PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 13 runs in the first of the two-match T20 series on Sunday at the Harare Sports Club courtesy Imad Wasim's four scalps and quick-fire 19 off 12 balls.
Pakistan, on a slow track, opted to bat first and after losing wickets at regular intervals set a target of 137 runs. Shoaib Malik scored 35 off 24 balls with Muhammad Rizwan scoring 33 off 32.
Chamu Chibhabha bagged three wickets for Zimbabwe in three over giving away 18 runs in the process.
In their chase, Zimbabwe were brought to the ground by Imad's wicket-to-wicket bowling as they fell short of the target by 13 runs.
Zimbabwe capatin Elton Chigumbura top-scored for his team with 31 off 28 balls.
Shahid Afridi: We didn't bat well. I must give credit to bowlers they did well. It was a 160-170 pitch. Bowlers used the pitch well. Imran Khan Jr bowled the last over nicely. We need a good bowler like Imad after Ajmal and he has been doing his job well. The batsmen need to take more responsibility.
Imad Wasim: Everything I touched turned into gold today. Some days pay off, some days don't. I bowled wicket to wicket as my coach and captain told me. I have to play for the team . I have to do my job whenever I am sent out there.
Elton Chigumbura: Matter of having wickets in hand. Disappointing to get a chance and not grab it with both hands. Wicket was slow but it was not that bad to bat on. It was a good day to chase this target.
Teams
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (C), Ahmed Shehzad, Mukhtar Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Imad Wasim, Rizwan (wk), Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Imran Khan Jr.
Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (C), Chamu Chibhabha, Sikandar Raza, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Mutumbami (wk), Jongwe, Prosper Utseya, Greame Cremer, Panyangara.
ZIM 123-9 (20 overs)
Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 13 runs.
Another slow ball and missed by Panyangara.
Slow ball. Batsman misses and RUN OUT. Chigumbura (31) gone.
Imran Khan Jr is given the responsibility.
ZIM 121-8 (19 overs)
Two runs and a single to end the over. 16 needed off the last six balls.
FOUR! Slow ball bouncer and Utseya goes for the deep square leg boundary.
In the block hole by Tanvir. Another single.
Another single follows. 24 off 10 balls.
Single off the first ball.
Sohail Tanvir to bowl the penultimate over. Zimbabwe need 26 off 12 balls.
ZIM 111-8 (18 overs)
FOUR! Edge and the ball runs down to the third-man boundary.
Wahab Riaz.
ZIM 99-8 (17 overs)
FOUR! Slow and full. Chigumbura crunches it straight.
Imran Khan Jr in for his third over. He hasn't produced any fireworks until now.
ZIM 90-8 (16 overs)
OUT! Greame Cremer walks in and hits it into the hands of the short-cover.
RUN OUT! Chigumbura takes a single but Jongwe (2) wants a second run. Confusion ends in both fielders on the same side. Rizwan clips the bail and replaces it.
Wahab Riaz steams in.
ZIM 87-6 (15 overs)
Nine runs off the over.
SIX! Slower ball nicely judged by Chigumbura. Clears the long-off fielder.
Imran Khan Jr in for his second over. Slower balls on their way.
ZIM 78-6 (14 overs)
RUN OUT! Mutumbami tries to steal a quick single but Imad Wasim takes a shy at stumps and wins the race with his throw. Zimbabwe losing the plot now and Pakistan are in good command of the match.
Wahab Riaz is in to make things worse for Zimbabwe.
ZIM 77-5 (13 overs)
FOUR! Mutumbami with a boom boom powerful shot off the real Boom Boom.
Shahid Afridi in for his third over. Captain Elton Chigumbura and Mutumbami on for Zimbabwe.
ZIM 67-5 (12 overs)
LBW! Four for Imad now. Reverse sweep from Sean Williams but he misses the ball and umpire has raised his finger. Imad has bagged the man-of-the-match award for sure now.
Imad Wasim in again.
ZIM 66-4 (11 overs)
FOUR! Sean Williams with beautiful timing straight down the ground.
Shahid Afridi in for his second over.
ZIM 60-4 (10 overs)
OUT! Hamilton Masakadza (25) spills it down the long-on's throat.
Imad Wasim in for his third.
ZIM 57-3 (9 overs)
FOUR! Sean Williams goes over Malik's head on the first ball.
