Zimbabwe won an exciting two-goal victory Pakistan in the third and final T20I at Queen’s Sports, denied the visitors a clean sweep. Chasing 133, Zimbabwe reached the target with just one ball to spare thanks to a blistering opening batting. Brian Bennett.
Zimbabwe restrict Pakistan to 132
Opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 132/7 in their 20 overs. There was a struggle for pace in these games as the Zimbabwean bowlers kept the batting under control. Skipper Agha Salman led the way with 32 off 32 balls, while Tayyib Tahir (21 off 14) and Arafat Minhos (22 off 26) chipped in with useful contributions. Zimbabwe’s bowlers shared the spoils with Blessing Muzaraboni (2/25) being the standout.
Zimbabwe reach the finish line after the midfield collapse
Zimbabwe’s reply started brightly with Tadiwanashe Marumani smashing 15 balls for 6 but regular wickets kept the hosts under pressure. Brian Bennett anchored the chase with a mature 43 off 35 balls. The owners of the field were behind in the middle, but He finished with two wickets and one ball left.
Abbas Afridi was the leading bowler for Pakistan with 3/24, while Jahandad Khan took two wickets.
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Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by 2 wickets in the 3rd T20I
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– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) December 5, 2024
“We wanted to win the series but unfortunately we couldn’t. There was a desire to beat Pakistan and to end up with a win is extremely satisfying. We had a tough tour but we supported the youngsters and for them to win it today is great to see it was encouraging. We didn’t want to dwell on the past, we couldn’t have won today. We wanted to get this first loss out of the system, another game bad and we wanted to get it out of the system today I thought the bowling attack was really good to restrict them to 132. said the captain of the winner Sikandar Raza in the speech after the match.
Despite the loss, Pakistan won the three-match series 2-1 and dominated the first two matches with commanding performances. In the opener, Pakistan scored a 57-run victory, followed by a ten-wicket defeat in the second T20I. However, a strong effort from Zimbabwe in the final match gave them a well-deserved consolation win.
