ISLAMABAD: Saeem Ayub attributed his 51-ball century to his consistent approach on a wicket that was easier than the one where Pakistan lost the opening ODI against Zimbabwe.
On Tuesday, however, Pakistan were seen dictating the terms from the start with an easy ten-wicket win to level the series 1-1. Saim scored a powerful century, the third fastest for Pakistan as the tourists reached the target in the 20th over.
“I just planned to play my neutral game which I succeeded in. The wicket for the second ODI was relatively easy as the ball was coming on the wicket a bit better, unlike the first ODI where the ball was not hitting the bat. “I tried to play my neutral game and I succeeded,” said Saim, who scored his maiden ODI century.
He was even more excited about the performance of the entire team. “We came back strongly in the series and that was the main thing. It was a real all round performance. Pakistan White Ball captain Muhammad Rizwan also praised Saeem’s innings and said that the talent he has is no longer a secret.
He played a quality innings and made things easy for Pakistan. However, the bowling of Abrar Ahmed (4-33) and Salman Ali Agha (3-26) helped Pakistan chase down a low total. Pakistan took nine Zimbabwe wickets through spinners and Salman broke the backbone of the top order. Abrar removed the lower order to bowl out the hosts for just 145 in the 33rd over.
“It was a great win but it’s in the past as our focus is now on the next match on Thursday. We are more interested in repeating today’s performance in the third ODI to take the series 2-1,” said Rizwan.
Zimbabwe captain Craig Irvine was furious at the wrong decision to bat first. “I think we should have bowled earlier on this wicket which became easier later in the day. The wicket initially had something for the bowlers but as the match progressed the pace of the wicket slowed making it easier for the batsmen to adjust.
He was also unhappy with the batsmen for not applying properly to play the full quota of overs. “Our batsmen, including myself, failed to play the full quota, didn’t hit the target. Some batsmen played careless shots which proved to be decisive.
Irvine defended his decision to introduce spinners late. “The wicket went very slowly and that was the reason why we didn’t open up with the spinners. I think the fast bowlers could have got us some wickets but it was not possible due to the nature of the wicket which became easier for the batsmen as the match progressed.