Zimbabwe secured an 80-run victory over Pakistan using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in Sunday’s rain-affected opening match of the PAK v ZIM ODI series at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
Pakistan struggled, reaching only 60 for six in 21 overs before rain halted the game. The match officials subsequently awarded Zimbabwe the win based on the DLS calculations.
Zimbabwe, batting first, set a challenging target of 205 runs. Richard Ngarava led the scoring with a brisk 48 off 52 balls. Key contributions also came from star all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who made 39 off 56 balls, and Tadiwanashe Marumani, who added 29 runs.
Pakistan’s bowling attack saw Salman Agha and Faisal Akram take three wickets, while Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, and Aamer Jamal claimed one wicket apiece.
In response, Pakistan’s innings got off to a rocky start. Abdullah Shafique fell early for just one run in the third over. He was quickly followed by Saim Ayub, who managed 11 runs. Kamran Ghulam contributed 17 runs before his dismissal, and vice-captain Salman Agha was out for four. Haseebullah Khan exited without scoring, and Irfan Khan returned to the pavilion with just seven runs. Captain Mohammad Rizwan was unbeaten on 19, alongside Aamer Jamal, who was yet to score when the rain interrupted play.
The Pakistan playing XI consisted of Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Haseebullah Khan, Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Aamir Jamal, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, and Faisal Akram.
Zimbabwe’s lineup included Tadiwanashe Marumani, Joylord Gumbie (wicketkeeper), Dion Myers, Craig Ervine (captain), Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Brian Bennett, Brandon Mavuta, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, and Trevor Gwandu.
