Pakistan thrashed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to clinch the three-match series after outclassing the hosts in the second T20I played at the Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo on Tuesday.
Earlier in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Queen’s Sports Club on Tuesday, Pakistan bowled out Zimbabwe’s all-out batsmen for just 57. Sent back to the pavilion on runs.
Sikandar Raza, the captain of the host team won the toss and decided to bat first. However, his decision backfired when Zimbabwe’s batting unit were bowled out for a paltry 57 in the 13th over.
The home side started their innings well as openers Tadevanashe Marumani and Baron Bennett batted smartly at the top.
The opening pair put on a brisk 37-run partnership, which lasted till Marumani’s dismissal of Abbas Afridi in the fifth over. He scored 16 runs off 14 balls with the help of three fours.
Fellow opener Bennett followed suit, just three balls later, when he fell to Haris Rauf. Bennett was the top scorer for Zimbabwe with 21 runs off 14 balls.
Back-to-back dismissals led to a match-defining collapse, with the spinners doing most of the damage, resulting in Zimbabwe being 37/2 for 57 all out.
Apart from the openers, none of the Zimbabwean batsmen managed to reach double figures as the Pakistani bowlers dominated the proceedings.
The left-arm spinner was the standout bowler for the resident Greenshirts, returning bowling figures of 5/3 in 2.4 overs – the best by a Pakistani bowler in men’s T20Is, behind Umar Gill’s 5/6. .
Right-arm fast bowler Abbas took two wickets while Rauf, Salman Ali Agha and Abrar Ahmed took one wicket each.
Undeterred, Pakistan have taken a 1-0 lead in the ongoing three-match series against Zimbabwe, courtesy of their 57-run victory in the series opener.