Watch cricket video highlights of Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe 2024. Second Twenty/20 between Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Venue of the match will be Bulawayo.
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As his team defeated Zimbabwe by ten wickets to win the T20I series, Sufiyan Muqeem tangled a web around Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, recording the highest figures by a Pakistani bowler in T20Is. Zimbabwe scored their lowest total in Twenty20 International cricket after being skittled for 57, losing ten wickets in a 20-run span. The largest victory by balls remaining between two Full Members in men’s T20I cricket was achieved by Pakistan, who easily reached the score with 14.3 overs remaining. In retrospect, it is hard to believe, but Zimbabwe got off to a great start.
Sikandar Raza won the toss and batted first without hesitation after Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani attacked Jahandad Khan and Abrar Ahmed, sending the ball through the infield with incredible timing and force on what appeared to be a cracking batting surface. Bennett demonstrated his talent by picking up two boundaries behind point on the off side, but even Haris Rauf’s introduction couldn’t stop the bleeding. Zimbabwe was sitting comfortably at 37 for 0 at the end of the fourth over.
However, the events that followed were both dramatic and shameful for Zimbabwe. Rauf got Bennett off the first delivery of the next over after Abbas Afridi had Marumani slice one straight to cover-point, completing that wicket-maiden. Zimbabwe had to rebuild, but it was never able to get a second wind. One of the daggers slithered back in from Afridi and messed up Raza’s stumps seven balls later. Before Muqeem came over, Salman Agha had Dion Myers plumb in front of him after just his fourth delivery.
He had Zimbabwe’s lower-middle order on a string with the wrong’un and the traditional wristspinner. Tashinga Musekiwa had no response to another wrongdoer who blasted back his stumps for a golden duck, while Ryan Burl was duped by a googly that hit his pad in front of middle. After Clive Madande survived the hat-trick ball, Muqeem came back to dismiss two more in his next over before Madande top-edged him to end the innings. His final figures were 2.4-0-3-5. The openers were aware that Pakistan’s chase was straightforward.
To set the tone, Omair Yousuf took 11 off the first over, which was bowled by Raza. With a beautiful late adjustment, Saim Ayub entered the act and carved Richard Ngarava as a boundary over the slips. Both Ayub and Yousuf sent Blessing Muzarabani to the rail, with the latter slicing him over deep point for six with a confident shot as his dismal series continued. There was time for Ayub’s hallmark shot, a whip off Trevor Gwandu’s pads behind square leg for six, since he wasn’t going to be outdone.
The game was ended by Ayub scoring two more boundaries thanks to Muzarabani’s mistaken line once again. The fact that there was hardly any perspiration on the openers’ foreheads when they removed their helmets and shook hands on a scorching day in Bulawayo was indicative of how little Zimbabwe had put Pakistan to the test.
