Watch cricket video highlights of Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe 2024. 1st One Day International between Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Venue of the match will be Bulawayo.
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Rain has been urgently needed in Bulawayo for months, so when it finally arrived, the people gathered at the Queens Sports Club had two reasons to rejoice. After 20 overs had been bowled in the second innings, it arrived with just six deliveries, ensuring that there would be a winner and that the match would have a conclusion. After losing the toss, Zimbabwe fought through challenging batting conditions in the first innings to defeat Pakistan by an overwhelming 80 runs in the first ODI.
The game was essentially over before the predicted rains hit Bulawayo, as they reached 205 before Blessing Muzarabani and the spinners ripped through Pakistan’s batting order. Given that Muzarabani often does well against Pakistan and that the skies are getting darker by the minute, these circumstances were ideal for him. Abdullah Shafique was off of form, but it didn’t take much magic to get rid of him because he squeezed the fifth ball he faced through to the keeper.
Soon after, Zimbabwe took the early wickets often needed to make a modest target appear formidable, and Saim Ayub was removed by sideways movement. However, the degree of turn the surface was taking was the game’s narrative. The worry when Zimbabwe lost the toss was whether they could hold up against Pakistan’s renowned speed attack in cloudy circumstances, but the bigger threat came from Salman Agha and Ayub’s part-time spin.
The three disciplined, frugal finger spinners Zimbabwe had were ideal for choking Pakistan, and once they got going, Pakistan’s movement became more and more laborious. While Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams were working Pakistan over and watching them fall under the strain they applied, captain Craig Ervine never even had a chance to bowl. Williams drove Kamran Ghulam to nick through to wicketkeeper Tadiwanashe Marumani as he came around the wicket to the right-handers, and Raza’s twin blow quickly removed debutant Haseebullah Khan and Salman.
Raza’s skill was evident when he dismissed Hasebullah, drifting it in from behind the wicket before getting it to hold and turn away to bang off stump. The former needed some luck and was uncertain if he had been able to get a foot behind the line. The ground crew was becoming restless by this point, and Zimbabwe’s top goal was to get 20 overs in to secure a victory. However, just before that time, Irfan Khan played all around a delivery and saw his bails fly, as Williams delivered another body punch to Pakistan.
Although Williams had also dared to flirt with the front line, the umpire decided in his favor. The positive authority that Zimbabwe’s openers displayed during the first powerplay stood in stark contrast to this. When Marumani and Joylord Gumbie got the hosts off to a fast start in the morning, any worries about bowling domination were promptly allayed, with Aamer Jamal’s errant lines receiving special treatment. Gumbie left after a mix-up between the two and a direct hit from Shafique, and Zimbabwe’s grip on the innings started to wane.
Salman, who appeared dangerous from the start, tricked Dion Myers by hiding in cow corner during the flight, while Craig Ervine was defeated by Haris Rauf’s increased speed. Williams and Brian Bennett’s cameos were insufficient to stop Zimbabwe from falling to 125 for 7, and Pakistan found themselves comfortably ahead as the hosts dropped wickets at regular intervals. For Zimbabwe to manage a competitive total, Raza and Richard Ngarava would need to put up an implausible 62-run partnership. Surprisingly, Ngarava was the elder partner in that stand.
He took on Pakistan with a calm swing and superb technique, mixing strong defense with creamy drives and strong slogs. A combination of good fortune and mastery of the pull stroke kept Ngarava and Zimbabwe in the game despite Rauf’s persistent attempts to undo him with the short ball. As the score got close to 200, Raza, who was providing protection from the other end, appeared to be taking over as the primary guy in that combination. However, after a high hop from rookie Faisal Akram, which he could have smashed away for six, he holed out to the deep midwicket fielder at what looked to be a pivotal moment in the match.
Mohammad Hasnain smashed out Ngarava’s stumps just two balls short of a well-earned half-century after left-arm wristspinner Faisal had cleaned up Muzarabani two balls later. In a banana peel of an opening match, Pakistan appeared to have stopped the slide, but the signs of their error were only just starting to appear. Rain may not have been necessary for Zimbabwe to defeat Pakistan, but Bulawayo and Zimbabwean cricket would eagerly welcome the blessing.
