Pakistan overcame a top-order collapse to secure a five-wicket victory over aZimbabwe in the opening match of the T20I tri-series on Tuesday. Chasing a modest target of 148, Pakistan reached 151 for five in the final over, marking a winning but tense start to the tournament. Zimbabwe, which has qualified for next year’s T20 World Cup, proved tough opposition with their disciplined bowling attack.
Zimbabwe's innings saw a collapse after a blistering start, with openers Brian Bennett, 49 and Tadiwanashe Marumani, 30 powering the score to 59 for no loss in the powerplay. However, the introduction of spinners Mohammad Nawaz, 2-22, Abrar Ahmed, 1-28, and Saim Ayub, 1-31 choked the scoring rate. Zimbabwe slumped from 88 for one in 10 overs to finish at 147 for eight, losing seven wickets for just 37 runs in the middle stretch.
Pakistan's chase began disastrously. Seamer Brad Evans, 2-26 was instrumental in sparking a collapse by removing Sahibzada Farhan, 16 and trapping former captain Babar Azam for a three-ball duck, leaving Pakistan reeling at 30 for three inside the powerplay. Veteran spin all-rounder Graeme Cremer then had Saim Ayub, 22 caught, pushing Pakistan further to 54 for four in the 10th over.
The hosts were rescued by a 61-run stand between Fakhar Zaman and wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan, 37 not out, which stabilized the chase. Zaman, making a comeback to the format, top-scored with 44 off 32 balls before being dismissed by Richard Ngarava. With 15 runs needed off the final 10 balls, Pakistan received a reprieve when Brian Bennett dropped a catch off Mohammad Nawaz, 20 not out off 12 balls at deep mid-wicket. Nawaz, who was named Player of the Match for his all-round display, secured the win with two successive boundaries in the final over.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha credited his spinners for the comeback: “Our spinners have been doing well for the last 4-5 months and they’re the ones that put us back in the game.” Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza expressed optimism despite the narrow loss: “We’re getting to a stage where the fight has always been there, but we must learn how to cross the line.” The tri-series continues on Thursday when Sri Lanka, the third team in the tournament, takes on Zimbabwe.