Pakistan chased down 147 with five wickets in hand to seal a hard fought win over Zimbabwe in the opening T20I of the tri series. The visitors looked set for a total well above 180 but collapsed from a strong position, losing seven wickets for just 37 runs to finish at 147 for 8. Brian Bennett top scored with 49, while Mohammad Nawaz led Pakistan’s attack with 2 for 22.
Zimbabwe’s collapse did not stop them from stretching the contest deep. Their seamers delivered early breakthroughs and reduced Pakistan to pressure in the powerplay with three key strikes. They continued to control the run rate through the middle overs, forcing Pakistan to rebuild.
Pakistan’s lower middle order responded with calm and purpose. Fakhar Zaman, returning to T20I cricket, made 44 off 32 balls and stitched a crucial 61 run stand with Usman Khan. Usman then carried the chase forward with an unbeaten 37, and Nawaz joined him to lift the scoring rate when the required run rate began to rise.
Nawaz played the decisive innings of the finish, striking 20 off just 12 balls. Zimbabwe had a chance to swing the momentum when Bennett dropped a simple catch at midwicket with 15 needed off 10. The miss proved costly, as Nawaz went on to hit the winning boundary with four balls left.
Pakistan now take a 1 0 lead in the tri series after a tight but confident performance from the middle order.