Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by five wickets in the first match of the T20I tri-series in Rawalpindi. Mohammad Nawaz’s all-round brilliance made all the difference for the Men in Green.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first. Zimbabwe openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani gave them a strong start. They added 72 runs for the first wicket. Marumani was the first to fall after scoring 30. After his wicket, Zimbabwe kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
From 91/1, they got reduced to 128/8 at one stage, losing seven wickets for 37 runs. Eventually, they finished with 147/8 in their 20 overs. Bennett top-scored with 49 off 36 balls, hitting eight fours. Captain Sikandar Raza also played well for his unbeaten 34. For Pakistan, Nawaz took two wickets while Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, and Shaheen Shah Afridi chipped in with one wicket each.
Pakistan had a slow and shaky start in the chase. They lost three wickets in the powerplay. Experienced batter Fakhar Zaman then built a key stand of 61 runs off 39 balls with Usman Khan.
This partnership gave Pakistan the stability they needed and set up the chase. Later, Nawaz joined Usman, and the pair made sure Pakistan reached the target without any further damage. They sealed the win with five wickets and four balls to spare.
They added an unbeaten 36-run partnership. Fakhar was the top scorer with 44 off 32 balls. Usman and Nawaz remained not out on 37 and 21. For Zimbabwe, Brad Evans picked two wickets. Deservingly, Nawaz was named Player of the Match for his all-round contribution and now, Pakistan’s next clash is against Sri Lanka on November 22.
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