By 
Zimbabwe pulled off a one-run win to beat Pakistan in a thrilling Super 12 match in Group 2 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 at Perth Stadium, on Thursday.
This loss was Pakistan’s second defeat out of their two matches in the Super 12 stage and their hopes of qualifying for the semifinals have become difficult now as they are placed 5th in the Group 2 table.
After choosing to bat first, Zimbabwe started well as openers Wessley Madhevere and skipper Craig Ervine played some brilliant shots inside the first two overs. Zimbabwe scored five boundaries inside the first three overs and were 42/1 in 4.4 overs after Haris Rauf dismissed captain Craig Ervine on 19 (19).
In the very next over, Madhevere got trapped lbw by Wasim as Pakistan put a break on their momentum. Milton Shumba was then dismissed caught and bowled by leg-spinner Shadab Khan before Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza added a 31-run partnership off 26 balls for the fourth wicket.
Things turned pretty quickly for Pakistan as Shadab took two wickets on successive deliveries to dismiss Williams on 31 off 28 and Regis Chakabva on a first-ball duck. Captain Babar Azam took a spectacular catch of Chakabva standing at first slip.
In the next over, Zimbabwe lost another two wickets on successive balls, as Mohammad Wasim dismissed all-rounder Sikandar Raza on 9 (16) and Luke Jongwe on 0 (1).
Zimbabwe quickly went from 95/3 to 95/7 as Pakistan’s bowlers went on a rampage in Perth. However, Zimbabwe eventually managed to put up a total of 130/8 on board with some late cameo from Bradley Evans down the order who scored 19 off 15 with one six.
Mohammad Wasim Jr (4/24) and Shadab Khan’s (3/23) clinical bowling performances helped Pakistan restrict Zimbabwe to 130/8 in 20 overs. Wasim and Shadab shared seven wickets between themselves to trigger a drastic collapse which was well assisted by Pakistan’s bowling spearhead Haris Rauf who was economical and ended with figures of 1/12 from his four overs.
Chasing a small total, Pakistan lost their openers, Babar Azam on 4 (9) and Mohammed Rizwan on 14 (16) in the powerplay as they were in deep trouble at 23/2 in 4.4 overs.
Despite this early blow, left-hander Shan Masood kept his team’s chase alive and played a fighting knock of 44 off 38 balls before getting stumped off Raza. After his dismissal, the match kept slipping from the hands of Pakistan as Zimbabwe bowlers bowled economically without bowling any loose balls.
But Pakistan’s lower-middle order batters kept on fighting till the end as Mohammad Nawaz scored 22 (18) with 1 four and a six along with Mohammad Wasim Jr who remained unbeaten on 12 (13) with two fours. However, Pakistan’s hopes got completely shattered when Nawaz got out on the second last ball of the last over of the innings. On the last ball needing 3 off 1, Shaheen Shah Afridi was run-out while going for the second run as Pakistan lost by one run ending at 129/8 in 20 overs.
Sikandar Raza was the most successful bowler for Zimbabwe and was awarded Player of the Match for his brilliant figures of 3/25 while Brad Evans also bowled well for his 2/25.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 130/8 in 20 overs (Sean Williams 31, Brad Evans 19; Mohammad Wasim Jr 4/24, Shadab Khan 3/23) beat Pakistan 129-8 in 20 overs (Shan Masood 44, Mohammad Nawaz 22; Sikandar Raza 3/25, Brad Evans 2/25) by 1 run.
Comments