BULAWAYO: In an exciting rain-affected one-day international at Queens Sports Club, Zimbabwe triumphed over Pakistan by 80 runs on Sunday.
Zimbabwe’s innings ended at 205 runs after 40.2 overs, bolstered by a crucial partnership of 62 runs for the eighth wicket between Richard Ngarava (48 runs) and Sikandar Raza (39 runs). This performance proved vital as the home team faced challenges throughout their innings.
Pakistan, coming off a disappointing 3-0 ODI series defeat against Australia earlier in the week, struggled in their chase, finding themselves at a dismal 60-6 after 21 overs. Just as Pakistan’s chances seemed bleak, torrential rain accompanied by thunder and lightning brought the match to a halt in Bulawayo.
After a prolonged delay of several hours, the match was ultimately abandoned, leading to the application of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. This resulted in Zimbabwe emerging victorious by a substantial margin.
The two teams are scheduled to meet again for the next matches on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by a series of three Twenty20 internationals. Following this series, Pakistan will embark on an all-format tour to South Africa.
Brief scores:
- Zimbabwe: 205 all out in 40.2 overs (R. Ngarava 48, S. Raza 39, T. Marumani 29; F. Akram 3-24, S. Ali Agha 3-42)
- Pakistan: 60-6 in 21 overs (M. Rizwan 19 not out; B. Muzarabani 2-9, S. Williams 2-12)
Result: Zimbabwe won by 80 runs (DLS method)
Series: Zimbabwe leads 1-0 in the three-match series
Toss: Pakistan
