Stand-out batting performances from wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan and skipper Babar Azam helped Pakistan defeat Zimbabwe comfortably in the third and final T20I of the series in Harare this Sunday (April 25).
Rizwan’s superb knock of 91 not out off 60 deliveries and a measured half-century from Babar (52 off 46 balls) contributed immensely in setting up a Pakistani victory in the decider of the three-match series, which had been levelled 1-1.
Rizwan was the aggressor of the two, while Babar played the anchor as Pakistan’s two in-form batsmen put on 124 runs for the second wicket to set the visitors on their way to a total of 165/3 in the allotted 20 overs, the highest team score of the entire three-match series played on bowler-friendly tracks in Harare.
Pacer Luke Jongwe (3/37) was once again among the wickets for Zimbabwe, while Wellington Masakadza (0/24) went economical on the day. The hosts needed from the likes of Blessing Muzurabani (0/35), Richard Ngarava (0/34) and Ryan Burl (0/33), who couldn’t keep the pressure on and force Babar or Rizwan to take risks at any stage.
Wesley Madhevere and Tadiwanashe Marumani were the two best performers with the bat for Zimbabwe. While Madhevere made a fine half-century (59 off 47 balls), Marumani struck 35 runs off 26 deliveries during his stay. The efforts from the duo, however, went in vain eventually as the hosts once again failed to put in a collective batting effort. Experienced Brendon Taylor (20) also struggled through his 22-ball knock, and none of the other Zimbabwe batter from the three names mentioned reached a double-digit score.
Taking confidence from runs being put on board by Rizwan and Babar, the Pakistan bowling attack restricted Zimbabwe to just 141/7 in their quest to chase down the 166-run target. Hassan Ali (4/18) was the visitors’ chief destroyer with the ball and was supported quite nicely by the likes of Mohammad Hasnain (1/26), Haris Rauf (2/34) and Faheem Ashraf (0/30).
While happy with the 2-1 series win, Pakistan will feel they need to resurrect their middle-order batting issues in the build-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November in India. The visitors looked highly vulnerable through the course of the series, especially when Babar and Rizwan didn’t come to the party.
For Zimbabwe, the series offered a good opportunity to lock horns with a major full-member country and see where they stand in terms of progress. The hosts will feel inspired by their fighting victory in the low-scoring 2nd T20I last Friday (April 23), which helped them end their 15-match losing streak against Pakistan in the shortest format on the international stage.
Mohammad Rizwan received the ‘Player of the Series’ award for topping the run-charts with 186 runs from 3 innings at a strike rate of 133.81. The wicketkeeper-batter had also batted well on the recent limited-overs trip to South Africa and mentioned how it wasn’t easy to adjust the tracks employed for the T20Is against Zimbabwe.
“The pitch was good early on with the new ball. But after the powerplay, it stayed low. We knew that it would be difficult for the new batsmen coming in and that is what we tried. We just tried to use our minds and bat through, especially Babar and me. We decided that both of us would hit and the one who survived would bat through.”
said Rizwan at the post-match presentation ceremony. “
Pakistan’s African sojourn will now move to the Test matches as they take on Zimbabwe in a two-match series, starting April 29 in Harare.
Brief scores 3rd T20I
Pakistan 165/3 in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 91*, Babar Azam 52; Luke Jongwe 3/37) beat Zimbabwe 141/7 in 20 overs (Wesley Madhevere 59, Tadiwanashe Marumani 35; Hasan Ali 4-18) by 24 runs.
