Tight win helps Pakistan take series 2-0

There was a pitched battle at Lord’s but at the Gaddafi Stadium, yearning hearts were won over once again in a thrilling contest. Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by two wickets with two balls to spare, in another last-over finish, to clinch the T20 series 2-0 and, like Friday, the occasion got bigger than the game.

The unheralded batting talent of Bilawal Bhatti came to the fore with Pakistan needing 12 off the final over. He first smote Brian Vitori for a straight six and, after picking up two, carved the bowler through the covers for the winning runs.

Zimbabwe will feel hard done by with the result as they fought tooth and nail with patches of excellent batting and fielding. However, the home side edged the game at the right moments – like the last two overs of the Zimbabwe innings or Shoaib Malik’s tight four overs which kept Zimbabwe’s score down to 175 for 3. Mukhtar Ahmed’s second successive fifty was also important, while the Lahore crowd kept Pakistan, in the game with their noise.

Chasing 176, Pakistan lost their first wicket in the fifth over when Ahmed Shehzad chopped the ball to mid-off for Vusi Sibanda’s first of three catches. Shehzad and Mukhtar Ahmed had added 44 runs, but it was nothing like their dominating 142-run stand in the previous game.

Mukhtar, however, continued to bat confidently, finding boundaries regularly even as debutant Nauman Anwar and Shoaib Malik fell to a catch at long-on and a run-out, respectively. Mukhtar hit boundaries through point, third-man and fine-leg in the second over before an onslaught against Graeme Cremer in the eighth over, in which the legspinner conceded 19 runs.

He reached 50 off 33 balls but in the 14th over, holed out to long-on off Sikandar Raza’s bowling, with Pakistan needing a further 59 runs off 39 balls.

Shahid Afridi entered with usual fanfare but lasted just three balls before skying Williams for a catch near mid-off. Raza fumbled for a moment but did not let go of the chance.

Zimbabwe kept picking up wickets, even as Pakistan batsmen kept themselves within touching distance of the required run-rate. Umar Akmal was leg-before to Chris Mpofu before Anwar Ali was yorked by Willams in the 17th and 18th overs respectively. Mohammad Rizwan, playing in place of Sarfraz Ahmed, holed out to a great running catch by Raza when Pakistan needed 15 off 11 balls.

Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif congratulated the team for sweeping the series and thanked the visiting team Zimbabwe for not paying heed to rumours and taking the step to visit Pakistan.

Zimbabwe

V Sibanda c Anwar Ali b Shahid Afridi      49

H Masakadza c Anwar Ali b Shoaib Malik                39

SC Williams not out         58

E Chigumbura c Ahmed Shehzad b Mohammad Sami      21

CK Coventry† not out    2

Extras (lb 2, w 2, nb 2)    6

Total (3 wickets; 20 overs)            175

Did not batSikandar Raza, AG Cremer, CJ Chibhabha, CB Mpofu, BV Vitori, P Utseya

Fall of wickets 1-68 (Masakadza, 8.3 ov), 2-136 (Sibanda, 16.4 ov), 3-168 (Chigumbura, 19.1 ov)

Bowling

Anwar Ali 3-0-31-0, Mohammad Sami 4-0-38-1, Bilawal Bhatti 3-0-31-0, Imad Wasim 2-0-14-0, Shahid Afridi 4-0-36-1, Shoaib Malik 4-0-23-1

Pakistan

Ahmed Shehzad c Sibanda b Vitori           18

Mukhtar Ahmed c Sibanda b Sikandar Raza          62

Nauman Anwar c Sibanda b Utseya         18

Shoaib Malik run out (Utseya)    7

Umar Akmal lbw b Mpofu            30

Shahid Afridi* c Sikandar Raza b Williams               7

Mohammad Rizwan† c Sikandar Raza b Mpofu   6

Anwar Ali b Williams       2

Imad Wasim not out       4

Bilawal Bhatti not out     13

Extras (b 2, lb 4, w 3)       9

Total (8 wickets; 19.4 overs)        176

Did not batMohammad Sami

Fall of wickets 1-44 (Ahmed Shehzad, 4.5 ov), 2-81 (Nauman Anwar, 8.3 ov), 3-95 (Shoaib Malik, 10.4 ov), 4-117 (Mukhtar Ahmed, 13.3 ov), 5-130 (Shahid Afridi, 14.2 ov), 6-152 (Umar Akmal, 16.5 ov), 7-155 (Anwar Ali, 17.3 ov), 8-161 (Mohammad Rizwan, 18.2 ov)

Bowling

CB Mpofu 4-0-25-2, BV Vitori 3.4-0-36-1, SC Williams 4-0-32-2, P Utseya 4-0-31-1, AG Cremer 2-0-27-0, Sikandar Raza 2-0-19-1

MATCH DETAILS

Toss – Zimbabwe, who chose to bat

Series – Pakistan won the 2-match series 2-0

T20I debuts – Imad Wasim and Nauman Anwar (Pakistan)

Player of the match – tba

Umpires – Ahmed Shahab and Ahsan Raza

TV umpire – Shozab Raza

Match referee – Azhar Khan

Reserve umpire – Khalid Mahmood