KEY POINTS
- Brian Bennett (49) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (30) gave Zimbabwe a strong start.
- Mohammad Nawaz, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Salman Mirza, along with two run-outs, kept Pakistan in control.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Pakistan tightened their grip on the opening T20I of the tri-series after restricting Zimbabwe to 147 despite a brisk start from the visitors at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Opting to bowl first, Pakistan were tested early as Zimbabwe’s top order laid a solid platform. Brian Bennett played the standout innings, smashing 49 off 36 balls with eight boundaries, while Tadiwanashe Marumani added an aggressive 30 from 22 deliveries.
The pair powered Zimbabwe to 72/0 inside eight overs before Pakistan staged a strong comeback.
Brendan Taylor’s run-out for 14 triggered a slide as Mohammad Nawaz struck twice, removing Marumani and Ryan Burl to shift momentum.
Bennett soon followed, caught and bowled by Saim Ayub, reducing Zimbabwe from 91/1 to 94/3.
Skipper Sikandar Raza held the innings together with an unbeaten 34 off 24 balls, but lacked substantial support as wickets continued to fall.
Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza and Saim Ayub claimed one wicket each, while sharp fielding produced two crucial run-outs.
Zimbabwe managed only 35 runs in the last five overs, finishing at a run rate of 7.35. The win predictor heavily favoured Pakistan, giving them an 85.27% chance of victory at the halfway stage.
Pakistan’s chase of 148 will be led by openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub, backed by a strong middle order featuring Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and captain Agha Salman.