Shoaib Malik has been given the ball by Afridi.
ZIM 50-3 (8 overs)
LBW! Sikandar Raza (13) walks down but misses the ball. Tries to get back and Rizwan removes the bail. Umpire raises his finger for the first appeal.
Imad Wasim is back into the attack for his second over.
ZIM 46-2 (7 overs)
FOUR! Masakadza pulls the plug on a shorter delivery, earns a boundary.
Captain Shahid Afridi is on now.
ZIM 37-2 (6 overs)
FOUR! This time Sikandar pulls a shorter delivery for the mid-wicket boundary.
FOUR! Extra cover is the spot for Sikandar Raza's drive. Afridi couldn't stop it even after chasing it to the boundary.
LBW! Craig Ervine (11) caught by a quicker, straighter delivery. Sikandar Raza is in now.
Sohail Tanvir in for his third over on the trot.
ZIM 27-1 (5 overs)
Nine runs off the over courtesy a FOUR by Masakadza straight down the ground.
Imran Khan Jr makes his first international appearance for Pakistan.
ZIM 18-1 (4 overs)
Four runs off the over.
Sohail Tanvir in for his second.
ZIM 14-1 (3 overs)
FOUR! Outside edge and Ervine gets a welcome boundary.
Wahab Riaz is given the ball for the third over.
ZIM 3-1 (2 overs)
Just two runs off his over.
Left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir to bowl the second over.
ZIM 1-1 (1 over)
BOWLED! Chamu Chibhabha loses his middle stump. Imad on target for Pakistan. Craig Ervine is in now.
Chamu Chibhabha and Hamilton Masakadza will open the batting for Zimbabwe while Imad Wasim has been given the ball by Shahid Afridi. Smart move by Afridi to restrict scoring from the very start.
PAK 136-8 (20 overs)
RUN-OUT! Wahab Riaz runs for a single on the last ball and Pakistan have set a 137-run target for Zimbabwe.
OUT! Afridi (2) caught at long leg. Nothing for the big hitters in this pitch.
Two runs by Afridi off another slow-ball bouncer.
Slow ball bouncer and Afridi misses it.
Rizwan misses the first ball and takes a single on the second. Afridi has four balls to show his magic.
Panyangara to bowl the last over.
PAK 133-6 (19 overs)
OUT! Imad Wasim (19) caught at short third-man off another slow ball. Shahid Afridi is in the middle now but at the non-striker's end.
Zimbabwe bowling slower balls. Not giving Pakistani batsmen any pace to play with on a slow pitch.
A nice gesture. Zimbabwe player tying the knot on Imad Wasim's shoe-lace.
Jongwe in for his second over.
PAK 127-5 (18 overs)
FOUR! Imad follows up with a boundary. He is taking the charge onto Zimbabwe.
SIX! Talk about big shots and Imad Wasim walsk down and clears the fielder on the boundary.
Pakistan need big hits, instead they are getting big singles and doubles.
Sean Williams is in for fourth over. He has been clinical on this pitch.
PAK 111-5 (17 overs)
SIX! Rizwan runs down the ground and launches the bowler over mid-wicket.
Sikandar Raza Bakht brought on to bowl now.
PAK 99-5 (16 overs)
DROPPED! Rizwan goes big on the last ball of the over but Chibhabha drops it. Lucky Rizwan, very lucky!
Rizwan counting on singles and doubles to keep the scoreboard moving.
Utseya is back.
PAK 91-5 (15 overs)
BOWLED! Shoaib Malik (35) trying to get himself some room, goes on the back foot and is unable to defend his leg stump. Imad Wasim joins Rizwan in the middle.
FOUR to start the over by Shoaib Malik off Sean Williams. Slapped hard past the long-on fielder for the mid-wicket boundary.
PAK 83-4 (14 overs)
Just three runs off the over. Cremer is getting some serious bounce from the pitch.
Cremer bowls his fourth and last over.
PAK 80-4 (13 overs)
FOUR! Rizwan bags a boundary on the last ball of the over.
LUCKY Rizwan. Length delivery. Rizwan walks down the ground and misses the ball. The keeper misses it too. Rizwan goes back into the crease safely!
Sean Williams in for his second over.
PAK 73-4 (12 overs)
OUT! Umar Akmal (14) tries to go big over long-on. Finds Hamilton Masakadza. Muhammad Rizwan joins Shoaib Malik.
