BULAWAYO - Sufiyan Muqeem delivered a career-best performance, claiming remarkable figures of 5-3 to propel Pakistan to a dominant ten-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the second T20I at Queens Sports Club on Tuesday. With the win, Pakistan secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Muqeem, while playing his seventh match, ripped Zimbabwe’s batting line-up apart, bundling them for 57, which is their lowest total in T20I cricket. Pakistan, on the other hand, while chasing a 58-run total, completed a ten-wicket victory in 5.3 overs with Saim Ayub and Omair Bin Yousuf scoring 36* and 22* respectively. Earlier, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza opted to bat first after winning the toss, but the decision backfired as their batters posed no threat to the ruthless bowling attack of Pakistan. The hosts got a decent start though as opening batters Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani stitched a 37-run stand in 4.3 overs. However, Abbas Afridi dismissed Marumani, who was playing on 16 off 14, to break the partnership.
Meanwhile, Bennett fell prey to Haris Rauf in the next over after scoring 21 runs from 14 balls with the help of three boundaries and one six. This opened the floodgates as Zimbabwe’s batting line-up collapsed dramatically, losing their remaining eight wickets for only 20 runs with Muqeem taking five of them.
Sikandar Raza (3) and Dion Myers (3) were removed by Afridi and Salman Ali Agha respectively before Muqeem wreaked havoc. The left-arm wrist-spinner Ryan Burl (1) and Tashinga Musekiwa (0) on consecutive deliveries in his first over, followed by the wickets of Wellington Masakadza (3) and Richard Ngarava (0) in his next over.
Sufiyan Muqeem completed his five-fer with the final wicket of Clive Madande (9) to skittle Zimbabwe for 57 in 12.4 overs.
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha lauded his team’s dynamic approach and impressive execution following their recent match. In a post-match talk, Salman Agha said: “We aim to play our game regardless of the toss. We are confident in our ability to win, whether batting or bowling first.“Our plans are clear, and the way our pacers hit the deck hard is commendable.” He also applauded spinners Abrar and Sufiyan, describing their performance as ‘outstanding’. Reflecting on their goals, Salman noted the team’s desire to maintain momentum and make amends for past shortcomings. “We didn’t win the T20I series in Australia, but we are determined to keep improving and achieve greater success,” he concluded.
Scores in Brief
PAKISTAN 61-0 (Ayub 36*, Yousuf 22*) beat ZIMBABWE 57 (Muqeem 5-3, Afridi 2-2) by 10 wickets.