Pakistan Defeats Zimbabwe to Reach Tri-Nation T20 Series Final

Islamabad — Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 69 runs to secure a place in the final of the ongoing Tri-Nation T20 Series.

Batting first, Pakistan scored 195 runs in their allotted overs. In reply, Zimbabwe was bowled out for 126 runs.

For Pakistan, Babar Azam was the top scorer with 74 runs, Sahibzada Farhan contributed 63, and Fakhar Zaman added 27. Saim Ayub scored 13, Mohammad Nawaz made 4, and Faheem Ashraf contributed 3 runs. Sikandar Raza took 2 wickets for Zimbabwe.

With this innings, Babar Azam equaled Virat Kohli’s record of 38 T20 International half-centuries, marking his 38th in T20Is.

Toss and Captains’ Statements

In the fourth match of the Tri-Nation T20 Series in Rawalpindi, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first.

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After winning the toss, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said the pitch looked excellent, which influenced his decision to bat. He added that there was no intention to take Zimbabwe lightly. Smiling, he also mentioned that he was playing on his birthday for the first time, but his main focus remained on giving his best performance.

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said his team aims to challenge every major side in the tournament. He noted that their first match against Pakistan went well and expressed a preference for bowling first to test his team under pressure.

Team Changes

Zimbabwe made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Wellington Masakadza in place of Graeme Cremer.

Zimbabwe Playing XI:
Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musakanda, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Richard Ngarava, Wellington Masakadza.

Pakistan made two changes for this match, including Naseem Shah and Usman Tariq, while Abrar Ahmed and Salman Mirza were left out.

Pakistan Playing XI:
Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Usman Tariq.