ZIMBABWE HAVE DONE IT! They have defended 10 off the last over. PAKISTAN LOSE BY ONE RUN. Pakistan lost Nawaz and Shaheen off the last two balls. What an over from Brad Evans. He was taken for a four but Zimbabwe held their nerve and crossed the finish line. FAMOUS WIN! Shaheen Afridi hit it back down the ground. The fielder collected the ball cleanly and threw the ball towards the wicketkeeper. Chakabva fumbled it before getting it back in his gloves and taking the bails.
PAK 120/6 in 19 overs v ZIM: Ngarava concedes Nawaz wants strike as he collects two brisk braces. He justifies the call with a six over fine leg off the fourth ball. 10 from the over.
PAK 109/6 in 18 overs v ZIM: Wasim gets a top edge off the second ball for four over the keeper’s head. Wasim has an almighty swing off the last ball but misses. 7 from the over but excellent comeback after that four.
PAK 102/6 in 17 overs v ZIM: Richard Ngarava bowls a tight 17th over. There was a review for caught behind but Wasim did not make any contact. Three runs from the over.
PAK 99/6 in 16 overs v ZIM: GONE! Shan Masood has been stumped off a wide ball. Chakabva quick as lightning. He goes for a 38-ball 44. Raza continues to weave his magic but it was Chakabva’s glovework that did the trick. Wasim is at the crease. Nawaz gets an outside edge through the empty cordon for four. Two dots to end the over. Raza’s done for the night - 3 for 25 from 4 overs.
PAK 93/5 in 15 overs v ZIM: Brad Evans comes back into the attack. There is a loud appeal for lbw against Shan off the first ball. Umpire doesn’t give it. Zimbabwe review and ball-tracking shows it’s umpire’s call on wickets. Zimbabwe retain the review. Chakabva puts in the dive but can’t hold on to an edge off Nawaz’s bat. Five singles from that eventful over.
PAK 88/5 in 14 overs v ZIM: Shadab brings up the 50 partnership off just 37 balls with a six over long on. Shadab falls off the very next ball! Raza with the breakthrough. Shadab goes for 17. Here’s Haider Ali. Haider Ali is given out lbw first ball! Haider reviews after a word with Shan. That’s plumb in front. Pakistan lose another wicket and a review. What an over. Nawaz to face the hat-trick ball. He survives. 8 runs and 2 wickets. Pakistan need 43 runs in 36 balls
PAK 80/3 in 13 overs v ZIM: Blessing is back into the attack. Shan and Shadab are running the ones and twos really hard. With the boundaries drying up, that’s the need of the hour. Three singles punctuated between two high-energy braces. Another couple to end the over. Pakistan need 51 runs in 42 balls.
PAK 71/3 in 12 overs v ZIM: Williams goes for 10. Good running between the wickets allows the two batters a three and a brace in the over.
PAK 61/3 in 11 overs v ZIM: Ryan Burl, into the attack after the break, keeps the pressure with a seven-run over.
PAK 54/3 in 10 overs v ZIM: More spin. Sean Williams with his left-arm orthodox. Five singles and a dot from the over. At the halfway mark, Pakistan are going at less than 5 an over in this chase. That will be drinks.
PAK 49/3 in 9 overs v ZIM: Raza continues. He tries the yorker but misses the line, lands one on the pads and Shan flicks it to the fine leg fence. Shan pinches 2 off the fifth ball. Single to end the over.
PAK 41/3 in 8 overs v ZIM: Jongwe comes into the attack. Shan Masood greets him with an innovative scoop for four. But Jongwe strikes off the fourth ball, gets Iftikhar caught down leg side. Shadab Khan is in next. Shan guides the last ball to third man for four. 10 from the over and a wicket.
PAK 31/2 in 7 overs v ZIM: Sikandar Raza comes into the attack. Zimbabwe have been excellent in the field as well. The players are attacking the ball and trying to cut the twos. That should keep the Pakistan batters on their toes. Only three ones from the over.
PAK 28/2 in 6 overs v ZIM: Evans continues. This has been Zimbabwe’s PowerPlay. Evans has kept it nice and straight; attacking the stumps and not giving the batters any room to work with. Off the fifth delivery, Iftikhar pulls a back of a length ball for four.
PAK 23/2 in 5 overs v ZIM: Muzarabani is back into the attack. GONE! Rizwan chops on. Big breakthrough. Iftikhar Ahmed in next. Great over. Three from it and the big wicket.
