Pakistan make mild work of Zim

RAWALPINDI. — Iftikhar Ahmed’s maiden ODI five-wicket haul arrange Pakistan’s six-wicket win within the second sport in opposition to Zimbabwe right here yesterday.

Babar Azam supplied the ending touches in a small, however tough chase.

That sealed the collection 2-Zero with one to play, and gave Pakistan their eighth ODI win in a row.

After Zimbabwe have been bowled out for 206 — regardless of a preventing 70-ball 75 from Sean Williams — Pakistan made comparatively brief work of the chase, thanks mainly to a sublime unbeaten 77 from Azam.

There was virtually no drama within the sport, a borderline farcical determination from third umpire Ahsan Raza excepted, and the captain’s 16th half-century did the job for them.

Zimbabwe’s solely hope of creating the sport attention-grabbing was to choose up early wickets, however Imam-ul-Haq and Abid Ali had different concepts.

They settled in rapidly and, in a marked distinction to their soporific strategy within the first ODI, confirmed far more optimistic intent because the scoring fee pushed previous a run-a-ball.

The 2 of them discovered the gaps with regularity early on, whereas the Zimbabwe new-ball bowlers — Richard Ngarava, Carl Mumba and Blessing Muzarabani — didn’t carry almost as a lot menace as Pakistan’s quicks did, and of their seek for breakthroughs, their self-discipline faltered.

Tendai Chisoro, who discovered good flip, introduced them hope with a few fast wickets, however with the asking fee by no means going above 4, stress didn’t appear to construct up.

The debutant Haider Ali freed his arms after being let off by wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, a few sixes in a pleasant little cameo highlighting his potential for Pakistan.

He was most unlucky to fall the best way he did, given out lbw on the sphere and, considerably ludicrously, not reprieved by third umpire Raza regardless of a transparent deflection from the glove as a result of Extremely Edge didn’t appear to spike the best way it ought to have.

That minor irritant apart, Pakistan have been by no means in any hazard of fluffing their strains. Azam’s contact was supreme, and he milked the spinners with consummate ease, whereas periodically utilizing his toes to assault and discover the boundaries.

When he introduced up his half-century, it was extra of an inevitability than an event, and to Pakistan’s aid, his kind within the format that propelled him to stardom appears to be precisely the place it was pre-shutdown.

Nevertheless it was the primary half when the match was nicely and really determined.

Regardless of an assault brimming over with younger, promising quicks, it was part-time off-spinner Ahmed, who struck essentially the most telling blows, skittling Zimbabwe for 206 in 45,1 overs with returns of 5 for40.

Zimbabwe appeared like they’d a strong platform in addition to momentum on their facet when Brendan Taylor and Williams, whose 75 was mainly liable for beefing up the whole, took their facet to 120 for 3 with a 61-run partnership at higher than a run-a-ball.

However when Ahmed received Taylor to gap out to deep square-leg, the floodgates opened. He ripped by means of the remainder of the center order, leaving Zimbabwe in tatters.

Pakistan 208 for 4 (Babar Azam 77*, Imam-ul-Haq 49, Tendai Chisoro 2-49) beat Zimbabwe 206 (Sean Williams 75, Iftikhar Ahmed 5-40, Muhammad Musa 2-21) by six wickets. — Cricinfo.

Babar Azam supplied the ending touches in a small, however tough chase.

That sealed the collection 2-Zero with one to play, and gave Pakistan their eighth ODI win in a row.

After Zimbabwe have been bowled out for 206 — regardless of a preventing 70-ball 75 from Sean Williams — Pakistan made comparatively brief work of the chase, thanks mainly to a sublime unbeaten 77 from Azam.

There was virtually no drama within the sport, a borderline farcical determination from third umpire Ahsan Raza excepted, and the captain’s 16th half-century did the job for them.

Zimbabwe’s solely hope of creating the sport attention-grabbing was to choose up early wickets, however Imam-ul-Haq and Abid Ali had different concepts.

They settled in rapidly and, in a marked distinction to their soporific strategy within the first ODI, confirmed far more optimistic intent because the scoring fee pushed previous a run-a-ball.

The 2 of them discovered the gaps with regularity early on, whereas the Zimbabwe new-ball bowlers — Richard Ngarava, Carl Mumba and Blessing Muzarabani — didn’t carry almost as a lot menace as Pakistan’s quicks did, and of their seek for breakthroughs, their self-discipline faltered.

Tendai Chisoro, who discovered good flip, introduced them hope with a few fast wickets, however with the asking fee by no means going above 4, stress didn’t appear to construct up.

The debutant Haider Ali freed his arms after being let off by wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, a few sixes in a pleasant little cameo highlighting his potential for Pakistan.

He was most unlucky to fall the best way he did, given out lbw on the sphere and, considerably ludicrously, not reprieved by third umpire Raza regardless of a transparent deflection from the glove as a result of Extremely Edge didn’t appear to spike the best way it ought to have.

That minor irritant apart, Pakistan have been by no means in any hazard of fluffing their strains. Azam’s contact was supreme, and he milked the spinners with consummate ease, whereas periodically utilizing his toes to assault and discover the boundaries.

When he introduced up his half-century, it was extra of an inevitability than an event, and to Pakistan’s aid, his kind within the format that propelled him to stardom appears to be precisely the place it was pre-shutdown.

Nevertheless it was the primary half when the match was nicely and really determined.

Regardless of an assault brimming over with younger, promising quicks, it was part-time off-spinner Ahmed, who struck essentially the most telling blows, skittling Zimbabwe for 206 in 45,1 overs with returns of 5 for              40.

Zimbabwe appeared like they’d a strong platform in addition to momentum on their facet when Brendan Taylor and Williams, whose 75 was mainly liable for beefing up the whole, took their facet to 120 for 3 with a 61-run partnership at higher than a run-a-ball.

However when Ahmed received Taylor to gap out to deep square-leg, the floodgates opened. He ripped by means of the remainder of the center order, leaving Zimbabwe in tatters.

Pakistan 208 for 4 (Babar Azam 77*, Imam-ul-Haq 49, Tendai Chisoro 2-49) beat Zimbabwe 206 (Sean Williams 75, Iftikhar Ahmed 5-40, Muhammad Musa 2-21) by six wickets. — Cricinfo.