Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in tri-series opener in Rawalpindi

Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe in the tri-nation series opener by five wickets on Tuesday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan chased a 148-run target with four balls to spare, with Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Khan remaining unbeaten on 20 and 37, respectively.

After a shaky start, Fakhar Zaman seared the ship with a 32-ball 44. Opener Saim Ayub struggled for 22.

Babar Azam had a disappointing outing, scoring a three-ball duck, while captain Salman Ali Agha was dismissed for one.

Brad Evans claimed two wickets for Zimbabwe, while Richard Ngarava, Tinotenda Maposa, and Graeme Cremer claimed a wicket each for the visitors.

Earlier, Pakistan’s bowlers produced an impressive fightback to limit Zimbabwe to 147/8 in the opening match of the T20I tri-series, despite the visitors getting off to a confident start.

After being asked to bat first, Zimbabwe looked in control as openers Tadiwanashe Marumani and Brian Bennett capitalised on the powerplay, putting Pakistan on the back foot during the first seven overs. The pair scored freely, rotating strike well and punishing loose deliveries.

Pakistan’s breakthrough came in the eighth over, when Mohammad Nawaz dismissed Marumani, who mistimed a pull to deep square leg after a brisk 30 off 22 balls (2 fours, 1 six). Bennett then added 19 for the second wicket with veteran Brendan Taylor, before the latter was run out following sharp fielding from Babar Azam in the 11th over.

Zimbabwe’s innings stumbled further when Bennett, having looked fluent throughout, fell to Saim Ayub off his own bowling for 49 off 36 (8 fours), handing Pakistan crucial momentum.

The dismissal sparked a middle-order collapse as Zimbabwe lost wickets in clusters. However, skipper Sikandar Raza held firm at one end, displaying composure under pressure and remaining unbeaten with 34 off 24 balls, hitting three fours and a six to guide his side to a competitive total.

For Pakistan, Nawaz delivered the most impactful spell with figures of 2/22 from four economical overs. Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza and Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up one wicket each, contributing to a disciplined collective bowling effort.

- Agencies