PAK 20/1 in 4 overs v ZIM: Evans comes into the attack. Babar Azam goes! Another low score from the Pakistan skipper. Burl takes a simple catch at point. Shan Masood in at 3. Rizwan gets a top edge for six over the keeper’s head!
PAK 12/0 in 3 overs v ZIM: Ngarava beats Rizwan with one that seams in sharply after pitching outside off. Next ball, Ngarava goes short and Rizwan pulls it over midwicket for four. Rizwan tees off for a risky single. A direct hit from mid-off and Rizwan was a goner. He had to put in the dive. Rizwan’s a bit sore after that dive. Babar gets his first runs of the 2022 T20 World Cup with a pull for four., on his seventh delivery. Nine from the over.
PAK 3/0 in 2 overs v ZIM: Blessing Muzarabani pressed into the attack. Rizwan on strike. Muzarabani has a slip in place. After three dot balls, Rizwan gets a single off the fourth. Two dots to finish.
PAK 2/0 in 1 over v ZIM: Babar was out for a first-ball duck against Zimbabwe. Ngarava with the new ball. Rizwan will take strike. Ngarava gets good swing into the right-hander. Rizwan is cramped for room. Dot ball. Rizwan is hurried by a pacy short ball. The batters scamper through for a single. Excellent start. Just 2 from the over including a wide.
Babar and Rizwan will begin the chase shortly. They would want to chase this down as quickly as possible so that they can also give that net run rate of theirs a boost.
END OF INNINGS
Wasim to close out. Evans on strike. Wasim starts with a dot. Evans launches the second ball over wide long on for six. That’s an 84-metre six! He is clean bowled next ball! His best figures in T20Is. He can still get a five-for! Richard Ngarava, left handed bat, comes to the crease. A single each off the fourth and fifth balls, respectively. Two off the last ball. 10 from the over. Zimbabwe finishes on 130/8.
ZIM 120/7 v PAK in 19 overs: Haris Rauf to bowl out. Burl gets a reprieve off the third ball. He is dropped by Haider at deep midwicket. Burl collects two. Rauf ends by conceding a single. This is now his most economical spell in T20Is. 1 for 12 from 4. Could have had a second but for that drop.
ZIM 115/7 v PAK in 18 overs: Naseem bowls a seven-run 18th over. A three and four singles. Excellent death bowling this.
ZIM 108/7 v PAK in 17 overs: Here’s Rauf. Brilliant from the right-armer. Fast and furious. Four from the over. Pakistan pacers have given away nothing here. After the initial onslaught, this has been a terrific adjustment.
ZIM 104/7 v PAK in 16 overs: Shaheen Shah back into the attack. Loud lbw appeal off the third ball but that was going down leg. Burl steals a leg bye. 6 off the over. Shaheen is done. 4-0-29-0 today. Another wicketless match.
ZIM 98/7 v PAK in 15 overs: Wasim into the attack. Sikandar Raza tries to take on one of the longest boundaries with a pull shot. He is caught easily by Rauf. Luke Jongwe, right handed bat, comes to the crease and plays on first ball! What a collapse this. Bradley Evans is the new man in. Wasim bowls a wide, looking for a leg stump yorker but gets his radar wrong. He bowls another wide! How much can Ryan Burl and Evans add to the tally? Just three runs and two wickets from it.
ZIM 95/5 v PAK in 14 overs: Shadab to bowl out. Shadab to Williams, who slog sweeps and is dropped by Iftikhar at deep-midwicket. To add insult to injury, ball races away for four. But Shadab gets his revenge off the fifth ball. Williams tries to play the reverse sweep but Shadab maintains a stump-to-stump line and Williams misses. He is castled. Next ball, Shadab gets Chakabva, who is caught at slip by Babar. 8 runs and 2 wickets.
ZIM 87/3 v PAK in 13 overs: Naseem Shah into the attack. Raza throws his hands at a wide ball and collects four from it. Much-needed four. Williams’ turn to collect a boundary as he swivels a pull to the fine leg fence. 1 to finish. 11 from the over. Second most expensive over so far.
ZIM 76/3 v PAK in 12 overs: Shadab into his third. Raza and Williams , two of Zimbabwe’s most experienced batters, will have to find a way to get Zimbabwe out of this rut. Pakistan bowlers have put a lid on the scoring rate, Just five singles from this over.
ZIM 71/3 v PAK in 11 overs: Rauf is back into the attack. Raza will be on strike. Rauf’s cranking it up here - pace and bounce. Four dots on the trot. Another dot. Rauf concedes 4 leg byes to end the over.
