BULAWAYO: While Pakistan overcame Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in the second T20I here on Tuesday, it also broke several records, including the worst collapse by a full-fledged men’s team in the format.
Opting to bat first, the home team made a decent start to their innings, with openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani adding 37 runs in 4.3 overs.
However, Marumani’s dismissal against Abbas Afridi in the fifth over sparked a record collapse that saw the hosts booked for just 57, the lowest total in men’s T20Is.
The previous lowest figure was 82 runs, against Sri Lanka earlier this year.
During the grueling collapse, Zimbabwe lost all their 10 wickets for just 20 runs, making it the worst collapse in men’s T20Is by a full-fledged side.
West Indies held the record for the worst previous collapse when they lost 10 wickets for just 33 runs against England in March 2019.
Furthermore, Zimbabwe’s 10 wickets fell in the span of just 50 deliveries, which is now the fastest 10-wicket collapse by a full member team, surpassing Bangladesh who lost the same number of wickets in 52 balls against Zimbabwe in May this year.
Worst 10-wicket collapses by a full-fledged men’s team in T20Is
| Team | Run | Of | Final total | Opposition | Year |
| Zimbabwe | 20 | 37/0 | 57 all out | Pakistan | 2024 |
| West Indies | 33 | 12/0 | 45 all out | England | 2021 |
| Bangladesh | 42 | 101/0 | 143 all out | Zimbabwe | 2024 |
| West Indies | 47 | 8/0 | 55 all out | England | 2021 |
| Zimbabwe | 48 | 36/0 | 84 all out | New Zealand | 2010 |
The record collapse was mainly caused by left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, who returned astonishing bowling figures of 5/3 in 2.4 overs.
His bowling figures are now the best by a Pakistani bowler in men’s T20Is, surpassing the previous best of 5/6, recorded twice by legendary pacer Umar Gul.
Chasing a target of 58 runs, Pakistan raced to victory in just 33 balls without losing a wicket.
The victory with 87 balls remaining became the biggest margin of victory in terms of balls remaining in a men’s T20I involving two full member teams.
Their biggest previous triumph was when Australia humiliated Bangladesh with 82 balls to spare in 2021.
For those unfamiliar, Pakistan’s record victory has propelled them to an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing series, with the final match set to be played at the same venue on Thursday.