Cremer in for his third over.
PAK 71-3 (11 overs)
Sean Williams is in now.
Pakistan batsmen ran four runs here. Special moments!
PAK 66-3 (10 overs)
SIX! Shoaib Malik dances down the ground (better than his Dubsmash video) and launches the ball over the bowler's head.
Cremer again.
PAK 56-3 (9 overs)
Nine runs off the over.
Utseya bowls his third over.
PAK 47-3 (8 overs)
Five runs off the over.
Greame Cremer to bowl his leg-spinners.
PAK 42-3 (7 overs)
FOUR! Shoaib swings his bat at a shorter delivery and it flies off the edge past the short third-man for a boundary.
Utseya is back.
PAK 33-3 (6 overs)
FOUR! Umar Akmal is the new batsman in and he starts with a boundary. Goes past mid-on and finds the mid-wicket boundary.
BOWLED! Sohaib Maqsood (6) loses his off-stump this time. Chibhabha is on fire. Pakistan in serious trouble here now. Losing wickets uselessly.
Chibhabha again.
PAK 29-2 (5 overs)
Sohaib Maqsood and Shoaib Malik are the two new batsmen on the crease for Pakistan.
Jongwe brought on to bowl. Quick changes in bowling by Zimbabwe.
PAK 25-2 (4 overs)
OUT! Mukhtar Ahmed (4) tries to show some heroics. Fails miserably. Caught by Masakadza on the boundary. Pakistan in self-created trouble, AS USUAL.
BOWLED! Shehzad (17) off-stump uprooted. Tries to go big over covers, misses the line of the ball.
Chamu Chibhabha bowls.
PAK 21-0 (3 overs)
LUCKY! Inside edge, the ball just bounces before the keeper. Shehzad is safe. It was relatively shorter and wide. Shehzad wanted to hit it hard.
FOUR! Beautifully times by Shehzad. Goes for the unguarded mid-wicket boundary.
Some problem with the side screen causing delay in the start of the third over.
Tinashe Panyangara has been given the ball. A bowling change so early? Tactics or anxiety?
PAK 16-0 (2 overs)
FOUR! Width and Shehzad slaps it hard through covers.
Mukhtar Ahmed now faces Chamu Chibhabha.
PAK 6-0 (1 over)
First ball and nicely defended by Shehzad. Second ball and Shehzad jumps out of the crease and goes for the long-off boundary. FOUR!
Ahmed Shehzad and Mukhtar Ahmed are opening the batting for Pakistan. Prosper Utseya is warming up to bowl.
Our writer/consultant is on fire today. Breaking stories after stories on Hafeez.
@ETribuneSports Hafeez was originally not selected for T20s. Only incld since @TheRealPCB wanted to keep travel cost down for tour #ZimvPak
— Emmad Hameed (@Emmad81) September 27, 2015
Toss: Elton Chigumbura tosses the coin, Afridi calls heads and wins the toss. "Pitch will help spinners," says Afridi. "We are going for experiments. Imran Khan Jr is a good domestic find. We can defend 160-170.
Meanwhile, our writer/consultant Emmad Hameed has some update on the team for first T20.
BREAKING: Pakistan set to drop Hafeez for first T20 against Zimbabwe...SohaibMaqsood or Bilal Asif likely replacements #ZimvPak @TheRealPCB
— Emmad Hameed (@Emmad81) September 27, 2015
Saqlain Mushtaq, while talking to the state sports channel: "Younus Khan should have been included in the ODI squad against Zimbabwe. He is experienced, a team player and he never demands space if he is not performing.
"Aamer Yamin is a home grown player. But once he goes out in the international arena, people will break his code and then PCB will have to work hard on him."
PAK 4-0 (1 over)
First ball and nicely defended by Shehzad. Second ball and Shehzad jumps out of the crease and goes for the long-off boundary. FOUR!
Ahmed Shehzad and Mukhtar Ahmed are opening the batting for Pakistan. Prosper Utseya is warming up to bowl.
LUCKY! Inside edge, the ball just bounces before the keeper. Shehzad is safe https://i1.tribune.com.pk/story/963235/1st-t20-saqlain-mushtaq-wants-younus-khan-in-odi-squad/ …#PAKvZIM
COMMENTS (3)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