All-round Nawaz denies spirited Zimbabwe

A spirited performance by Zimbabwe was not enough to cause an upset in the tri-series opener as Pakistan prevailed by five wickets in Rawalpindi. Chasing 148, Pakistan found themselves in deep trouble at 54/4 before their middle order stepped up to bail their side out and secure a win with four balls to spare.

Brad Evans put the home side under pressure in the PowerPlay with two wickets in a single over. He first dismissed Sahibzada Farhan and then trapped Babar Azam LBW for a three-ball duck. Pakistan also lost Salman Agha in the next over, reduced to 31/3 in the powerplay. Graeme Cremer then struck early in his comeback spell, leaving Zimbabwe in control at the halfway mark.

Usman Khan joined Fakhar Zaman to revive the chase. Fakhar broke the shackles with two sixes and a four off Cremer to pull Pakistan back into the contest. Though Fakhar fell soon after, Mohammad Nawaz hammered a six off Evans to maintain momentum. Usman and Nawaz then eased the pressure with vital runs before Nawaz sealed the win with back-to-back boundaries.

Earlier, Zimbabwe failed to capitalize on a strong start from their openers. Brian Bennett struck three boundaries in the first two overs, while Tadiwanashe Marumani grew in confidence, hitting a six in the final powerplay over as Zimbabwe raced to 59/0. Nawaz broke the partnership with a full toss, but Brendan Taylor’s arrival kept Zimbabwe on track for a big total.

However, Taylor’s run out derailed the innings. Bennett fell for 49, and Nawaz struck again to remove Ryan Burl, triggering a collapse from 72/0 to 128/8. Sikandar Raza, stranded at one end, hit a few late boundaries to drag Zimbabwe to 147/8, but it proved insufficient despite their bowlers' efforts.

Brief scores: Zimbabwe 147/8 in 20 overs (Brian Bennett 49, Sikandar Raza 34*; Mohammad Nawaz 2/22) lost to Pakistan 151/5 in 19.2 overs (Fakhar Zaman 44, Usman Khan 37*; Brad Evans 2/26) by 5 wickets