BULAWAYO  -  Kamran Ghulam’s maiden ODI century was followed by a combined bowling effort that helped Pakistan clinch the ODI series against Zimbabwe with a 99-run victory in the third ODI here at Queens Sports Club on Thursday. While chasing a target of 304 runs, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 204 in 40.1 overs. Saim Ayub played a key role with the ball, dismissing two of Zimbabwe’s top-order batters. Captain Craig Ervine was Zimbabwe’s top-scorer with 51 runs off 63 balls, including five fours and one six. Meanwhile, Brian Bennett played a crucial 37-run knock from 27 balls.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan opted to bat first and fielded an unchanged side. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe made two changes with Clive Madande and Faraz Akram coming in for Trevor Gwandu and Brandon Mavuta. Faraz Akram drew first blood for Zimbabwe as he removed Saim Ayub, who smashed a whirlwind century in the last match, in the 13th over with 58 runs on the board. Abdullah Shafique then added 54 runs for the second wicket with Kamran Ghulam to push Pakistan’s total to 112. However, Abdullah fell prey to Sikandar Raza after scoring 50 off 68. Kamran was joined by Rizwan, who scored 37 off 47, and together they built a solid 89-run partnership for the third wicket. Rizwan was also dismissed by Sikandar.

After Rizwan’s dismissal, Kamran switched gears and completed his maiden ODI century before Richard Ngarava ended his entertaining knock. Kamran scored 103 runs from 99 balls with the help of ten boundaries and four sixes. Salman Ali Agha (30) and Tayyab Tahir (29*) then played valuable cameos to take Pakistan’s total to 303-6 in the allocated 50 overs. For Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza and Richard Ngarava took two wickets each, while Blessing Muzarabani and Faraz Akram bagged one each It’s worth noting that the series is levelled 1-1 after Pakistan made a resounding comeback in the second match to thump Zimbabwe by ten wickets. Prior to that Zimbabwe had won the first ODI by 80 runs in the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) Method.

Saim Ayub, crowned player of the series for his exceptional performances, shared insights into his approach and the team’s efforts. “The conditions were similar to the last game, but the pitch was slightly slower this time,” Ayub remarked, highlighting the adaptability required to perform consistently. “Cricket is about reacting to the ball. Sometimes it clears the boundary, and other times it gets caught. Our focus is on enjoying the process and staying committed to our game. “Our goal is to stay in the moment, enjoy every moment on the field, and cherish each other’s company,” Ayub said, emphasizing the camaraderie and team spirit that contributed to their success.

Scores in Brief

PAKISTAN 303-6 (Ghulam 103, Shafique 50, Raza 2-47) beat ZIMBABWE 204 (Ervine 51, Bennett 37, Ayub 2-29) by 99 runs.