and Marumani helped their team score 60, giving the impression that they were going to win the match.
However, Zimbabwe was once again derailed by a few quiet overs and an unfortunate run-out of Marumani. Raza witnessed two more batters die shortly after, leaving Zimbabwe with half of its batters in the shed. Honestly, the game was decided by Saim Ayub’s well timed leap at backward point to collect Raza’s catch. In his eighth Twenty20 International, Sufiyan Muqeem recorded a career-high 3/20, including a double-wicket over, to meet his quota. In the end, Haris Rauf gave Pakistan a resounding win.
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