BULAWAYO: Debutant Tinotenda Maposa backed up his 1/12 bowling figures with a 12-match cameo, not aiming to lead Zimbabwe to a thrilling two-wicket consolation victory over Pakistan in the final T20I of the three-match series here in the Queens Sports Club on Thursday.
The home team got off to an excellent running start, at 73/1 in 9.3 overs, with opening batsman Brian Bennet and Dion Myers at the crease.
Emerging spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, however, provided the visitors with a vital breakthrough, dismissing star batsman Bennet, who remained Zimbabwe’s top scorer with a 35-ball 43, laced with seven boundaries, including a six.
His dismissal sparked a collapse in the middle order that saw the home team slump to 94/5 in 14 overs.
Captain Sikandar Raza offered some resistance against a Pakistan bowling attack full of momentum until his dismissal of Jahandad Khan in the 18th over.
Abbas Afridi, who returned brilliant figures of 3/23, inflicted another blow on Zimbabwe’s chase by getting rid of Wellington Masakadza (six).
The hosts then needed 12 goals in the final, with Maposa scoring.
The right-handed batsman hit Jahandad with a four and a six in the first two overs of the decisive over, which turned out to be enough to guide Zimbabwe to a two-wicket victory.
Opting to bat first, the touring team could only amass 132/7 in the allotted 20 overs despite captain Salman Ali Agha’s 32-run knock.
Pakistan made a dismal start to the innings as young opener Omair Bin Yousuf perished for a golden duck off the second delivery of the second over with just four runs on the board.
The Green Shirts lost two more wickets in quick succession and consequently fell to 19/3 in four overs.
Emerging middle-order batsman Tayyab Tahir briefly bolstered the team’s total with a quick cameo, which lasted into the eighth over with the score reading 52/4 in 7.4 overs.
Tahir hit two fours and a six on his way to a 14-ball 21.
Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Agha was involved in cautious partnerships with Qasim Akram (20) and Arafat Minhas before finally dying in the 15th over.
Agha remained Pakistan’s top scorer with a run-a-ball 32, which included three boundaries.
Minhas then teamed up with Abbas Afridi for an important 27-run partnership for the seventh wicket, which lasted with the latter’s dismissal in the penultimate over. Abbas scored 15 out of 14.
Meanwhile, Minhas carried his bat with an unbeaten 22 off 26 deliveries while Jahandad Khan hit six not out.
For Zimbabwe, Muzarabani bagged two wickets, while Wellington Masakadza, Tinotenda Maposa, Richard Ngarava and Ryan Burl shared four wickets between them.
The two-wicket win helped Zimbabwe avoid winning the series, which Pakistan won 2-1.
