Pakistan overpower Zimbabwe in T20I series opener

Pakistan – 165-4 in 20 overs (Tayyab Tahir 39*, Usman Khan 39, Irfan Khan 27*; Sikandar Raza 1/14, Wellington Masakadza 1/23, Ryan Burl 1/27)

Zimbabwe – 108 all out in 15.3 overs (Sikandar Raza 39, Tadiwanashe Marumani 33, Tashinga Musekiwa 9*; Sufiyan Muqeem 3/20, Abrar Ahmed 3/28, Haris Rauf 2/17)

Pakistan won by 57 runs

A promising third-wicket stand between Sikandar Raza and Tadiwanashe Marumani briefly ignited hopes for Zimbabwe in the first T20 International against Pakistan at Bulwayo’s Queens Sports Club on Sunday.

However, a collapse from the rest of the batting order saw the hosts falter, handing the tourists a comfortable 57-run win with 27 balls to spare.

After winning the toss, Pakistan chose to bat and delivered a steady, if not dominant, performance.

Blessing Muzarabani struggled initially, conceding 13 runs in his first over, primarily to Omair Yusuf.

However, Richard Ngarava struck in his next over, dismissing Yusuf.

A missed chance off the very next ball gave Usman Khan a lifeline, one that would prove costly for Zimbabwe.

Saim Ayub looked dangerous but fell for 24, driving a catch to long-off off Wellington Masakadza’s bowling.

At the halfway mark, Pakistan were 78 for two, with Khan and captain Salman Agha steadying the innings.

Ryan Burl provided a breakthrough, dismissing Khan for 39 off 30 balls, and Raza followed up by removing Agha for 13.

At 100 for four in the 15th over, the match seemed evenly poised.

Pakistan then seized control, as Tayyab Tahir (39 off 25) and Irfan Khan (27 off 15) unleashed aggressive strokes to boost the total to 165 for four.

Raza shone with the ball, conceding only 14 runs in four overs.

Zimbabwe’s chase started poorly, as Brian Bennett and Dion Myers were dismissed by Abrar Ahmed in quick succession, leaving the hosts at a precarious 18 for two in the third over.

Raza joined Marumani, and the pair revived hopes with a brisk 59-run partnership in under six overs.

Marumani scored a quickfire 33 off 20 balls before a mix-up led to his run-out, derailing Zimbabwe’s momentum.

The middle order crumbled under pressure, with Burl falling for three, while Clive Madande was stumped for five.

At 92 for five in the 12th over, the burden fell heavily on Raza.

However, he was dismissed for 39 off 28 balls, caught by a leaping Ayub while trying to carve a delivery from Jahandad Khan over backward point.

With Raza’s departure at 95 for six, Zimbabwe’s hopes faded.

Masakadza briefly rallied with a boundary but fell the next ball, and the innings folded for 108 in just 15.3 overs.

Only Marumani and Raza managed double-digit scores.

Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem were the pick of the bowlers, each claiming three wickets.

Zimbabwe will look to bounce back in the second match of the three-game series, set for Tuesday, 3 December, at the same venue.