Zimbabwe recorded a thrilling two-wicket win over Pakistan in the final over in the third T20I. They hunted down 133 with just one ball to spare to register their third T20I win against Pakistan.
The hosts almost made a meal of what looked like a straightforward run-chase. It took some late hitting from debutant Tinotenda Maposa to take Zimbabwe over the line.
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first. However, Zimbabwe struck early in the powerplay and put the visitors under pressure. Blessing Muzarabani broke through on his second delivery as Omair Yousuf slashed one straight to third man.
Wellington Masakadza got the better of Sahibzada Farhan before Muzarabani picked up his second wicket by getting rid of Usman Khan. At 19/3, Pakistan were in trouble.
Tayyab Tahir came out on the attack and hit two fours along with one six before debutant Tinotenda Maposa got rid of him. Tahir made 21 off 14 balls and he shared a 33-run stand with captain Salman Agha who almost held one end up. Qasim Akram walked in and got a start as well.
The 22-year-old struck three boundaries and stitched a 30-run partnership with Agha who was largely going at a run-a-ball. Ryan Burl struck in his first over as he dismissed Akram and broke a threatening stand. Agha was runout a couple of overs later to leave the visitors in further trouble at 92/6.
After the captain fell, Pakistan could muster just 30 runs in their last 34 balls. They finished at 132/7 in their 20 overs.
Zimbabwe off to a flying start before Pakistan fight back
In reply, Zimbabwe got off to an excellent start. Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani got a flurry of boundaries as the hosts raced to 40 in 3.1 overs. It was skipper Agha who got the much-needed breakthrough for Pakistan. Marumani was out for a six-ball 15.
Zimbabwe slowed down after the first wicket but the second wicket stand between Bennett and Dion Myers solidified their position. The duo shared a 33-run stand put Zimbabwe in a good position.
Bennett holed out to give last game’s hero Sufiyan Muqeem his first wicket. At the 10-over mark, Zimbabwe were excellently placed at 75/2. They needed just 58 runs in the final 10 overs.
However, post that, they kept losing wickets. Abbas Afridi came into the attack and got two wickets in as many overs. Muqeem bowled a maiden in the 16th over before Jahandad Khan got rid of the dangerman Sikandar Raza.
With 21 needed in the last two overs, Abbas Afridi conceded nine runs and dismissed Masakadza in the penultimate over. Zimbabwe required 12 runs in the final over and Maposa smashed a four and six on the first two balls in the final over to kill the game.
Things got interesting when Tashinga Musekiwa was dismissed on the fourth ball of the 20th over. Richard Ngarava walked in and sealed the game for Zimbabwe who gained a consolation win. Pakistan eventually won the series 2-1.
It was Zimbabwe’s 3rd T20I win over Pakistan, all of them coming in the last six matches. Brian Bennett was named the player of the match for his 43 off 35 balls.
BRIEF SCORES: Pakistan 132/7 (Salman Agha 32, Tayyab Tahir 21, Blessing Muzarabani 2/25, Ryan Burl 1/15) lost to Zimbabwe 133/8 (Brian Bennett 43, Sikandar Raza 19, Abbas Afridi 3/24, Jahandad Khan 2/30) by two wickets.