ZIM 67/3 v PAK in 10 overs: WICKET! Shadab strikes as Shumba offers a simple return catch. DRINKS! The in-form Sikandar Raza is in next. 6 runs and a wicket form it.
ZIM 61/2 v PAK in 9 overs: Shaheen into his third. Shumba pulls a short ball for four. Terrific hit off the front foot over wide long-on. Good awareness from the Zimbabwe batters as they steal an extra run after a ricochet off a direct hit on the fourth ball. DROPPED! Shumba gets a reprieve as Iftikhar Ahmed drops a catch inside the circle at midwicket. 8 from it.
ZIM 53/2 v PAK in 8 overs: Leg spinner Shadab Khan into action. Tidy start from Shadab, who goes for only four in his first. Sean Williams and Milton Shumba rebuilding. Just 15 runs from last four overs.
ZIM 49/2 v PAK in 7 overs:Here’s Shaheen Shah again. By the way, the 42-run opening stand was Zimbabwe’s second-highest opening stand at a T20 World Cup. Excellent comeback from Afridi. After an expensive first over, he comes back and bowls a two-run over. Zimbabwe’s momentum has been thwarted after those two wickets.
ZIM 47/2 v PAK in 6 overs: Wasim to bowl the final ball of the PowerPlay. Milton Shumba has joined Madhevere. Loud lbw appeal off the second ball. Not given. Wasim urges for a review and Babar obliges. Madhevere the batter. THREE REDS! Excellent review. Madhevere falls after a bright start. Sean Williams, the new man in, flashes at a short and wide ball and gets four. 5 runs and a wicket.
ZIM 42/1 v PAK in 5 overs: Haris Rauf into the attack. He has a slip in place. GONE! Rauf’s extra pace does the trick. Short ball at his body and Ervine is hurried into a pull. Wasim takes a good catch and Zimbabwe have lost a wicket. Four runs and a wicket.
ZIM 38/0 v PAK in 4 overs: Naseem gets a second inside the PowerPlay. Ervine drives down the ground for a couple. He pinches a single off the second ball. Wayward from Naseem so far, has bowled two wides in the over. He wraps up the over with a dot ball.
ZIM 31/0 v PAK in 3 overs: Here’s Muhammad Wasim into the attack. Ervine picks a single off the second ball. Madhevere steals a leg bye after missing a pull and being struck on the ribs. Wasim errs in line and length on the fifth ball, short and wide as Madhevere plays a flourishing cut behind square for four. Eight from the over.
ZIM 23/0 v PAK in 2 overs: Naseem Shah shares the new ball. Ervine greets him with a blistering drive for four. He follows it up with an exquisite flick for four more. Runs are flowing off the bat of Ervine. Single to end the over. Nine from it.
ZIM 14/0 v PAK in 1 over: Shaheen Afridi with the new ball. Ervine and Madhevere to open the batting. Madhevere collects three off the first ball. Ervine picks two off the second ball. There are two slips in place. A single to Ervine off the third. Madhevere pushes a full ball down the ground for four. Terrific timing and placement. Mere push. There’s an example of the lightening fast outfield. Madhevere follows it up with a brilliant cover drive for four. Expensive first over.
With India pocketing two more points, Pakistan desperately needs a win here. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, would look to cause an upset. Pakistan have picked an extra pacer in Wasim.
Toss Update: Zimbabwe has won the toss and elected to bat first. Tendai Chatara sits out for Brad Evans. Asif Ali makes way for Wasim.
PLAYING XI
India have beaten the Netherlands by 56 runs to go top of the points table.
We are less than 20 minutes away from toss. Over in Sydney, India is nearing a big win against the Netherlands.
FORM (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Pakistan LWWLW
Zimbabwe WLWWL
PAK VS ZIM HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD IN T20IS
Matches played: 17
Pakistan won: 16
Zimbabwe won: 1
Last result: Pakistan won by 24 runs (Harare; 2021)
Last five results: PAK won (4); ZIM won (1)
Highest score (PAK) vs ZIM: 198/4 (20) - (Harare; 2011)
Lowest score (PAK) vs ZIM: 99 (19.5) - (Harare; 2021)
Highest score (ZIM) vs PAK: 175/3 (20) - (Lahore; 2015)
Lowest score (ZIM) vs PAK: 108 (17.5) - (Harare; 2018)
FULL SQUADS
Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Haider Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Khushdil Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jr
Zimbabwe Squad: Regis Chakabva(w), Craig Ervine(c), Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Wesley Madhevere, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani, Tony Munyonga, Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Clive Madande, Richard Ngarava
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