Join our community of SUBSCRIBERS and be part of the conversation.
To subscribe, simply enter your email address on our website or click the subscribe button below. Don't worry, we respect your privacy and won't spam your inbox. Your information is safe with us.
Pakistan 148 for 0 (Ayub 113*, Shafique 32*) beat Zimbabwe 145 (Myers 33, Williams 31, Abrar 4-33, Salman 3-26) by ten wickets
Pakistan made up for a lacklustre efficiency within the first ODI with a close to excellent one within the second, crushing Zimbabwe by ten wickets to stage the collection. Opener Saim Ayub scored the quickest ODI hundred by any Pakistani aside from Shahid Afridi, mentioning three figures in 53 balls as Pakistan coasted to the goal of 146 with 32 overs to spare. It completed off an all-round efficiency after Pakistan’s spinners put Zimbabwe on the again foot after being requested to bowl first, debutant Abrar Ahmed’s 4 for 33 the choose of the bunch as Zimbabwe have been bowled out in 32.3 overs.
It was apparent Zimbabwe had fallen properly beneath par within the first innings, however Pakistan had slumped to 60 for six within the first ODI, and knew there was a job to be finished after they have been set a goal, nonetheless modest. This time, although, there was no drama because the openers began brightly, and continued in the identical vein. Ayub led the best way, his pure aggression neutering the early menace of Blessing Muzarabani, and giving Abdullah Shafique the area to work his approach into kind.
There have been a few early jitters. Richard Ngarava drew a thick exterior edge from Ayub that flew into the vacant second slip area, whereas an errant drive from Shafique discovered Sean Williams at backward level, just for the fielder to shell it.
By now, Ayub had begun to purr. Trevor Gwandu, the primary change, was greeted with two cracking photographs on the off aspect, adopted up with a 4 and a six in his second over. That six introduced up a 32-ball half-century for Ayub, and he was nonetheless solely in third gear.
There was little the spinners might do within the absence of scoreboard stress. Legspinner Brandon Mavuta was dispatched for 3 successive boundaries at the beginning of the 14th over, and leaked 47 within the 4 overs he bowled.
Sikandar Raza, too, wasn’t capable of be the handbrake he usually is, Ayub selecting him off at will. It was off him that Ayub acquired the boundary that took him to 3 figures. His understated celebration – a whipping-off of the helmet and a flash of a smile to the dressing room – didn’t fairly painting the brilliance of the innings, however his applauding team-mates within the pavilion knew he had finished his job.
Within the first innings, Pakistan’s spinners turned in a dominant efficiency with the ball, skittling Zimbabwe for 145. After successful the toss and batting first, Zimbabwe made a shiny begin because of Dion Myers’ entertaining 30-ball 33, however a scarcity of significant contributions mixed with self-discipline from Pakistan’s spinners meant Zimbabwe could not get substantial partnerships going.
Tadiwanashe Marumani and Joylord Gumbie have been concerned within the second run-out in as many matches to interrupt the opening stand. Abrar Ahmed, opening the bowling alongside Aamer Jamal, acquired sharp flip to eliminate Gumbie for his first ODI wicket earlier than Myers and Craig Ervine started to rebuild.
Ervine was fairly content material to let Myers be the aggressor, and the 38 the 2 put collectively managed to get Zimbabwe again on one thing resembling stage phrases. However Salman Agha, maybe the choose of Pakistan’s spinners on the day, trapped Myers in entrance and drew a nick from Ervine to peg Zimbabwe again, and from thereon, wickets fell at common intervals.
One other rebuild, this time from Williams and Raza, was thwarted after Salman had Raza gap out into the off aspect to cut back Zimbabwe to 97 for five. The lower-order collapse got here when an tried Williams reverse sweep off Ayub noticed him trapped in entrance, and the rest went down in a heap.
Zimbabwe misplaced the final 5 wickets for twenty-four runs as Abrar returned to snare his fourth, whereas Faisal Akram cleaned up Muzarabani to complete the innings off. It regarded properly beneath par then, and by the point Ayub was finished, that could not have been clearer.
