Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. ZIMBABWE fought to the bitter end as they lost to Pakistan by five wickets in a tense T20i tri-series opener in Rawalpindi yesterday.
It was not easy for Pakistan, which won the nail-biting match with just four balls to spare.
Zimbabwe were on top early in both innings but were guilty of failing to finish the match as well as set a huge target with the bat.
After Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first, Zimbabwe got off to a blistering start.
Brian Bennett (49) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (30) put on a 72-run opening stand inside the first eight overs.
However, their momentum quickly stalled once Marumani departed, and the middle order crumbled under pressure.
Despite the collapse, captain Sikandar Raza anchored the innings with an unbeaten 34 off 24 balls, guiding the Chevrons to a modest but competitive total of 147/8.
Mohammad Nawaz was the standout bowler for the hosts with impressive figures of 2/22.
The chase did not go quite as planned for the hosts, who were pegged back immediately.
Brad Evans dismissed opener Sahibzada Farhan (16) and then trapped Babar Azam lbw for a duck, three balls later.
Tinotenda Maposa claimed the scalp of captain Salman Agha for 1. The introduction of Graeme Cremer, making his first start since 2018, saw him strike three balls later, dismissing Saim Ayub (22) and leaving Pakistan reeling at 54 for 4.
Zimbabwe looked like they could defend their total until Usman Khan (37) joined Fakhar Zaman (44) at the crease. The duo put together a match-defining 61-run partnership, bringing Pakistan into touching distance of victory.
By the time Richard Ngarava removed Zaman, the damage had been done, with Pakistan needing 33 to win from 24 balls.
The game slipped away in the 19th over when Mohammad Nawaz, needing 15 from 10, was dropped by Brian Bennett.
The very next ball, Brad Evans bowled a costly no-ball, and the extra delivery was misfielded for a four.
Pakistan now needed 5 runs from the last six. It was Maposa who bowled the last over and was hit for two boundaries in the first two balls, handing the hosts a winning start to the tournament.
Nawaz’s cameo with the bat saw him score 21 runs from 12 balls.
The Chevrons play their next match against Sri Lanka tomorrow.
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