Pakistan leveled the series 1-1 by defeating Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in the second ODI, thanks to a magnificent century by opener Saim Ayub.
The second match of the three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Zimbabwe was played today in Bulawayo, where the host team won the toss and decided to bat first.
Zimbabwe’s batting line struggled against the Pakistani bowlers and was dismissed for 145 runs in 32.3 overs.
Zimbabwe set a target of 146 runs for Pakistan.
Pakistan’s debutant Abrar Ahmed took 4 wickets, Salman Ali Agha took 3, and Saim Ayub and Faisal Akram claimed 1 wicket each, while one batter was run out.
In response, Pakistan easily achieved the target of 146 runs without losing any wickets in the 19th over. Saim Ayub scored 113 runs, marking his first ODI century, while Abdullah Shafique remained unbeaten on 32 runs.
With Pakistan’s victory in the second ODI, the series is now tied at 1-1.
It is worth mentioning that in the rain-affected first match, Zimbabwe won by 80 runs under the DLS method.
In the match played in Bulawayo, two players, Abrar Ahmed and Tayyab Tahir, made their ODI debuts for Pakistan.
Pakistan vs Zimbabwe Squad
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan, Tayyab Tahir, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Aamir Jamal, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, and Faisal Akram.
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Joylord Gumbie (wk), Trevor Gwandu, Craig Ervine (c), Tawandanashe Marumani, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza, and Sean Williams.
Head-to-Head
Pakistan and Zimbabwe faced each other 63 times in ODIs, with Pakistan holding commanding record of 54 wins to Zimbabwe’s 6, and 2 matches ending in no result. In ODI series, Men in Green remained dominant, winning 19 out of 21 series between the two sides, while Zimbabwe managed to draw two series in 1994/95 and 2013.
The two squads entered series with contrasting recent performances. Pakistan came into the match with momentum from their first ODI series win in Australia since 2002, while Zimbabwe was recovering from a 2-0 defeat against Sri Lanka. However, Zimbabwe caused a major upset in the rain-affected first ODI, defeating Pakistan by 80 runs.
