Claiming the spoils: Pakistan prove two good for Zimbabwe

Visitors whitewash hosts 2-0 after taking second T20I by 15 runs

KARACHI/ HARARE:

Man-of-the-match Umar Akmal’s aggressive innings proved crucial in a low-scoring game as Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 15 runs to win Tuesday’s T20I at the Harare Sports Club and sweep the two-match series.

Akmal scored an unbeaten 38 from 28 balls and added a crucial 24 with Imad Wasim in the last two overs of Pakistan’s innings to boost the tourists’ total to 136-6 after a stuttering start on a slow pitch.

The total proved beyond Zimbabwe despite Sean Williams’s fighting 40 not out after yet another disappointing top-order collapse for the hosts saw them fall short of a manageable total.

Williams shared a 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Sikandar Raza — the only half-century stand in the series — but Zimbabwe were always playing catch-up after they had been reduced to 24-4 at the start of their chase courtesy of some tight bowling and poor running and umpiring.

Zimbabwe finished on 121-7, as left-arm spinner Imad once again proved the pick of the Pakistani bowlers with figures of 1-14 from four overs. The all-rounders performances with both bat and ball in the matches saw him claim the man-of-the-series award.

Top-order woes worry former players

Former Test player Tauseef Ahmed said that Pakistan may have won the T20I series 2-0 but there are a lot of areas which the team still needs to improve upon if they are to be considered genuine contenders for the upcoming World Twenty20 in India.

“Pakistan’s batting hasn’t been up to the mark against a weak Zimbabwe bowling attack and it’s a big concern in my point of view,” Tauseef told The Express Tribune. “They might complain about the pitches but they weren’t too bad. Pakistan should have scored 170-180 in both matches because Zimbabwe don’t have any top-class bowler in their ranks. The team needs to improve its batting ahead of the mega event.”

Tauseef was left unimpressed by individual performances, adding that opener Mukhtar Ahmed has been found wanting after initially doing well in international cricket, while Sohaib Maqsood has been far from impressive on his return.

Another former player, Shoaib Mohammad, also felt that Pakistan’s top-order needs to step up to the plate as their shortcomings have been resulting in small totals, especially considering the high percentage of dots in the innings. AFP (With additional input from

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2015.

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