Pakistan secured their place in the final of the T20 tri-series with a 69-run victory over Zimbabwe on Sunday, powered by mystery spinner Usman Tariq’s hat-trick and commanding half-centuries from Babar Azam and Sahibzada Farhan.
Chasing a target of 196, Zimbabwe crumbled to 126 all out in 19 overs, handing the hosts their third consecutive win in the tournament. Tariq was the architect of the collapse, claiming career-best figures of 4-18.
Tariq spun the batters in different directions, in the 10th over as he dismissed Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, and Wellington Masakadza off successive deliveries to complete his hat-trick. Munyonga was caught at short fine leg, Musekiwa was bowled, and Masakadza holed out to Babar at mid-off, reducing Zimbabwe from 60-4 to a hopeless 60-7.
He became only the fourth Pakistani bowler to achieve a T20 hat-trick, joining Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Hasnain, and Mohammad Nawaz. Later in the innings, he added the fourth by bowling Tinotenda Maposa with a googly.
Earlier, Pakistan elected to bat first and posted 195 runs on the board, thanks largely to a 103-run partnership for the second wicket between Babar and Farhan. Farhan continued his rich vein of form with a 35-ball 63, while Babar anchored the innings with a classy 74 off 52 balls, marking his 38th T20I half-century to equal Virat Kohli’s record for the most fifties in the format.
Fakhar Zaman provided the late fireworks, smashing an unbeaten 27 off just 10 balls, including three sixes in the final over off Brad Evans, to propel the score close to 200.
Zimbabwe’s chase never gained momentum as Pakistan’s pace attack struck early, reducing the visitors to 25-3 inside the powerplay. Ryan Burl offered the only resistance, scoring 67 not out off 49 balls. He shared a 44-run stand for the last wicket with Richard Ngarava to delay the inevitable, but the target proved insurmountable.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza acknowledged his team’s struggles against spin, stating, "The manner we’ve played spin we can’t carry on like that. We’ll help each other out and find our feet."
With this victory, Pakistan guarantees a spot in the final, while Zimbabwe will face Sri Lanka on Tuesday in a match crucial for the visiting teams. Sri Lanka, currently winless in two games, must win to stay alive in the competition. Pakistan, unbeaten so far, will look to maintain their momentum heading into the summit clash.
