Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in the second T20I at the Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo on Tuesday to clinch the three-match series.
Chasing a paltry total of 58 runs, Pakistan scored the winning runs inside the batting powerplay without losing a wicket.
Left-handed opener Saeem Ayub was the main aggressor of the match-winning stand, courtesy his blistering 18-ball 36, which included six fours and a six.
His opening partner Umir Bin Yousaf was not as impressive as he scored an unbeaten 22 off just 15 balls, hitting two fours and a six in the process.
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 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. The best of
Right-arm fast bowler Abbas took two wickets while Rauf, Salman Ali Agha and Abrar Ahmed took one wicket each.
The 10-wicket victory gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing three-match series over Zimbabwe, where the T20I is scheduled to take place on December 5.
Playing XI of Pakistan
Salman Ali Agha (c), Saeem Aub, Umeer bin Yusuf, Eskim Khan (w), Tayyab Tahir, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufian Moqim.