Zimbabwe defeat Pakistan in Super Over to score thrilling victory in final ODI

RAWALPINDI: Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan in Super Over to score a thrilling victory in the third and final one-day international at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday. Pakistan won the three-match series 2-1 after winning the first match by 26 runs and the second by six wickets, also at the same venue. With the victory, Zimbabwe ended their 10-match losing streak. Blessing Muzarabani grabbed two wickets off four balls in the Super Over as Pakistan scored only two runs off the tall fast bowler. Zimbabwe raced to a winning 3-0 through Brendan Taylor and Sikandar Raza off Shaheen Afridi’s first three balls to deny Pakistan a series clean sweep. Earlier chasing victory target of 279, Pakistan were doomed from the start and were 51-4 and 88-5 at various stages but skipper Babar Azam’s run-a-ball 125 lifted his team close to the target in a century stand with Wahab Riaz, who made 52 off 55 balls. But Muzarabani claimed the wickets of Afridi and Babar off his last two deliveries to turn the game. The hosts ended at 278 for the loss of 9 wickets to tie the score when their No. 10 batsman Mohammad Musa hit a four off the last ball of their 50-over innings against paceman Richard Ngarava and forced a Super Over.

Earlier in the day, after winning the toss and deciding to bat first, left-hander Sean Williams hammered a dazzling ton to help Zimbabwe post 278-6 after Pakistan’s paceman Mohammad Hasnain took a maiden five-wicket haul. Williams made an unbeaten 135-ball 118 for his fourth ODI hundred to lift Zimbabwe from a precarious 22-3 after they batted on a flat pitch. It was 20-year-old paceman Hasnain who shook the tourists by removing Zimbabwe skipper Chamu Chibhabha (nought), Craig Ervine (one) and Brian Chari (nine) in his first four overs of hostile fast bowling. Williams added an invaluable 84 runs for the fourth wicket with Taylor (56) and another 75 for the fifth with Wesley Madhevere (33) to stage a fightback. Dropped thrice on 73, 75 and 81, Williams finally reached his hundred with a couple off paceman Wahab, much to the jubilation of the Zimbabwe dressing room. He hit 13 boundaries and a six in his knock. Taylor, who scored a century in the first game on Friday, hit eight boundaries before falling to a miscued cut off Hasnain.

Hasnain, who had five wickets in his first five matches, had Madhevere caught off his own bowling to improve on his previous best of 2-52 against Australia in Dubai last year. Williams and Sikander — who made a 36-ball 45 — cut loose in the final overs adding 96 runs for sixth wicket, piling on 46 in the last five overs. Zimbabwe brought in fast bowler Donald Tiripano in place of Carl Mumba to bolster their pace attack. Pakistan brought in batsman Khushdil Shah, pacemen Hasnain and Wahab, and opener Fakhar Zaman in four changes. They replaced Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Haris Rauf and Abid Ali from Sunday’s game.