- Saim Ayub plays 36 knocks off 18 deliveries.
- Spinner Sufyan Muqeem takes five wickets for 3 runs.
- Pakistan leads 2-0 over Zimbabwe
Pakistan registered a dominant win over Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to clinch the three-match series after edging out the hosts in the second T20I played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Tuesday.
In pursuit of a modest total of 58 runs, Pakistan managed to pull out a win within the power batting game without losing a single wicket.
Left-handed opener Saim Ayub was the primary aggressor on the match-winning stand, thanks to his quick knock of 36 runs off 18 deliveries, studded with six fours and a six.
His opening partner Omair Ben Youssef was not as impressive as he scored an unbeaten 22 goals from just 15 deliveries, notching two fours and a six in the process.
The home team’s captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and elected to bat first. But his decision backfired as Zimbabwe’s batting unit exposed a meager 57 in the 13th over.
The home team got off to a good start in their innings with Tadiwanashi Marumane and Piran Bennett sensibly leading the way.
The opening duo registered a quick 37-run partnership, which continued with Maromane’s dismissal of Abbas Afridi in the fifth over. He scored 16 off 14 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.
Fellow opener Bennett followed suit, just three balls later, falling victim to Haris Rouf. Bennett remained Zimbabwe’s top scorer with 14 goals and 21 goals.
Successive dismissals led to a decisive collapse of the match, largely caused by the fielders, which saw Zimbabwe fall from 37/2 to 57 all out.
Besides the openers, none of Zimbabwe’s bowlers were able to compile double figures as Pakistan’s bowlers dominated the proceedings.
Left-arm spinner Sufyan Muqim was the standout bowler for the Green Shirts, returning bowling figures of 5/3 in 2.4 overs – the best by a Pakistani bowler in men’s T20Is, after Umar Gul’s 5/6.
Right-arm spinner Abbas took two wickets, while Rauf, Salman Ali Agha and Abrar Ahmed scored a wicket each.
The 10-wicket win took Pakistan to a 2-0 lead over Zimbabwe in the ongoing three-match series, with the T20I scheduled to be held on December 5 at the same venue.
Pakistan playing XI
Salman Ali Agha (C), Saim UP, Umair Bin Yusuf, Askam Khan (WK), Tayyab Tahir, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Muqim.